Volunteer President

John is a husband of 39 years to his wife, Amy. He is a father of two children, and a grandfather of three beautiful grandchildren.  

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 39 years. She has two children, Jonathon and Jocelyn, as well as three precious grandchildren. 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

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. 

Volunteer Board Member

Carla is a wonderful addition to the Breakaway From Cancer board!

Carla has been married for 13 years to her husband, Lenny, who has been a constant source of love and support. For the past 10 years, she has worked as a Physical Therapist Assistant, where her passion for helping others shines through as she works alongside people throughout their rehabilitation journeys.

Horses and the western way of life have always been a big part of Carla’s story. She grew up on a large family farm where her grandfather raised Belgian draft horses and spent 10 years involved in 4-H. Throughout her youth, she competed in multiple disciplines, including western pleasure, hunt seat, and hunter hack jumping, but barrel racing ultimately became her true passion.

Carla has spent more than 20 years in the barrel racing and rodeo community, building lifelong friendships along the way. She has also given back as a 4-H volunteer, advisor, and committee member. During her barrel racing career, Carla qualified for multiple finals with both the APRA and SEBRA rodeo associations.

Four years ago, Carla traded the barrels for the roping box and began breakaway roping — and she hasn’t looked back! Today, she continues to enjoy the rodeo lifestyle, especially getting to take her niece to youth rodeos.

We are excited to have Carla bring her heart for helping others, her love of the western community, and her years of experience to Breakaway From Cancer!

Volunteer Board Member

Dave is a proud husband, father, business owner, and passionate advocate for families facing cancer.

Dave and his wife, Alison, have been married for 20 years and are proud parents to their two amazing children, Joey and Abby. Cancer has touched Dave’s family in an incredibly personal way. His family carries a rare inherited genetic condition that creates a significantly increased risk of developing various cancers.

Dave lost his father at just 34 years old and his sister at only 12 years old to cancer. Over the past 20 years, his family has continued to face cancer firsthand, with Alison, Joey, and Abby each being diagnosed with multiple primary malignancies.

Through these experiences, the Cipoletti family has chosen to turn their journey into an opportunity to help others. They have participated in multiple research efforts in the search for a cure and have served as patient advocates, offering support and guidance to other families navigating cancer treatment.

A lifelong resident of southwestern Pennsylvania, Dave is the owner of Snap Fitness in Washington, PA. Outside of work and advocacy, he enjoys spending time boating with his family.

Dave is proud to be involved with Breakaway From Cancer and to support its mission of bringing hope and assistance to individuals and families battling cancer.