Bruce Donald

Bruce graduated from Middlebury College with a bachelor's degree in political science and from Trinity College with an master's in history. He is the author of many financial, investment and historical articles and a book, Manhood and Patriotic Awakening in the American Civil War. Before turning to greenways advocacy, he worked for 17 years in investment brokerage, management, and banking with international companies in Boston, Hartford, New York and Beijing. He is a lifelong bicyclist and alpine skier. Previously, he served as president of the nonprofit Farmington Valley Trails Council for 12 years. He is also a past chairman of the Connecticut Committee of the East Coast Greenway Alliance. In 2014, Bruce was appointed chairman of the Governor’s Connecticut Greenways Council, which coordinates all state stakeholders in planning, implementing, and funding the greenway system. He serves on many other boards and was recognized by the Connecticut General Assembly in a 2016 Official Citation as a regional force in bicycle and pedestrian advocacy.

• State Coordinator, East Cost Greenway (2017-present)

• President, Farmington Valley Trails Council (2005-2017)

• Chairman, Governor’s Connecticut Greenways Council

Diana Urban

Diana retired in 2018 after 18 years in the Connecticut General Assembly where she chaired the Committee on Children and the Appropriation Committee’s Results Based Accountability Sub-Committee.

Well known for her work linking animal cruelty to future violent behavior, Diana authored the first-of-its-kind in the nation law that allows judges to appoint lawyers pro bono and supervised law students in court to represent dogs and cats in cases of egregious abuse. Known as Desmond’s Law, she is now actively supporting efforts to pass similar legislation in other states.

During her tenure she also successfully pushed laws on dissection choice, cross-reporting of abuse and neglect between the Department of Children and Families and the Department of Agriculture in cases of child abuse or animal cruelty, and a law ending breed discrimination in Connecticut.

In response to the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary she authored the law providing for a DCF worker and a therapy animal and handler to provide comfort during times of trauma. This also led to her legislation allowing therapy dogs in court for child victims of sexual abuse. She has also passed legislation related to cracking down on puppy mills, inappropriate tethering, animals in hot cars and proper animal shelter in the case of extreme weather.

• Member, State of CT House of Representatives, District 43 (2001-2019)

• Committee Chair/Co-Chair Children’s Committee

• Senior consultant, results Leadership Group

• Adjunct Professor, Three Rivers College

• Professor, University of Connecticut, Avery Point

• Member, National Association of Women Business Owners

• Parents Committee, Williams College

• Founder, Small Business Advocacy Task Force

Robyn Lyons, Advisor

Equine-Assisted Therapy

• LMSW, BSW, CAMS II

• Eagala (Equine Growth & Learning Association) Certified

•  Crisis Therapist: Community Health Resources Embedded within 4 local Police departments

• Member Since 1998: American Association of Oral & Maxilofacial Surgeons: Anesthesiology Certification

• United States Naval Veteran

Stacey Golub, DVM

Owner/ Equine Veterinarian, Connecticut Veterinary Services, LLC (2005-Present)

• Founder/ Executive Director, Connecticut Draft Horse Rescue, Inc. (2011-Present)

Joe Graybarz

Lobbyist, Gallo & Robinson, LLC

Joe is a former politician, who served in the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1989 to 1993. He is most noted for being Connecticut's first state legislator ever to come out as gay. Following the end of his term in office, he took a job as legislative director with the Human Rights Campaign. He was later named executive director of the Connecticut Civil Liberties Union in 1995. He lobbied numerous city and state legislatures across the country and the US Congress and the Federal Executive branch as Legislative and Policy Director for the Human Rights Campaign Fund and was the first person officially invited to the White House as an openly gay person in the history of the country. He has also received innumerable awards for his work and dedication to Civil Rights. Joe is a beekeeper very concerned about our pollinators’ health and is an advocate for urban beekeeping. He is also a glassblower certified by one of the oldest glassblowing furnaces in Murano, Venice, Italy.

Heather Gombos

Human Resources

Heather is one of the icons at US Horse Welfare & Rescue, having served as a barn hand volunteer, a member of the Board of Directors, and now as our Human Resource Advisor. She has worked for MicroCare for decades, starting back when it was owner by her father and continues her great work with MicroCare, now as the VP of Business Operations. We are grateful for all of Heather’s volunteer hours here at the rescue.

Tracy Bennett

Programs and Web Design

Tracy joined US Horse Welfare and Rescue in 2017 when her and youngest daughter wanted to get involved with horses. After about 9 months of volunteering, she joined the Board as one of the Volunteer Coordinators. She was responsible for recruiting, training, scheduling, and retaining volunteers for the organization. From 2020-2022 she served the Board as Vice President where she had a bigger role with the volunteers and overseeing programs. Since leaving the Board, she remains active in the day-to-day operations including communications and programming for the organization.

Tracy has been a teacher for 28 years at the elementary and middle school levels and currently is a sixth grade science teacher at Bristol Middle School in West Hartford. Tracy’s education includes an undergraduate degree from Central Connecticut State University in Environmental Education and teaching, a masters degree in Environmental Studies from University of Antioch New England, and she’s finishing up a masters in Educational Leadership from Sacred Heart University.

Katherine Lambert

Attorney At Law, MacDermid, Reynolds & Glissman, P.C.

• Member, BOD, Artists for World Peace

• Past Member, BOD, Hartford Stage Company

• Past Member, BOD, USHWR