Butterfly Dreams Farm in Watkinsville hires director for horse-riding therapy program
Butterfly Dreams Farm Therapeutic Riding Program, which offers horse-assisted therapy services for children and adults with special needs, has hired Chris Huskey as its first executive director.
Huskey, an Army veteran and local business owner, has been involved in the special-needs community since 2014 and served on the Butterfly Dreams Farm (BDF) board for a year prior to his appointment.
The organization's board of directors voted unanimously in June to hire Huskey. A meeting where the public can meet him will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. July 28 at the Oconee County Chamber of Commerce on Nancy Drive in Watkinsville.
“I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of Butterfly Dreams Farm,” Huskey said. “It is truly an honor to be the first executive director, and I can’t wait to work alongside the board, our community and the amazing staff and volunteers."
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Huskey will be responsible for fundraising, executing the board’s work plan, representing Butterfly Dreams in the community and overseeing the day-to-day operations.
“I am very excited to have Chris be the one to help BDF grow,” board President Joey Bristol said. “He has great ideas and brings lots of energy and heart to the program.”
Huskey served eight years in the Army as a signals intelligence analyst, including two deployments, and was medically retired at the rank of staff sergeant. He holds an undergraduate degree in intelligence operations and a master’s of business administration from Troy University.
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Background on new executive director of Butterfly Dreams Farm
Huskey and his wife, Catherine, an Oconee County native, are owners of Waggin’ Tails, a dog boarding and training facility in Bogart. He also serves as treasurer for the Kiwanis Club of Athens.
They have two children, 2-year-old James and 5-year-old Abigail, who began riding at the farm in 2021.
Butterfly Dreams Farm was established as a nonprofit in 2005 on an 11-acre farm in Watkinsville. The program relies heavily on local volunteers who assist riding instructors with lessons and therapy sessions.
BDF currently has five certified hippotherapists, two Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH) certified instructors for therapeutic riding and more than 30 volunteers, including University of Georgia students. It serves riders as young as 2.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Butterfly Dreams Farm in Oconee hires director for therapy program
