Volunteer President

John is a husband of 38 years to his wife, Amy. He is a father of two children, and a grandfather of two beautiful little girls.  

He recently retired after a 38-year career in the banking industry.  

He is a founding member and current President of Breakaway From Cancer, which he is excited to not only be a part of, but eager to assist in its growth to enable assistance to those in the equine community battling cancer.

He owned and has been involved with horses for the past 20 years through his daughter.  He held the position of Treasurer for the Western Pennsylvania Youth Rodeo Association (WPYRA) for 10 years; and was involved with the Pennsylvania High School Rodeo Association for two years.

In his spare time, John enjoys golfing, camping, and detailing automobiles.

Volunteer Treasurer

Amy is proudly married to her husband, John, of 38 years. She has two children, Jonathon and Jocelyn, as well as two precious granddaughters. Her family has always been at the center of everything she does. 

She has a background in accounting, payroll, and office management, being both employed as well as a self-employed business owner. She has worked in various industries throughout her career as well as with both public and private nonprofits. She enjoys working with numbers and loves a challenge.

Amy enjoys helping others. She volunteered at the City Mission during the holidays for several years. She held the position of Secretary for the Western Pennsylvania Youth Rodeo Association (WPYRA) for 10 years, where she assumed the responsibility of establishing the WPYRA organization as a 501(c)3 nonprofit. She is also a founding member of Breakaway From Cancer.

Amy loves spending time with her family, and in her spare time she enjoys reading, gardening, and camping.

Volunteer Vice President

Brian is a husband, father of four, step-father of two, and grandfather of two.  His four children have all been or still are involved with horses, rodeo and cattle.  He owns a small farm in Eighty Four, PA, where he and his son raise Scottish Highlander cattle and Longhorn crosses.  He also has quarter horses and plenty of dogs.

He is the Owner/President of Champion Construction, L.P. which he started in July of 2004.  Champion Construction is a commercial and Industrial general contractor.

In the past, Brian has been involved with the Western Pennsylvania Youth Rodeo Association and the Ohio High School Rodeo Association.

Brian’s hobbies include golf, sporting clays, trail riding and attending rodeos and barrel races.

Volunteer Secretary

Beth is a seventh-grade science teacher. She is a wife to her husband, Chris, and mom to her son, Brody. She has had horses her entire life. She grew up riding hunt seat and running barrels, but also began roping in youth and high school rodeo. She still ropes and runs barrels in her free time, while also taking her son to youth rodeos and soccer games. Her proudest accomplishment was when her mare, “Sweetie”, was voted APRA Horse of the Year by her fellow ropers.

Volunteer Board of Director

Elisabeth Erickson-Noe is a wife, mother, entrepreneur, show jumper and professional rodeo athlete who loves encouraging people to see and fulfill their God-given purpose. She’s a 4th generation rancher from California where her family has ranched for over 145 years. Her husband Kirk is a 5th generation Colorado rancher and together they raise their children, Mazie and Wyatt, on their cattle ranch in Colorado. While she intended to go into a career of medicine and earned a Bachelor of Science with an emphasis in Neurology from The University of Texas at San Antonio, Elisabeth found a love for business after her son was born. In 2019, Elisabeth started Dreamer Horses, which offers retired horses peaceful 100-acre pastures within the serene setting of their cattle ranch. That same year, Elisabeth began Mesa Beef, a direct sales beef company, where she and her family provide customers with their family raised Wagyu x Angus beef. Elisabeth is often raw and real and seeks to point others to the love and goodness of God, by honoring Him with what she has been given.

Volunteer Board of Director

Joe has been involved with horses from a very young age. His passion has been training and teaching barrel racing for the last several years. He’s been a member of the IBRA, NBHA and BBR for many years. Joe has been a 4H leader for 25 years. He was involved with Western Pennsylvania Youth Rodeo Association (WPYRA) for 9 years, where he also served as a volunteer board of director.

Joe is employed by Eat ‘n Park Hospitality Group where he has served as their Culinary Support Specialist for 35 years.

On March 13, 2020, Joe was diagnosed with Stage 3 Bladder Cancer. After a very long fight and many chemotherapy treatments, he is happily now cancer free for 3 years. Joe truly believes in the work of Breakaway From Cancer, and is honored to serve as a volunteer board member.

Volunteer Board of Director

Karen has served as a nonprofit leader for over 25 years. She is currently the Director of Advancement at Rainbow Acres, a nonprofit serving developmentally disabled adults with Autism, Down’s Syndrome and other neurodiverse disabilities. Rainbow Acres Ranch is located in Camp Verde, AZ on 50 acres and provides life skills, learning opportunities and animal science classes, including horse grooming, riding, barn management and more for our live in residents. 

Karen has previously worked in Development at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in Pittsburgh, Arizona State University, Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center and St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation, both in Phoenix, AZ. 

Karen is a graduate of West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Journalism and Business Management. At WVU, Karen was a member of the Delta Delta Delta Sorority and the WVU Equestrian Team. She and her family are life-long horse lovers and she has been riding since she was two years old! She served as President of the Covered Bridge 4-H Horse Club, was a 4-H member for 12 years and won a PA State 4-H Horse Championship. She rides both English and Western and previously competed in numerous AQHA horse shows.

She resides in Surprise, AZ with her husband and two children. They enjoy attending rodeo events, horse shows and going on trail rides in Cave Creek and Sedona, AZ.

Volunteer Board Member

Kim is the newest part of the board!

First, Kim is a woman of God. She truly tries her best to live and lead with a Godly example. Kim loves her family and grandchildren and, truly, enjoys helping people. She keeps the important things in front of her and keeps a positive outlook with a smile that easily spreads to those around her. 

Kim has been actively involved with horses since she was a child. She has professionally trained barrel horses for over thirty years until recently retiring. She has won accolades ranging from Futurity champion, APRA horse of the year twice, multiple APRA finals qualifier, and APRA champion. She has multiple Congress medallions, as well as multiple IBRA 1D open and master’s champion.