Meet Our Team
Supporting Wild Hearts Equine Therapy Center is a team of professionals who are dedicated to helping our clients and making the Center a success.
Jessica Fry, Founder
Wild Hearts Equine Therapy Center
Chairman, President & CEO
Jessica Fry is the founder of Wild Hearts Equine Therapy Center and Hoppin’ Horse Farm. Having spent most of her life in the presence of horses, she has developed a deep understanding of the power of equine therapy that few possess. Jessica has dedicated several years to hosting therapeutic riding sessions for special needs children and adults, as well as people with PTSD and victims of abuse. She has also committed countless hours to helping individuals of all ages experience the personal growth that comes from making powerful connections with horses. In addition to her experience with therapeutic riding, Jessica is formally trained in EAGALA therapy and planning to pursue a Natural Lifemanship certification. Her love for rescuing and training horses spawned a highly effective method of incorporating the principals of natural horsemanship (following the methodologies of Ray Hunt and Mark Rashid) into all that she does. She has a deep passion for allowing the loving, well-mannered horses she has trained to be the cornerstone of the innovative and comprehensive equine-assisted therapy programs that Wild Hearts Equine Therapy Center provides. Jessica’s vision for Wild Hearts Equine Therapy Center is to create a place for any and all who need assistance wading through the waters of life
Janine Hartley
Board Treasurer
Director of Operations
Janine brings both organizational experience and equine-based skills to Wild Hearts Equine Therapy Center. She spent two decades as a human resources executive, assisting several start-up companies with organizational development and personnel management. In 2000, Janine shifted her focus to veterinary medicine, becoming a certified veterinary technician. During her veterinary tenure, she acted as lead technician while also managing hospital operations and staff. She also assisted with equine therapy programs at Pikes Peak Therapeutic Riding Center. Being raised on a farm gave Janine an appreciation for the role animals play in our lives. Her understanding of this role is documented in her Bachelor of Science thesis paper, The Human-Animal Bond. Janine earned her Bachelor of Science in Organizational Development from Colorado Christian University in 1994 and an Associate of Applied Science from the Bel-Rae Institute of Animal Technology in 2001.
Jani Farlow Spede
Facilitator
Team Building/Leadership Training Consultant & Volunteer
President, Spede Communications
A passion for bringing the indelible lessons that only horses can provide, coupled with more than 20 years of executive-level leadership experience, inspires Jani to design innovative team building and leadership programs for Wild Hearts Equine Therapy Center. After rescuing her beloved horse, Tango, and serving as a volunteer for equine therapy sessions for both special needs children and executive teams, Jani brought her conference room sessions to the pasture to provide more impactful (and memorable) experiences for organizations that help them accelerate growth and position their teams to thrive. Jani’s own executive roles have included serving as vice president for Chicago-based telehealth firm, First Stop Health; CEO of The Canary Project (a safe driving app); Director of the MBA program at Clemson University; and SVP of sales and marketing for Hoover’s, Inc. (owned by Dunn & Bradstreet). She is president of Spede Communications, an agency that provides strategy development and marketing services to global enterprises, small businesses and non-profit organizations. Jani earned a bachelor’s degree in English (with honors) from Ball State University, attended graduate school at the University of Florida and completed the Global Institute of Leadership Development’s executive program.
Deb Imershein
Facilitator
True to the magic of Wild Hearts, the horses in Deb’s life have been profound guides in her development. Her experience varies from caring for a horse herd on a Colorado ranch to training at the Assistant Instructor and Intermediate Stable Manager levels in the British Horse Society system. Deb has a B.A. in physiological psychology, is an experienced life coach, and is certified in the Eagala method of equine-assisted personal development. Performing complementary therapies that range from equine acupressure to iontophoresis taught her that the healing process is energetic and emotional as well as physical. She believes that healing as individuals and as a society is enhanced by welcoming stillness and by reconnecting to the sentience of the world around us. Deb has also had a successful sales and marketing career.
