Down the Stretch Team Members:
Jerry and Janet Hollendorfer, Co-Founders
Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer and his wife Janet are the most successful husband and wife thoroughbred training team of all time. Their devotion to each other and the sport they love has enabled them to rise to the top of the horse racing industry. Together they have won such prestigious races as the Breeders Cup Dirt Mile with Dakota Phone, The Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks with Blind Luck, and numerous other graded stakes races around the country. They have over 6,500 career victories, 50 training championships, and their horses have earned over $150,000,000 in purses. These two thoroughbred training icons currently call Northern California home.
Daniel R. McCanna
Dan has worked in the thoroughbred horse racing industry for over 60 years. Dan has owned and operated a successful training center in Eastern Washington. He has had many successes as an owner and trainer including the title of Leading Trainer in Washington State (1987, 1992). Dan also served in the field of education for over 40 years. Dan was a teacher, counselor, and principal.
Tim and Jan McCanna
Tim is in the Washington State’s Horse Racing Hall of Fame, closing in on 2000 wins. All the horses stay at Jan and Tim’s ranch in Yakima, and are cared for by Jan before they continue to Down the Stretch Ranch. Their generosity and support are a huge part of this foundation.
Mathew Schmidt, DVM
Matthew graduated in 1999 from one of the top Veterinary Medical programs in our region at WSU. Matt now carries with him over 20 years of experience working with animals. He also is an adjunct professor at the school in which he graduated from, teaching senior veterinarian students. Matt grew up in the Spokane area and continues to call this area home, with his family. As well as a board member, Matt’s expertise will be warranted as the ranch vet.
Mark Moran, Vietnam Marine War Hero & Ranch inspiration
(May 23, 1950 – April 5, 2017)
Mark voluntarily enlisted to serve in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War.
Mark was wounded February of 1970 and earned a purple Heart and Bronze Star for his brave , selfless and honorable service to our country. Upon coming home from Vietnam missing a leg Mark went to work for his Uncle Daniel R McCanna at Playfair racetrack in Spokane Washington. Mark said working with the Thoroughbred race horses helped ease his mind and keep him in the present moment. It was Mark who helped set and form the program at Down The Sttetch Ranch. Mark knew the horses could help heal other Veterans who were suffering from the struggles of war.
Justin Martinez, Veteran Coordinator
Charlie and Debbie Gibson, Gibson Horse Transportation
Charlie and Debbie Gibson are based in Thorp, WA and have been in the horse racing industry for their entire lives. They currently have a successful horse-vanning business and contribute to Down the Stretch by shipping the horses out to the ranch.
Down the Stretch Board Members:
Boone McCanna
Boone has over 30 years of experience working with thoroughbred horses and farm management. He has been one of the leading jockey agents in Northern California the last four years representing Kevin Krigger, Dennis Carr, and Frank Alvarado. Prior to that, he spent 15 years in Washington as an agent for leading riders Ricky Frazier, Kevin Radke and Kevin Krigger. Boone attended the University of Idaho on a football scholarship where he was the team captain for the 1987 Big Sky Championship. Boone has three children and has moved back to his home state of Washington to operate the Down the Stretch foundation.
Kerri Ames, Masters of Education, Secretary
Kerri holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and has 20 years of teaching, counseling, and administrative experience. She has been successful in working with at-risk, special needs, and trauma-impacted populations. Kerri has served as an assistant principal and principal in the Central Valley School District for the past 8 years. She is currently the Principal at Central Valley High School. Kerri brings creative thinking, organization for detail, and above all, her passion for service and giving back to the community.
Tim Ames, Masters of Education, Board Chair
Tim Ames has 30 plus years’ experience in education as a teacher, building principal, and Superintendent. He has a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction and is a certified Superintendent in the State of Washington. Tim has been a Superintendent of public schools for over 10 years. He has served districts impacted by a federal presence. His first Superintendent position was on the Spokane Indian Reservation with a student population of 97% Native students. He is currently the Superintendent of the Medical Lake School District which is home to Fairchild Air Force Base, near Spokane, Washington, which serves approximately 800 military impacted students. Tim is an Honorary Commander which has given him the opportunity to experience firsthand the impact of active duty on service members, their families, and their children.
