Meet Our Staff

Tara joined Starbrite in September of 2022! She brings a great deal of knowledge and experience to the team. Besides the fact that she started riding before she could walk(!), she showed horses at age 2, and started teaching riding lessons at 14. In addition, she spent 6 years providing horsemanship education and riding lessons to special education students at El Camino Ranch. Tara was certified in Equine Reproduction Management at Colorado State University. She has experience in all disciplines, spent 3 years training Arabian horses, participated in Craig Cameron’s Extreme Cowboy Race, and was even featured on Dr. Oz!

Melissa Lee works with volunteers, staff, clients, and horses to maintain the daily operations at our facility. Melissa believes that this job enables her to use her strengths of serving challenged individuals as well as satisfies the desire to work with horses. Melissa has recently retired from Tyler ISD after thirty years of coaching and teaching and applies that experience to her everyday duties at Starbrite Therapeutic Equestrian Center. Melissa graduated from Ouachita Baptist University where she played volleyball and received her Bachelor of Arts in Education degree.​

Elizabeth began as a volunteer at Starbrite in 2019.  At that time, she was working at Pine Cove Christian Camps as a wrangler. After nearly two decades staying at home to care for her family, she was starting to re-enter the workforce and loved getting to serve at Starbrite! She was astonished with how quickly the riders progressed, including her own son. After a year she began training as an instructor. She is passionate about education and loves teaching anyone who wants to learn about the benefits of Equine-Assisted Services. She holds a Bachelors of Music Education from Stephen F. Austin State University, is certified by the Board of Equine Interaction Professionals (specialty in education), and is a certified PATH CTRI and ESMHL (Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning).  She is overjoyed to be able to use her skills to help those with special needs reach their full potential.

Samantha moved to Texas from Flagstaff, Arizona about five years ago and has an extensive background managing volunteers within animal shelters across Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. She joined the Starbrite team in March 2022 as the Volunteer Coordinator and spent four years growing and supporting the organization’s volunteer program before transitioning into her current role as Marketing Coordinator. Sam is passionate about working with animals, people, and being outdoors. She also has volunteer experience with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and AmeriCorps and is excited to use her passion for animals and community to help individuals in need.

We welcomed Caysi as an instructor at the beginning of 2023, but we’ve known her as a friend for years. As a rider parent and longtime volunteer, Caysi brings a unique perspective to the role along with a deep passion for the program and the people it serves. She is now a full-time instructor at Starbrite and loves helping participants grow in confidence and skill each week.

Julie brings a background in leadership, management, and business ownership to her role at Starbrite, where she supports events, donor relationships, and daily operations that help advance the mission. She joined Starbrite with a heart for serving others and a desire to be part of an organization that reflects faith through its work. Julie is grateful to help connect the community to the life-changing impact happening at Starbrite.

Krista joined the Starbrite team as Volunteer Coordinator and plays an important role in supporting the volunteers who help make each session possible. Born and raised in Tyler, Texas, she earned her Associate’s Degree as a Legal Assistant from Tyler Junior College. Krista was drawn to Starbrite through her appreciation for the unique connection between horses and people and enjoys helping create an environment where volunteers and participants can grow in confidence, strength, and independence. Outside of Starbrite, she enjoys exploring art and music.

Shelby joined the Starbrite team in January 2026 and brings eight years of experience in the equine-assisted services field. She first became involved as a volunteer, where she discovered a passion for working with both horses and the individuals they serve, which eventually led her into staff roles supporting programs and participants. Before coming to Starbrite, Shelby worked at a center in Florida as a Volunteer Coordinator, where she managed a dedicated team of volunteers and horses and helped ensure programs ran smoothly. She loves the unique bond between horses and people and is grateful to work alongside the strong volunteer community at Starbrite that helps make each session possible.

When Mama wandered onto the property, she immediately felt at home. Her employment agreement includes food and housing, of which she is grateful. In her spare time, when she’s not hunting rodents, she enjoys socializing with staff, riders, volunteers, and greeting visitors. Her name “Mama” is reminiscent of a time when we thought she was pregnant, but realized she was just “fluffy”. At Starbrite, we don’t believe in Cat Shaming and absolutely love Mama for who she is (inside and out!)

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SPONSORED BY

 VICTORIA WAY

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