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A Message from American Morgan Horse Association President



 

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
MIKE GOEBIG

JULY 17, 2006

I regret to inform you that Fred Braden has submitted his resignation to me. His letter is attached. I have spoken to Fred and know that he is committed to this decision as he has been committed to his job with us throughout the past seven years. He will be missed and has set the standard very high for his successor.  During his tenure, he has brought us to the point where we have an excellent opportunity to attract a new Director who can take us, as Fred says "higher and farther toward the prominence we all want for this breed."

I have appointed a search committee of George Arnold, Georgie Green, Sherry Cole, all past presidents, and Barbara Hewitt with Erica Richard as staff liaison to find the person to take us to that next level.  Fred will remain involved with us for the next couple of months and will be available to us as a resource during this transition.

Under Fred's tutelage the American Morgan Association has risen from near financial disaster to a fiscal stability that many of us thought was impossible. He has helped guide us through the complexities of lawsuits, always with a positive attitude, and the thought that we are here to preserve, promote, and protect the Morgan horse. We are grateful for Fred's tenure with us.
 
We admire Fred's decision to place his family above all else and wish him well in all of his new endeavors.

We have retained Guy Brown to act as Interim Executive Director while we search for Fred's replacement. Many of you know Guy and members of his family who have been involved with Morgans for several decades. Below is a brief outline of some of his accomplishments.

  • Guy E. Brown is a fourth-generation horseman who with his wife, Karen, resides in Georgetown, Kentucky. After graduation from the College of Agriculture at the Pennsylvania State University, he, his father and two brothers formed Browns' Hoss-Pitality Stables, a public horse training, showing, and breeding stable at the family farm in Linesville, Pennsylvania.

 

  • Guy is a current or past active member of the Carriage Association of America, American Driving Society, United States Dressage Federation, United States Equestrian Federation, the Gold Cup Morgan Horse Show, Inc. and past officer/director of the Indiana Morgan Horse Club and Indiana All-Morgan Horse Show, Inc.  He has been a life member of the American Morgan Horse Association since 1974.

 

FRED BRADEN'S LETTER OF RESIGNATION
July 12, 2007
To:     Mike Goebig

The Board

Staff of the AMHA

George Arnold, Merit Evaluation Committee

Ellen DiBella, Merit Evaluation Committee
From:  Fred Braden

As you know, Julie and I are expecting our second child in September, a boy. My remaining role in life has to be focused primarily on raising my sons. I can't do that with one foot in Vermont and one foot in Oregon. After a great deal of thought, Julie and I feel that the best family decision is for me to return to Oregon and pursue my interests there.

We have accomplished a great deal in the past seven years here at the Association and the framework we have developed in that time will provide the basis for a new Executive Director to build upon. I also believe a change at this time will help the Association reach higher and farther toward the prominence we all want for this breed.

I personally want to thank all of you for what I consider to be the greatest challenge and most satisfying employment relationship I have ever experienced. I hope I have left you better for having found me; I know I am better for having found you.

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