Board of Directors
Meet the Board
Everyone has a story, a challenge they are facing. The Board of Directors of Victoria Acres believes that dedicated work with equines, professionals, and trained volunteers can help people heal and achieve great goals. From the girl who desperately wants to do something her typical peers do, but is too afraid to try, to the veteran returning stateside from active duty with a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder who needs time and encouragement to heal, to the young boy that has been bullied and beaten down and needs self-esteem enhancement and a safe place, to the adolescent child living with autism who benefits greatly from the challenge of working with horses and gains a sense of calm after visiting the barn, or to the individual who relies on a wheelchair to take them places who is put on the back of a horse to feel a different means of freedom and their muscles being able to experience the gait of the horse which is so similar to the human gait, and to so many more who haven’t been met yet.
In these examples and in countless others, Victoria Acres provides hope and the opportunity to change lives one individual at a time.
Kim Kelly, President
Kim Kelly is a graduate of SUNY Geneseo and has worked in the fields of human services or public health since 1990. She currently works as the Communications Coordinator for the Bureau of Cancer Prevention and Control at the New York State Department of Health. Other positions held included working with people with epilepsy and people with developmental disabilities. Many years later, along came her daughter, Adrienne; a person with epilepsy and developmental disabilities. Kim is passionate about supporting positive and inclusive experiences for her daughter. She is delighted to serve on the board of Victoria Acres.
Lisa Brainard, Vice President
Lisa Brainard spent her career as an academic science librarian at Boston area colleges (Tufts New England Medical Center, M.I.T. and Wellesley College) and at Stanford University Chemistry Library before ending up in Albany in 2007. She worked at Sage College Library from 2008 onward and as Library Director of Russell Sage College from 2012 until her retirement in 2021. She has been a Board member at Victoria Acres since 2019, giving her time and financial support to VAEF as a grateful parent. Victoria Acres has made a significant impact on her daughter’s life and happiness.
Jenny O'Neill, Treasurer
Jenny O'Neill is a Certified Public Accountant whose
daughter is obsessed with horses. She graduated from Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute in 1994, and started her own business 10 years
later. She lives and works in Albany with her husband and three
children. She volunteers at Albany High School, Buckingham Pond
Conservancy, and is happy to put her talents to use for Victoria Acres.
Michelle Gizzi-Hall, Secretary
Michelle Gizzi Hall joined the board, as Secretary, after years of volunteering at Victoria Acres. With her experience of successful fundraising at Saratoga WarHorse and Saratoga PLAN, Michelle most recently began coordinating our annual Spring Barn Dance Gala Fundraiser. Her passion for horses and VA's mission along with her experience and talent in non-profit fundraising make her a great addition to the board. In her spare time, Michelle spends time with her three adult children, her cat and dog, and her horse Cosmo.