An advisory group working on a strategic plan for the future of the Somerset County Park Commission’s Lord Stirling Stable in Basking Ridge includes six volunteers with close ties to the facility, as well as two paid consultants.
Names of the group’s members were made public today during the annual meeting of the Friends of Lord Stirling Stable, a support network for the operation that runs the retired school horse program.
Lord Stirling, which celebrated its 50th anniversary as a public stable in 2019, was closed in April during the midst of the pandemic. Although it eventually reopened for private boarders, the school horses were sold. Those who rode at the stable worried about if and when lessons will resume.
The county indicated earlier this month that the purpose of the advisory group is “to study and ensure future equine activities and programs” at the stable, which lost more than $500,000 in 2019. Such losses were subsidized by other park commission programs until the advent of Covid, when golf courses and other activities also were shut down. Nancy Brown, past president of the Friends and a member of the advisory group, said during the meeting that the stable is not being considered for a lease to a third party, which some had thought might be a possibility.
Speaking about the advisory group, Geoffrey Soriano, executive director of the Park Commission, believes his agency “ is exceptionally lucky to have folks like these willing to volunteer their time to endeavor to build a business plan aimed at reintroducing programmatic components to Lord Stirling Stable with a keen eye on fiscal prudence and sustainability. “
Karyn Malinowski, the founding director of the Rutgers Equine Science Center, has been hired as a consultant for the project, along with a fellow Ph.D from the university, Robin Brumfield.
A Rutgers animal sciences professor, Karyn has spent time as an extension specialist in equine sciences at the university and served as a director of the Rutgers Cooperative Extension. She has extensive experience in researching equine physiology in relation to the well-being of the performance horse, and also was successful as an amateur harness racing driver.
Robin is an extension specialist in farm management at Rutgers, where she works for the Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics. She also has expertise in management for farming business.
Nancy Brown, who owns a horse that boards at Lord Stirling, has been a leader or side walker with Somerset County’s Therapeutic Riding Adapted Instruction program for the disabled community. Nancy was in one of the first classes of women admitted to West Point and attended the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business in executive leadership while serving as vice president of operations for Coldwell Banker Commercial Corporate Headquarters, Realogy.
Nancy was succeeded today as president of the Friends by Anna McLernon, retired from Johnson & Johnson after 34 years as an industrial microbiologist. Her final position was as director of industrial microbiology worldwide. Anna’s retirement plan was to renew her passion for horses, starting with a course in horse management at Rutgers. Her professor recommended she go to Lord Stirling, where she has been a volunteer stable worker for four years. She started riding as a child at Watchung Stables, Union County’s equivalent of Lord Stirling. Anna enrolled in the lesson program at Lord Stirling, appreciating programs offering the opportunity to work with and ride horses for those who are not able to have a horse of their own.
The new vice president of the Friends, Barbara Roche, was Somerset County’s 2014 Volunteer of the Year. When her daughter decided that horseback riding was her passion, Barbara dedicated hundreds of hours to Lord Stirling Stable, where she now boards two horses. She worked with Verizon’s C-suite executives for decades, ensuring a symbiotic relationship between audience, objectives and strategies. She is said to have a solid understanding of the type of programs that patrons at Lord Stirling Stable are seeking.
Also serving as an advisor is eclectic horse show judge Kennis “Buttons” Fairfax, who often has been as a clinician at Lord Stirling. Buttons is an expert in both English and western disciplines. He has officiated at shows round the world, and in 2018, received the “Spirit of the Horse” award presented by the Rutgers Equine Science Center.
Chuck Rosen, who has been associated with Lord Stirling for 45 years, has three horses boarding at Lord Stirling. He has volunteered for more than 35 years for the park commission, and is a past president of the Friends. A certified management professional, he is experienced in leading multi-million dollar commercial, government and non-profit projects. His areas of expertise, decision support and conflict resolution have been applied to various companies and organizations through strategic planning, systems delivery, organizational management and behavior and decision support.
Ravenell Williams has ridden and cared for horses for his whole life. He managed a YMCA summer camp riding program and most recently held part time-barn care positions at Lord Stirling. A longtime horse owner, he has an extensive background in fundraising, grant writing, strategic planning, construction management, budget development, program development and public speaking. A career as a YMCA professional provided Ravenell the opportunity to work with mission-driven board and staff teams, conduct community relations initiatives, manage multiple facilities and implement successful marketing programs. He served as the president and CEO of the Plainfield YMCA from 2010 until his retirement in 2018.