USET Foundation Elects Ellen Ahearn, Terri Kane, Rowan O'Riley, and Angela Vogel to Board of Trustees

The United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation announced that Ellen Ahearn, Terri Kane, Rowan O'Riley, and Angela Vogel were elected to the Board of Trustees at the Annual Meeting of the Board in January 2025.

“We are thrilled to welcome Ellen, Terri, Rowan, and Angela as new members of our Board of Trustees,” said USET Foundation President and CEO Kristi Mitchem. Their passion, expertise, and dedication to high performance equestrian sport will undoubtedly strengthen our mission of supporting athletes, promoting international excellence, and building for the future.”

Ellen Ahearn
Prior to joining the USET Foundation’s Board of Trustees, Ellen Ahearn served on the USET Foundation’s National Advisory Committee since 2024. Ahearn’s involvement in elite equestrian sport began in 2009 through the eventing career of her daughter Alexandra Ahearn. When, Alexandra went to college in 2015, U.S. high performance eventing athlete Tamie Smith took over the ride on her horse, Mai Baum.

Ahearn supported Smith and Mai Baum’s partnership and together the duo has excelled. In 2019, they helped the U.S. team top the podium at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. They were the reserve combination for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, and were members of the silver medal-winning team at the 2022 FEI Eventing World Championships in Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy. In 2023, Smith and Mai Baum earned a historic win in the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI5*-L.

In addition to her work with the USET Foundation, Ahearn has served as a member of the US Equestrian (USEF) Eventing High Performance Owners Task Force. She is also passionate about addressing food insecurity for the less fortunate and the humane treatment of animals. Ahearn has been instrumental in fundraising and organizing volunteer activities for the FIND Foodbank of the Coachella Valley and supporting various animal welfare organizations, including the Coachella Valley Horse Rescue in southern California.

For more than 35 years, Ahearn held senior leadership roles in organizations operating in regulated and competitive markets. Most recently, she served as Chief Operating Officer of HPG, LLC, the Seattle-based parent company of specialty firms focusing on patient integration strategies for healthcare companies.

Ellen holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from The State University of New York at New Paltz and a Master of Business Administration from Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, New York. She resides in La Quinta, California, with her husband, Eric Markell.

Terri Kane
Terri Kane is a passionate and dedicated supporter of equestrian sports. In 2002, she and her late husband Richard acquired Diamante Farms in Wellington, Florida, with the vision of creating a premier dressage facility for their daughter Devon. Under her guidance, Diamante Farms has become a hub for high performance dressage, developing several young horses that have gone on to compete at the Grand Prix level.

Kane is deeply committed to fostering excellence in both dressage and para dressage. She actively supports athletes in these disciplines, including proudly sponsoring Paralympic dressage rider Sydney Collier, as well as her daughter Devon and son-in-law Kevin Kohmann. Diamante Farms also hosts events and training sessions for high performance equestrian athletes.

Kane currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Wellington Community Foundation and serves as its secretary. She is also involved with the Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center, where she previously served on the Board of Directors. Additionally, Kane is instrumental in the Challenge of the Americas, a unique fundraiser supporting the Breast Cancer Research Foundation through the disciplines of dressage and jumping.

Rowan O’Riley
Prior to joining the USET Foundation’s Board of Trustees, Rowan O’Riley has served on the USET Foundation’s National Advisory Committee since 2018. A supporter of high performance U.S. equestrian sport, O’Riley is passionate about para dressage and is the proud sponsor of five-time Paralympic dressage athlete Rebecca Hart. With O’Riley’s horse El Corona Texel, Hart won a silver and a bronze medal at the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon, North Carolina, and the team bronze medal at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. O’Riley currently leases the mare Floratina for Hart, and the pair were unbeaten at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, earning team gold and two individual gold medals.

As an adult amateur dressage competitor, O’Riley earned her USDF Gold Medal in dressage in 2018 and was Region 8 Adult Amateur Champion at Grand Prix in the same year. O’Riley owns two dressage training facilities in Wellington, Florida: Fair Sky Farm and Roasis Riding Oasis. 

A graduate of Wellesley College, in Wellesley, Massachusetts, O’Riley serves on the National Council of McLean Hospital in Boston and supports various health and international welfare organizations. She is also an amateur portrait artist, the mother of three daughters, and grandmother to four grandchildren.

Angela Vogel
With her election to the USET Foundation’s Board of Trustees, Angela Vogel brings her lifelong passion for horses and a deep commitment to the pursuit of equestrian excellence in the United States. Her involvement in the sport grew through her daughter Ashley Vogel, an internationally ranked U25 jumping athlete who earned a team gold medal in the Young Rider division at the 2021 FEI North American Youth Championships (NAYC). Recognizing the significance of strong development pathways for aspiring athletes, Vogel and her husband Bill have dedicated themselves to supporting the high performance programs that foster U.S. equestrian talent and ensure continued success at the highest levels of the sport.

In addition to her passion for equestrian sport, Vogel is an avid supporter of dogs and animals. In her hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, she helped spearhead fundraising efforts for the forthcoming Downtown Milwaukee Dog Park. This dynamic community gathering space, tailored to canines and their owners, aims to provide inclusive community engagement and partnership opportunities while driving investment in the surrounding area.

Prior to her involvement in the equestrian world, Vogel had a successful career as a senior art director, blending her love for the arts and graphic design. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and now resides in Wellington, Florida, with Bill and their dogs. The couple have two children.

A complete list of the USET Foundation Board of Trustees can be found here. For additional information or to support the USET Foundation and U.S. equestrian athletes, visit https://www.uset.org.