The TWHBEA Election Committee has met and certified the results of this year’s election. The ballots were counted by Winnett Associates PLLC. 15 States/Regions elected directors to full three-year terms. There were no declared candidates in Missouri, but there were enough write-in votes for Susan Hills for her to win the seat. There are also no declared candidates for Michigan and none of the candidates that received write-in votes were eligible to serve, that that seat will remain open until the next election.

Also on the ballot were four bylaw amendments; all four passed with overwhelming support from the members.

This year ballots were emailed to members unless they had previously opted to receive a paper ballot in the mail. 3812 were emailed with 655 returned for a response rate of 17.2%. Additionally, 472 were mailed with 52 returned for a response rate of 11%. Overall the response rate for this year’s election was 16.5%. By comparison, the response rate in 2024 was 19%.

Directors elected for a three-year term include:
• Alabama – Ginger Evans
• Arkansas – Dale Daniels
• Canada – Mona McMillan
• Georgia – Charlene Cook, Sellers Veazey
• Israel – Ron Paska
• Kentucky – Leslie Collins, Howard Eastridge, Ira Kilburn, Jerry Sizemore
• Michigan –no declared candidates or eligible write-in votes
• Mississippi – Steve Glidewell
• Missouri – Susan Hills (write-in)
• Region 5 (CO, MN, NE, NM, ND, SD) – Nicole Tolle
• Region 7 (AK, AZ, HI, NV, OR, UT) – Sherri Pollack
• Region 8 (ID, MT, WY) – Rick Wies
• Tennessee – Wayne Dean, Chris Hazelwood, Jack Heffington, Chris Payne, Margo Urad Young
• Washington – Kathy Gilliam-Cole
• West Virginia – Raymond Stiles

Board members will be sworn in on Saturday, December 6, 2025 during the International Board of Directors Meeting. There will be a New Board Member Orientation held prior to the meeting.

ABOUT TWHBEA
Founded in 1935, the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders’ & Exhibitors’ Association (TWHBEA) is the oldest breed association dedicated to the Tennessee Walking Horse – the official horse of the State of Tennessee. TWHBEA maintains the official breed registry and records the pedigrees of Tennessee Walking Horses around the world. They also promote the diverse qualities and uses of the smooth-riding breed and help assure the general welfare of all Tennessee Walking Horses. The association headquarters, located in Lewisburg, Tennessee, is governed by an International Board of Directors.

Click here to read the letter from Winnett Associates.