R.O.C.K. EXECUTIVE STAFF

Karron Wilson

Executive Director

Karron has several years experience in non-profit management, fund-raising, volunteer and staff training, and educational program implementation. Before coming to R.O.C.K. in 2006, she was Vice President of Texas Youth Market with the American Heart Association.

Nancy O'Meara Krenek 

Director of Therapy & Research / Founder

PT, HPCS - PATH Intl. Registered Instructor, AHA Registered Therapist

Nancy is the founder of R.O.C.K. and is one of approximately 40 Hippotherapy Clinical Specialists in the nation. Her background in physical therapy includes orthopedics, peds, home health, public schools, and neurology. The guiding force for R.O.C.K., Nancy has been providing therapeutic riding and hippotherapy since 1998. 

R.O.C.K. ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

Francesca Heller 

Volunteer Manager

Christy Hall 

Special Events Manager

Christy has several years of community service experience as a member of the Georgetown Area Junior Forum. Christy brings over 20 years of experience in sales, marketing and event planning. Christy lives in Georgetown with her husband and two daughters. 

Clarissa Correa 

Volunteer Coordinator

Linda Dixon 

Client Relations Director / Business Manager

Linda has a Business degree in Marketing and Management, and has spent over 20 years in sales, personnel management and program management in the business world. She has volunteered for many years in her church, her children’s activities, Georgetown Job Café, Georgetown Chamber of Commerce, and at R.O.C.K. Her passion for the mission of R.O.C.K. prompted her to join their staff in June, 2009 to further the relationships with the clients, agencies and community at large. 

Lynnette Barnes 

Business Office Associate

Lynnette is a native Texan and has lived in the North Austin area since 1999.  She has spent the last 11 years at Pfugerville ISD 7 years as Administrative Associate for two different principals at Park Crest Middle School, and 3 years prior in special education and as a substitute at PISD.   Lynnette’s business background is 18 years of customer service, purchasing and scheduling for an oil manufacturing company in San Antonio.  Lynnette is excited to join R.O.C.K. and looks forward to helping children, parents, and staff.  She lives in Georgetown is married and has two children.

R.O.C.K. THERAPISTS

Adrienne Devine 

LCSW

Licensed Mental Health Professional

Adrienne is a licensed clinical social worker and has provided counseling services to youth and families in a variety of mental health settings for over 12 years.  During that time, she gained experience integrating equine therapy into mental health treatment for clients, particularly survivors of abuse or domestic violence.  She is specialized in parent-child relationship therapy, treating child and adolescent disorders, and trauma.   

Cheri Yadon 

LPC Intern

Mental Health Professional

Jen Howicz 

Physical Therapy Assistant

Certified American Hippotherapy Association Instructor

Jen is a PTA working under the direction of Nancy Krenek, PT, HPCS, and a certified AHA Instructor.  She provides pediatric hippotherapy at R.O.C.K. 

Judy Moore 

Physical Therapist / PATH Intl. Registered Instructor

Certified American Hippotherapy Association Instructor

Mary Lynn Szymandera 

Licensed Mental Health Professional

Mary Lynn is a licensed chemical dependency counselor. Mary worked in a residential treatment center for 17 years. While at that center, Mary Lynn developed and facilitated an Equine Therapy program for residents utilizing her own horses. Since retiring to Bertram, Texas, Mary Lynn has become the Mental Health Professional for the EFL and therapeutic riding programs at R.O.C.K. Mary Lynn is currently working on her Riding Instructor Certification.

Shannon Middleton 

Licensed Speech-Language Pathologist

AHA Level II Therapist / PATH Intl. Registered Instructor

Shannon started as a R.O.C.K. parent in 2000 and began volunteering at R.O.C.K. through the Junior League of Austin a few years later. She loved her volunteer time so much that she took a leave of absence from the JLA to stay on as a R.O.C.K. volunteer. She joined the staff as an SLP in 2006. Shannon has her Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) from the American Speech Hearing Language Association (ASHA) and her Texas state license. She is also a Hanen Certified Speech Language Pathologist. She received her undergraduate degree in Speech Therapy from Baylor University and her master's degree in Communication Disorders from the University of Texas at Austin. In 18 years as an SLP, she has worked with children in both public school and outpatient clinic settings. Shannon has experience working with children with a variety of diagnoses including: Cerebral Palsy, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Down Syndrome, Learning Disabilities, Apraxia of Speech, language disorder/delay, articulation/phonological delay, cognitive impairment, and developmental delays. She has also worked with adults in hospital, rehabilitation hospital and outpatient clinic settings. 

