During the last quarter of 2022 Mane Stream was excited to add three wonderful new team members! You may have seen them around the farm, in the office, and teaching lessons. Two are Mane Stream volunteers that have converted over, and the other came with a long list of impressive local references. We hope you’ll take a few minutes to read their staff profiles and then introduce yourself the next time you see them.
Elkie Phillips,
Riding Instructor
Elke started volunteering at Mane Stream as a leader in January 2022. She was enjoying herself so much that she jumped at the chance to compete in the volunteer class at the Fall Horse Show. And that’s when she showed interest in joining our team of riding instructors.
Elke has many years of horsemanship experience including horse ownership, working as a groom and working student, horseback riding camp counselor, and beginning rider instructor. Bringing the joy of horses to others in a safe manner is her priority.
Outside of the horse world, Elke has 16 years of corporate marketing experience under her belt. Elke has supported well-known consumer brands in a marketing or advertising function with much success but has always felt more at home in a barn than a boardroom. Working in marketing has helped her develop a clear, concise communication style when working with others, and she loves a good metaphor to get a point across.
Elke lives in Morristown and enjoys riding at a hunter/jumper barn, playing golf with her husband, and wrangling her Labrador puppy and 5 year-old son for outdoor adventures.
Jennifer smith
Jennifer Smith joined Mane Stream as a volunteer during the summer of 2019. She was excited to find a great organization right down the road from her home, where she could combine her love of horses with her past experience as a Special Education Paraprofessional. Jennifer started off assisting Holland Kochanski as a morning barn volunteer, in addition to helping with Adaptive and Therapy lessons. Most recently, she joined the Mane Stream Staff as the Development and Communications Assistant and is excited to be part of such a great team of volunteers and staff.
Jennifer has 2 grown daughters who live in Boston and she enjoys spending time traveling with her husband Steve.
Jaime Katz,
Barn Assistant
Jaime spends her weekends caring for the Mane Stream herd, ensuring they are fed and happy. This hard worker also has a flexible schedule which is a huge benefit to Mane Stream, allowing Jamie the ability to jump in and cover additional shifts as needed.
Jamie has always known she's wanted to work with horses since she started riding at a young age. She now attends Centenary University where she is pursuing a degree in Equine Science and is a member of the IHSA team. In her free time, you can either find her at the barn teaching tricks to her horse or at home playing with her cats.
