Mackenzie Kirker-Head joined HISA in August 2023 and currently serves as Senior Communications Manager, leading the organization’s Communications department from HISA’s Lexington office. She oversees HISA’s strategic communications and stakeholder engagement efforts, with a focus on transparency, regulatory clarity and reinforcing public trust in Thoroughbred racing. Her work supports the preservation of racing’s social license to operate by aligning HISA’s mission, messaging and outreach with the long-term integrity and sustainability of the sport.

Prior to joining HISA, Kirker-Head worked in the marketing department of the fractional-ownership platform MyRacehorse and previously served as a Project Manager at the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation after completing the Godolphin Flying Start program. Through Flying Start, she lived and worked across Australia, England, Ireland, the United States and the United Arab Emirates. She began her career at Spendthrift Farm.

Kirker-Head holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Tufts University and interned with the New York Racing Association’s Communications Department while in college.

Brandon Badgett is the Director of Strategy at Jahnel Group, a custom software development firm based in upstate New York. He is also the co-founder of Rumii, a company focused on creating accessories for nurses. His passion for horseracing runs deep, shaped by his upbringing in the barns alongside his father, Billy Badgett, and stepfather, Mark Hennig, both respected horse trainers. Brandon is deeply committed to ensuring the sport thrives with the highest standards of safety and integrity, driven by his personal experiences and a profound sense of responsibility for its future.

Sam Reinhardt serves as General Counsel at HISA, where he provides legal counsel on a wide range of matters and supports day-to-day operations. He joined HISA in March 2023 and is based out of the Lexington office.

Prior to joining HISA, Reinhardt was a member at Kentucky-based law firm Stoll Keenon Ogden PLLC. There, he maintained a general litigation practice, working on a variety of state and federal litigation matters, including a number of equine-related cases.

A native Kentuckian, Reinhardt holds two degrees from the University of Kentucky: a Bachelor of Business Administration from the Gatton College of Business and Economics, graduating magna cum laude, and a Juris Doctorate from the College of Law, graduating “Order of the Coif” and magna cum laude.

Alexa Ravit has been the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit’s (HIWU) director of communications & outreach since September 2022. This follows five years as communications coordinator for The Jockey Club.

Ravit oversees communications with the Thoroughbred industry via press releases and media relations, social media, distribution of educational resources, etc. to ensure that all stakeholders are kept informed as to HIWU’s role and activities as the independent enforcement agency of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority’s Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program.

As part of her role at The Jockey Club (TJC), Ravit provided communications-related support to various industry initiatives and events funded or sponsored by TJC, including those in the areas of equine safety, welfare, and integrity. Ravit has also spent time with the New York Racing Association, Rillito Park, Claiborne Farm, and Godolphin.

Ravit graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science degree in animal science and received a Master of Science degree from the University of Arizona’s Race Track Industry Program.

Keith Asmussen is a graded stake-winning jockey competing in the Midwestern racing circuit. He is the eldest son of Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen and a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin.

Conrad Bandoroff is Vice President of Denali Stud, founded in 1990 by Craig and Holly Bandoroff and located on 800 acres of land in Kentucky’s Bourbon Country. Denali Stud is a perennial leading consignor and has produced or sold 38 Grade I winners since its founding, including Preakness Stakes winner Journalism and Kentucky Derby Winner Animal Kingdom. Bandoroff has worked for trainers John Ward and Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Bradley Thoroughbreds and Arrowfield Stud in Australia. He is a graduate of Sewanee: The University of the South and the prestigious Godolphin Flying Start Program.

Joe Bianca is an ownership advisor for West Point Thoroughbreds and co-hosts the Rail Talk podcast with Jon Green of DJ Stables. Before joining West Point, Bianca spent seven years as a writer, editor, and podcast host at Thoroughbred Daily News.

Devon Dougherty is an assistant trainer for Christophe Clement. Raised in Philadelphia, she began her career at Parx Racing. Dougherty completed the Godolphin Flying Start Program before joining Clement’s team.