R.O.C.K. THERAPUETIC RIDING INSTRUCTORS

Cindy Schwake 

PATH Intl. Registered Instructor

Cindy started volunteering as a sidewalker/horse leader at the HELP Center in 1988. Then in the spring of 1989, she attended a month-long therapeutic riding instructor certification program located at the Cheff Center in Michigan. She continued teaching at the HELP Center and then at HEARTS with Carol Swanteson until the end of 1991. After being away from therapeutic riding for 17 years, Cindy returned to teaching and received her PATH Intl. Instructor certification in 2009. She taught at the Albany Therapeutic Riding Center (Albany, New York) and We Can Ride (Minnetonka, Minnesota) before returning to the Austin area in the fall of 2010. She has been volunteering at ROCK since January and is now an instructor working at ROCK.

Dorothy O'Neal 

PATH Intl. Registered Instructor

Dorothy has been associated with R.O.C.K. since 2006 as the parent of a current client. In 2009, she became a volunteer and in 2010 Dorothy became a PATH Intl. Certified Instructor. She has a degree in Special Education from the University of West Florida. She taught children with Behavior Disabilities and Cognitive Delays while living in Florida and was a resource teacher in the Round Rock School District prior to having children. Dorothy and her husband, Ron, have lived in the Austin/Round Rock area since 1996. They have five wonderful children ranging in age from 7 to 13. As a family, the O’Neal’s enjoy swimming, walking and bike riding. They also enjoy playing with their sweet dog, Cookie.  

Emilie Ross 

PATH Intl. Registered Instructor

 Emilie has been associated with ROCK since the summer of her sophomore year in college in 2008. She worked on research with Nancy Krenek and volunteered during her first summer and her involvement has grown since then. She started her certification process in 2010 and taught at ROCK for a year before gaining her certification in 2011. She is so grateful that ROCK has been a place she can call home for so many years now and is looking forward to becoming more involved as she starts her instructor career as part of the ROCK family.

Heidi Derning 

PATH Intl. Registered Instructor

Heidi has previously worked as the volunteer coordinator at R.O.C.K. from 2001 to 2007, coordinating over 160 active volunteers in excess of 10,000 service hours per year.  She has a degree in recreation and is a Texas-certified therapeutic recreation specialist. Heidi has been a PATH Intl. Certified Instructor since 2003 and in July of 2007. 

Holly Heller 

PATH Intl. Registered Instructor / Horse Care Assistant

Holly is a native of North Carolina and brings over three years experience working with educational programs. Holly has more than 15 years of equestrian experience, competing on the Hunter/Jumper and Eventing circuits as well as her college NCAA/IHSA Equestrian Team. Holly attended the College of Charleston in South Carolina where she graduated with a degree in Art History.  After moving to Austin, she spent two years teaching art at the Dougherty Arts Center, in Austin. Holly was a valued volunteer at R.O.C.K. before joining the staff full-time in 2010.

Kristin Gonzalez 

PATH Intl. Registered Instructor

Kris works with R.O.C.K.’s Equine-Facilitated Learning/Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFL/EFP) Program. She also teaches therapeutic riding and assists with the organization’s financial planning and reporting. Kris has been involved in hippotherapy and therapeutic riding since 1997. She has worked with children with special needs since 1993 and at risk youth since 2005, specializing in cognitive behavior therapy. Kris holds a masters degree in business administration.

Ravyn Finch 

Path Int'l Registered Instructor

Ravyn is currently attending Austin Community College working towards an Associate’s Degree. She has been a volunteer at ROCK for 3 years and once she turned 18 she followed her dream and became a PATH Intl. Registered Instructor. Ravyn has worked as a stable hand at Rock since July. Ravyn had been around horses her whole life and was happy to be able to combine her love of horses with her love of helping others. 

Stephanie Powell 

PATH Intl. Registered Instructor

Stephanie has been involved with horses from a very young age. Her dream to become a teacher arose early in life. As she grew older she realized she could combine her two passions and through the support and mentoring of the R.O.C.K. staff she became a Registered Instructor in January 2010. Stephanie has been a volunteer on nights and Saturdays since March 2009. 

Taylor Doll 

PATH Intl. Registered Instructor

Horse Show & Camp Coordinator

Taylor has 20 years of equestrian experience; most of which was spent competing on the Hunter/Jumper circuit. She was introduced to therapeutic horseback riding in 2003, where she was able to share her passion about horses with troubled teens and multiple special needs groups. Taylor came to R.O.C.K. in the fall of 2009 as a volunteer, after moving from Houston where she worked as a riding instructor for therapeutic and able bodied clients. She became a PATH Intl. Certified Instructor in 2010.

R.O.C.K. EQUINE STAFF

Lesley Shedeck 

Equine Manager

Tater Halstead 

Barn Hand

R.O.C.K. FACILITIES STAFF

John Schmalstieg 

Property/Facilities Supervisor

John graduated from Texas A & M University with a degree in Agricultural Economics, Farm and Ranch Management. While at A & M he was in the Corp of Cadets and Parson's Mounted Calvary. Since then he has ridden and shown hunter/jumper and dressage horses. Before joining the R.O.C.K. team John served as a high school business and technology teacher.