Meet the Staff

banner

Home Programs Mission Meet the Staff Meet the Horses Contact Us

"The wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears." ~ Arabian proverb

Steve and Cheryl Harris
Cheryl and Steve are the founders and directors of Reins of Life. They come from a background of being foster and contract parents for the State of Georgia for 15 years, serving mostly teen-age girls in their home. As a result of this intensive work, they where able to see first hand the shortage of quality, interventive programs in this rural area and decided to develop a therapeutic horse program to help fill this gap. Cheryl had a life-long dream to be able to combine her love for horses and her love for serving children into a program to benefit both and so Reins of Life was born. Cheryl also worked for 7 years as the director of the Franklin Youth Project, an organization that serves at-risk and probated youth with outdoor adventure therapy programs; she had received training to be a ropes course facilitator and facilitated these programs for the last 10 years. Both she and Steve took the EAGALA training to be certified as equine facilitators in Equine Assisted Psychotherapy. Steve is really the backbone and support of Reins of Life - without him, nothing practical would ever be accomplished on the farm. Whether it's a mower, tractor, augur, weedwacker, waterline, electrical, or person, the program literally could not operate without him around to do the incredible amount of maintenance work that is required to keep 28 horses and 3 women happy. Besides his maintenance responsibilities, he is wonderful with our clients. His enthusiasm and cheerful attitude draw kids to him, his experience as a foster parent helps him to understand what they are going through, and his work ethic is a strong example to our sometimes lazy kids.


Lisa Love Lisa Love serves as the corporate secretary and financial director of Reins of Life. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Barry University with a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1993. Lisa's professional experience includes 15 years with Bank of America, retiring from a position of Vice President/Credit Specialist in 1998. The Loves have three grown boys and are regular participants in Reins of Life fundraisers and activities.	Vikki Paese Vikki has always believed in the powerful connection between horses and humans. She spent seven years working in various corporate, educational, and training positions. At the same time, she became involved with youth outreach programs. She then earned a Master’s degree in Counseling from Philadelphia Biblical University. She has been certified through EAGALA, the original Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association, founded by Greg Kersten, and also by Greg’s most recent training seminars called The O.K. Corral Series.	Dawn Williams, Equine Management The mother of 2 children, Dawn has been working with horses since she was fifteen. She is involved in all our programs. She enjoys using Natural Horsemanship in the Occupational Therapy program when possible as it helps with overall balance and gives the children a sense of riding on their own.