Dr. Kristina Eisaman is a veterinarian at Equine Medical Associates in Lexington, Kentucky. She spends her time in Florida working at her family’s training center and in Lexington supporting horse sales and Thoroughbred farms through her practice. Her clinical interests include layup and lameness evaluations, particularly for off-the-track Thoroughbreds. Eisaman enjoys working with horses experiencing performance challenges and identifying pathways to help them reach their full potential.

Dr. Tatiana Fraguela is a racetrack veterinarian based at Churchill Downs and Oaklawn Park. She previously interned at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Saratoga after graduating from veterinary school.

Chris Moore is an insurance industry veteran with over 15 years of experience. Moore advises commercial enterprises, multi-generational agribusinesses and bloodstock portfolios on coverage strategies, coverage placement and alternative risk financing strategies, including captive formation. Moore has experience creating specialty insurance programs in the livestock and bloodstock markets. The programs are designed to create a viable risk transfer solution for risks that are not available to purchase in the existing commercial market. Moore lives in Zionsville, Indiana, with his wife, Julie and their seven children. He also runs a small breeding and racing operation under his stable name, LEMB Stables.

Chance Moquett serves as Senior Manager of Strategic Projects at Equibase Company. His work centers on translating racing data into decisions, modernizing information through the sport and building products that meet the needs of the next generation of industry stakeholders. He recently held the position of Vice President of Strategic Accounts at Convoy and Flock Freight. His experience driving innovation and growth in technology-focused organizations continues to inform his approach to product development and industry advancement within horse racing. Raised on the backside as the son of trainer Ron Moquett (a member of HISA’s Horsemen’s Advisory Group), he is a lifelong horseman with hands-on experience across the sport as an assistant trainer, bloodstock agent and racing manager. He lives in Lexington, Kentucky.

Carly Schuerger assisted with management responsibilities in the rehabilitation division at Margaux Farm. She has several years of experience as a racehorse groom and exercise rider in California and Kentucky. Schuerger possesses a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from California State University, San Marcos and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in exercise science at the University of Kentucky, with research experience related to both Thoroughbred and human performance. Alongside her time working with racehorses, she competed in the NCAA as a cross country and track & field athlete.

Lindsay Schultz is a trainer based at Oaklawn Park, Keeneland, and Monmouth Park. A graduate of the University of Louisville and Godolphin Flying Start, she worked for Tom Proctor and Shug McGaughey before launching her training career.

Sophie Shore is a lifelong racing enthusiast and horseplayer who has worked in many areas of the industry, including for the New York Racing Association and trainer Graham Motion. Currently a New York attorney, she remains passionately committed to promoting safety and innovation within the sport.

Blake Sims is a corporate attorney in the New York City office of leading multinational law firm Kirkland & Ellis, LLP. He is the son of multiple Grade I-winning trainer Philip Sims and brother to graded stakes-winning trainer Matthew Sims. Sims gained industry experience while interning for Keeneland Sales for multiple auction seasons. He also worked in racing and breeding in England and Ireland. Before attending law school, he served as the Director of Research at Taylor Made Sales Agency. Sims graduated Order of the Coif from the University of Kentucky College of Law and served as a federal law clerk to the Honorable Gregory F. Van Tatenhove of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. Sims is a member of the Emerging Leaders Board for the University of Kentucky’s Gatton College of Business and Economics. Sims maintains active racing and bloodstock interests as an owner and attends major international race meetings and auctions.

Nick Tammaro is the track announcer and handicapper at Sam Houston Race Park, a morning line oddsmaker, and has been a racing analyst for TwinSpires, as well as a content creator for In the Money Media. He is an accomplished handicapping contest player who has twice finished in the top 15 of the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge. He is a horseplayer, a fan, and an advocate for the sport.

Najja Thompson is the Executive Director of New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. Thompson also serves as President of the Turf Publicists of America and is on the board of directors of NYRA, New York’s Backstretch Employee Service Team, The New York Racetrack Chaplaincy, and the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce.

Whitney Verbal is an Accredited Level II Steward with more than 13 years of experience in the horse racing industry. A graduate of North Carolina A&T State University with a degree in animal science, she began her career at Lazy E Ranch in Guthrie, Oklahoma, before working across several major racing jurisdictions, including Maryland, Kentucky, New Mexico and Virginia. She now serves as a Steward, overseeing daily racing operations and ensuring compliance with HISA rules.