LEXINGTON, KY. — Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) announced today the appointment of Bob Beck, Terry Finley, Lesley Howard, Dr. J. David Richardson, and Jaime Roth to its Board of Directors.

“We are very pleased that Bob, Terry, Lesley, David and Jaime have joined the TCA board,” said Mike McMahon president elect of TCA. “I look forward to working with each of them as we work to grow TCA. Erin Crady [TCA Executive Director] and I have been working hard to set several initiatives in place for an active board.”

Beck is an attorney in the Lexington office of Stites & Harbison, PLLC. He is a transactional lawyer and practices in the areas of corporate law and mergers and acquisitions with particular emphasis on equine transactions. From 2008 until December of 2015, Bob served as Chairman of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. In addition to Thoroughbred Charities of America, he has served on other boards including the American College of Equine Attorneys, the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation and the Vanderbilt Law School Board of Advisors.

Finley is the President of West Point Thoroughbreds, Inc. a horse racing partnership management company he founded in 1991. He has served on numerous industry boards of directors including the Breeders’ Cup (2004-2011), the NTRA Horse PAC and the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (2005-2011). Finley currently serves on the boards of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, the Jackie Robinson Foundation, and the Catholic Leadership Institute. He continues to offer his time, talent and treasure to various veterans’ causes including serving on the board of the Johnny Mac Soldiers Fund.

Howard obtained a degree in Accounting from the University of Kentucky and practiced as a Certified Public Accountant with Dean Dorton & Ford for six years before venturing into the private sector in 2005, accepting the position of Chief Financial Officer at Stonestreet Farm. Lesley is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Kentucky Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Manager’s Club, Thoroughbred Club of America, Gunns Chapel United Methodist Church and serves on the board of the University of Kentucky Gluck Equine Research Center. She also serves as a Racing Commissioner for the State of Kentucky.

Richardson is a surgeon in Louisville, Kentucky who has been involved in the horse business for his entire adult life. He is chief of surgery at the University of Louisville Hospital and vice chair of the Department of Surgery. He is a former chair of the American Board of Surgery and is a Regent of the American College of Surgeons. Richardson is a member of The Jockey Club and has served as president of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. He is the chairman of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.

Roth is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and holds a degree in Journalism as well as a Masters in Sports Business from New York University. In 2012, Jaime and her parents Larry and Nanci Roth started LNJ Foxwood Stables. In only four years the family owned stable is in full swing and has emerged as a competitive racing outfit in the U.S. and abroad.

The five newly elected board members join current board members Shannon Arvin, Braxton Lynch, Bob Manfuso, Nathan McCauley, Mike McMahon, Herb Moelis, Graham Motion, Dr. Jim Orsini, Dr. Scott Palmer, Dan Rosenberg, Bo Smith, and Ned Toffey.

TCA’s mission is to provide a better life for Thoroughbreds, both during and after their racing careers, by supporting qualified repurposing and retirement organizations and by helping the people who care for them. TCA distributes grants to several categories of Thoroughbred-related nonprofits including rehabilitation, retraining, rehoming and retirement organizations; backstretch and farm employee programs; equine-assisted therapy programs; and research organizations. Since its inception in 1990, TCA has granted over $21 million to more than 200 charities that successfully meet the criteria set forth in its annual grant application. From 2000-2015, more than 95% of TCA’s expenditures were allocated to program services including direct grants. TCA is the charitable arm of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA).

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