by Kimberly K. Egan, MHC President (first published in the May 2025 Equiery)
The big news from MHC this month is that we have elected new officers to fill the seats of those whose terms were expiring. Terms are expiring for five of our six officers, and four of them are also term-limited. Per our bylaws, once an officer has served in the same office for two consecutive terms, the officer cannot run for a third consecutive term.
This time around we have expanded the number of Vice Presidents we have, for a few key reasons. First, MHC has grown to such an extent that it is no longer reasonable to expect one volunteer President and one volunteer Vice President to carry the full burdens of those two offices alone. Second, there are several critical areas of our work that deserve the undivided attention of at least one officer. Third, each of our volunteer Board members has a particular interest or expertise with respect to our work, and expanding the number of Vice Presidents allows MHC to take the best advantage of those dedicated and engaged volunteers.
The new officers will serve three-year terms starting July 1, 2025 and ending June 30, 2028. They are:
- President: Laura Lane-Unsworth
- Vice President for Land-Use Policies: Claire Lacey
- Vice President for Membership: Corinne Pouliquen
- Vice President for Publications: Kim Egan
- Vice President for Sponsorship: John Nunn
- Secretary: Chad Walker
- The office of Treasurer was not up for re-election so Crystal Pickett will remain in that role.
Here is more information about each officer:
President
A soon-to-be retired program analyst at the National Institutes of Health, Laura Lane-Unsworth and her husband, Jeff Unsworth, are the founders of the Brave HEART Program, a therapeutic riding program for military families in Washington County (husband Jeff served in Operation Just Cause, Operation Desert Shield, Operation Desert Storm, and Operation New Dawn, as well as other tours in Iraq). Laura is a trainer and instructor, has re-started off-the-track Thoroughbreds as hunter/jumpers and fox hunters, schooled polo ponies, fox chased and has won multiple awards in hunter under saddle and hunt seat equitation. She has also competed in open jumpers. Laura has been on MHC’s Executive Committee, serving as Secretary, since 2021; she also serves on our Equine Assisted Services Committee and our Membership Committee.
Vice Presidents (in alphabetical order)
Kim Egan began riding and eventing in Zambia in southern Africa, and she continued to ride internationally wherever her father was posted for the U.S. Department of State. Kim has a B.A. from Columbia University, a J.D. from the Duke University School of Law, and a certificate in Executive Leadership from the Harvard Business School. In her professional life, Kim is a litigator and food and drug law specialist, first with Covington & Burling and later as the partner in charge of the health care practice group at DLA Piper LLC, both in Washington, D.C. During those years she became an active fox chaser in Maryland. Kim founded her own practice in 2012 and works from her home in Howard County. She events in her spare time. She is a founding director of both the Maryland International Equestrian Foundation and the Waredaca Eventing Education Foundation, and the founder of Horse Sport Maryland. All three organizations are MHC IP members. Kim is the out-going President of the Maryland Horse Council and a co-chair of the Government Relations Committee.
Claire Lacey is the President of the My Lady’s Manor Driving Club, an association (and MHC member) that promotes “the owning, training, driving, and exhibiting of all breeds of equines.” She has also been teaching, judging and showing here in the US for over 20 years, with experience fox chasing and in hunters/jumpers, dressage, side saddle, racing, driving, and producing young horses. Claire is a past President of the Potomac Valley Dressage Association. Raised in England, Claire is a British Horse Society Trained Instructor. She has instructed for U.S. Pony Club at rallies and camps through “B” Level in show jumping, dressage and general horsemanship. She also taught at the Riding for the Disabled Group in England. Claire has been active in legislative and regulatory issues at both the county and the state level. She currently serves on the MHC Membership Committee.
John Nunn is the founder and owner of the tack wholesaler Nunn Finer Products. He grew up on a 300 acre Thoroughbred farm in Rochester, New York, riding hunters and jumpers as a child, and later working as an assistant trainer and exercise rider for his father’s racing stable. He eventually got his own license, training for the track for 15 years. In 1991, he purchased the tack shop Bit of Britain, which was at the time selling primarily to the racetrack trade. John moved the operation to the Fair Hill area and began catering to the needs of event riders. In the 90s, he became intrigued by trying to solve equipment issues, such as saddle pads that slip, a better way to manage studs, the first eventing watch – ideas that became patents and products and the foundation of his manufacturing, importing and wholesale business, Nunn Finer Products. Since selling the retail business, John has resumed actively competing in eventing. He currently serves as a Vice President of MHC, and is working on developing a sponsorship committee.
Corinne Pouliquen owns and manages Park Overlook Farm in Montgomery County, which provides pony rides and on-farm parties, and offers a petting zoo and games. In her professional life, Corinne is a Registered Patent Attorney with 20 years of corporate and law firm patent prosecution experience in the chemical, biotechnology and mechanical arts, as well as in more traditional transactional practices of writing legal opinions, and negotiating/drafting license agreements. She worked in-house as IP Counsel for a veterinary pharmaceutical company, and as Patent Counsel for a biotechnology company. Corinne is also an author and frequent lecturer on various topics in intellectual property law. Prior to entering the legal profession, Corinne worked in scientific research both as a Veterinary Research Assistant and as an Analytical Chemist. Corinne was active on the 2018 MHC Strategic Planning Committee, is the current Vice President-Membership of the Maryland Horse Council and is the current Chair of MHC’s Membership Committee. She is also a past MHC Co-President.
Secretary
A Marylander by birth, Chad Walker grew up in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, where he was active in 4-H and the Future Farmers of America (FFA). He showed beef cattle, horses, and chickens. Chad earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Science from West Virginia University and now owns 300 acres in Clear Spring (Washington County) where he farms hay and raises beef cattle and breeds Belgian Drafts and Quarter Horses. He is a small animal veterinary technician at Boonsboro Hospital. Chad is an aficionado of western pleasure and trails, gaming (poles, barrels, flag, and dash), and driving Belgian Drafts for field work. For the last four years, he has been the Secretary and Treasurer of the National Pike Festival and James Shaull Wagon Train Foundation. For the last six years he has also been the treasurer of the Morgan County Saddle Club in Berkeley Springs, WV. Chad is a member of MHIB’s new Western Riding Committee and serves on MHC’s Membership Committee.
Everyone here at MHC is excited about this new Executive Committee. The outgoing Executive Committee has steered MHC through a multi-year period of transition (more on that next month), and that hard work will set the incoming Executive Committee up for new projects, new products, and new plans. Onwards!