Our Instructors
All of our instructors are NARHA certified.
Melissa Conner
InstructorMelissa has been with Dream Catchers since 2005 when she started as a volunteer. She grew up in Williamsburg and has owned and ridden horses since she was a young girl. She has a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Richmond. Melissa became a NARHA certified instructor in 2006 and is currently the Program Coordinator at Dream Catchers. She has 4 children and a wonderful husband, Ben, who all enjoy spending time at Dream Catchers.
Brittney Fitts
InstructorBrittney is a NARHA certified instructor and has been at Dream Catchers since the fall of 2006. She recieved a BA in Therapeutic Horsemanship from St. Andrews Presbyterian College and a BA in Elementary Education from Wake Forest University. In 1997, she became a volunteer with a therapeutic riding program and has been involved with Equine Assisted Activities and Therapies since then. Horses have been a part of her life since she was six years old and she has experience in saddle seat, hunt seat, and western riding. Brittney is also an elementary teacher in the WJCC school system.
Carol Ivey
InstructorCarol has a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Illinois State University and a Masters Degree in Recreational Administration from the University of Illinois. She has taught elementary education for over 20 yars and retired from the Newport News school system. She is certified in teaching the gifted/talented and did so the last 10 years of her teaching career. Carol has a background of working with special needs children and adults. She began her association with Dream Catchers in 2006 as a volunteer and became a certified therapeutic riding instructor in 2008. She has her own horse and finds Dream Catchers to be a perfect way to combine her love of teaching with her love of horses.
Skip Mollenhauer
InstructorSkip earned a BS degree from Old Dominion University in Education, and a MA Degree from William & Mary in Secondary Education. She taught for 36 years, 33 in Newport News, VA and 3 years in Virginia Beach, VA. During that time she also coached gymnastics. Skip has been riding horses almost her entire life and still rides and show her own horses. She has combined her knowledge and experience with her love of horses to become a therapeutic riding instuctor. She came to Dream Catchers as a volunteer in 2006, and became an instructor in 2007. Skip says “teaching therapeutic riding combines all of the things that I love – horses, teaching and coaching.”
Deborah Hill
InstructorDeborah received her Masters degree in Education from Christopher Newport University, and is a retired Special Education teacher from a local county. She began volunteering at Dream Catchers in 2003. She was “equine illiterate at the time” but has succeeded in learning to ride and becoming a certified therapeutic riding instructor this past year. Debbie says “expect the best and it will happen!”
Donna Wilson
InstructorDonna Wilson is a graduate of Findlay University with a degree in Equestrian Studies. She has been involved in therapeutic riding since 1996. In 1997 she received her NARHA advanced level instructor certification. Donna has served for six years on the Board of Directors for the Theraputic Riding Association of Virginia (TRAV). She currently serves NARHA as the Lead Site Visitor for accreditation of therapeutic riding centers. She was the program director for Dream Catchers from 1996 to 2000 and returned to teach at Dream Catchers in 2008. Donna is currently employed with Sentara Newtown Diagnostics and Urgent Care in Williamsburg, VA. A North Carolina native, she now resides in Toano, VA with her husband David, one dog, two horses and three cats. “Being a therapeutic riding instructor offers me the pleasure of combining my love and passion of horses and people. I am both honored and humbled to know that what I do is making a difference in someone’s life by improving their quality of life. Being involved with therapeutic riding has definitely enhanced my quality of life.”
Kim Wendell
InstructorKim grew up in Tennessee with her two horses Paula and Sundance in her back yard. She graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, in 1984 with a degree in Special Education. Kim says “I have been blessed to be able to work with two of my favorite populations – horses and individuals with special needs.” Kim began volunteering at Dream Catchers in 2005 and became a NARHA certified instructor in 2006. She and husband Peter have 5 children.
Gwen Zimmerman
InstructorGwen lives in West Point, Virginia with her husband Steve. She came to Dream Catchers as a volunteer in April 2007. “As luck would have it, I saw an ad in the local paper for volunteers at Dream Catchers and that was the beginning of one of the most rewarding experiences in my life,” says Gwen. She became a NARHA certified instructor in December 2008. Gwen had a career in the horse racing industry, bred and raised thoroughbreds and Welsh ponies and showed hunters for many years.