Kelly Byrne
Facilitator
Kelly found Wild Hearts in 2018 after moving from New Hampshire to South Carolina. She spent the previous ten years as a paraeducator and certified yoga instructor. During this time, Kelly enjoyed working with the education team to learn more about a child’s abilities and interests in order to find the best ways to assist in the classroom and in one on one situations. This passion to see children succeed led her to find alternative ways to help children deal with their daily lives. After hearing Jessica Fry and Janine Hartley speak at a local meeting, she knew she needed to focus her energy and time at Wild Hearts. Kelly spent her first year at Wild Hearts as a volunteer followed by several months in Wild Hearts Facilitator Training and Internship, ultimately transitioning into a Facilitator role. When she’s not at the farm, Kelly enjoys spending time with her husband Lee, son Jack, their dogs, Jude and Eleanor, and Rita the cat. Kelly earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biology with a minor in History from Ithaca College.
Connie Mosser
Facilitator
Connie Mosser first learned about Wild Hearts from its Founder, Jessica Fry back in 2016 when Connie was the Director of The Growing Place where Jessica’s son attended pre-school. Upon retiring, Connie knew that she wanted to become involved with Wild Hearts. She spent her first year at Wild Hearts loving every minute of being a volunteer, which fueled her to the desire to facilitate. Connie completed Wild Hearts’ facilitator training program, which blends the modalities of PATH, EAGALA, Natural Lifemanship, Epona and natural horsemanship, and now enjoys facilitating the connection between horse and human.
While serving as the director of The Growing Place, Connie was able to work with children, their families and the teachers. She was also involved in the Advisory Committee at Tri-County Technical College, which provided a wonderful opportunity to work with Early Childhood students as they pursued their education degree. Prior to her directorship at The Growing Place, Connie was an educator in the North Carolina school system, having spent 25 years on elementary education. She was also a Grade Level Chairperson, trainer for “Teaching Children from Poverty” and “Math Partners”, as well as a member of the School Improvement and Care Teams (which supported teachers and families with their special needs children).
Connie has a heart for children, especially those with special needs. Being involved at Wild Hearts has fulfilled all of Connie’s passions, both with horses and clients. While not at the center, Connie spends time with her husband, Dan, two dogs and two horses.
Ashley Frye
Facilitator
Ashley initially connected with Wild Hearts for a photography and videography project, but it didn’t take long for her to fall in love with Wild Hearts’ philosophies and the work they were doing. As a child, Ashley grew up around horses and recognized the magic of working with equines so making the transition to equine therapy facilitation was an organic and joyful one.
Ashley has a background in secondary education where she taught for 11 years and has also worked as a birth doula. She is also a photographer and videographer and runs her own business. Ashley is deeply interested in the mind/body connection and is currently investing in additional education and training in somatic therapeutic modalities. It has always been important to her that the work she is doing helps promote awareness around mental, emotional, and spiritual health and she couldn’t be more grateful to be a part of the Wild Hearts team.
Judi Riccio
Facilitator
Judi learned about Wild Hearts and the amazing work they do with horses and people several years ago through her sister Connie, who has volunteered and facilitated at Wild Hearts for many years.
When Judi found that she and her husband would be moving from Southeast Georgia to the Seneca area, she immediately inquired about volunteering. She knew this was a place she wanted to give her time to and learn as much as she could about the healing principles of being with horses and what it does for not only the clients, but for everyone who walks onto the farm.
She began volunteering in July of 2022 and joined facilitator training in January of 2023. Her B.S. in Social Services and life experiences has allowed her to work with domestic violence victims, teach several years in the special needs’ life skills classroom and most recently before moving, she was co-founder and director of Faithful Love, an organization that worked with trafficking survivors.
Being at Wild Hearts and experiencing what takes place between equine and client and
witnessing the healing that happens is amazing. When not at the farm, Judi can be found with
her husband Tom either traveling to visit their kids or at home with their Great Dane Hazel.