Kerri and Tim Ames have four children and live in the Spokane Valley.
Kandy M. Bartlett, PHR
Kandy Bartlett is an accomplished professional with over 24 years working in the public sector in Human Resources and Finance positions. Kandy is currently the Human Resource Director for the city of Everett. She is responsible for implementing human resource management strategies that recruit and retain a high performing workforce. Kandy specializes in collaborative collective bargaining, designing healthcare packages, and developing successful performance management programs. Kandy holds a BA in Business Administration with minors in Finance and Marketing. She is certified through the Human Resource Certification Institute as a Human Resource Professional (PHR). Kandy has a love for animals and helping others!
Mark Roff
Mark Roff is a Senior Vice President in the Spokane office of Moloney + O’Neill/Alliant, where he is an Insurance Broker focusing on Property Casualty Insurance.
Mark Graduated from Gonzaga University in 1987 with a B.A in Marketing. He started his carrier in San Francisco working for Transamerica Insurance. He left Transamerica in 1993 as their Western Regional Claims Manager and moved back to Spokane to start working for Sedgwick James as an Insurance Broker. Mark left Sedgwick in 1999 to become a Partner at Moloney & O’Neill. He was Vice President of Sales at Moloney & O’Neill prior to the purchase by Alliant in 2014.
Industries Served: Transportation, Construction, Manufacturing, Tribal Business, Logging, News Paper/Print
Mark has been married for 30 years and has two sons and a daughter.
Pete Wilkins
Pete is a Pacific Northwest native and Seattle business professional with more than 20 years of experience leading Fortune 500 companies through significant transformation efforts. During his time in sports and as a business executive he has learned first-hand that developing people and building high-performance teams is the key to achieving success in any organization.
Pete grew up in Spokane Washington on a small farm that raised Arabian show horses and attended Gonzaga Prep High-School. He was awarded a full-ride athletic scholarship to the University of Idaho and while playing football he achieved numerous accolades: Honorable Mention All-American, 1st Team All Conference, Team Captain and the 12th Annual Howard Warrick Award. After his college career he spent two pre-seasons with the New England Patriots as an outside linebacker.
Pete lives in Seattle with his beautiful wife, son and daughter. When he’s not working on strategic initiatives with individuals in the corporate world he stays busy as a black belt instructor of Aikido with an emphasis on kid’s development and brown belt student of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. His biggest joy though is spending time with his family.
Elizabeth (Libby) Wilkins
Elizabeth is a Pacific Northwest native and Spokane business professional with more than two decades of experience in client service, change leadership, strategic communications, partner development, and learning program solutions. She has worked with a portfolio of clients ranging from medium-sized businesses to Fortune 500 Companies across many industries including aerospace and defense, public sector, retail operations, utilities, oil and gas, and high tech. Elizabeth is an ardent fan of staying on top of the latest learning, social media, and communications techniques.
Elizabeth is the Director of Business Development for Dallas, TX based company, Shirley Hollywood & Associates. She is actively involved in business development, talent acquisition, practice development, building strong client relationships, and ensuring her clients success. Elizabeth spent seventeen years at Deloitte, LLP. At Deloitte, she spent her first nine years delivering change, communications, and learning programs on large scale ERP projects.
Elizabeth lives in Spokane and has one daughter in Boise, ID. She is actively involved with the Kappa Alpha Theta mentor program at WSU. In addition, she worked closely with the Seattle Union Gospel Mission to deliver “Effective Interviewing Skills” workshops to domestic violence victims. Elizabeth received her B.A. from Washington State University and her Masters in Instructional Leadership & Curriculum Development from National University in San Diego, CA. She finds great delight in spending time with her daughter, her family, summer outings on the lake, wine tasting and shopping with friends.
Diane Roff
Diane grew up in Spokane and has worked in the medical field for over 20 plus years. Thirteen of them as an administrator for a large surgical practice. She has volunteered for many years with the Catholic dioceses and has newly become active with Camp Rooted (camp for siblings in the foster care system). Diane’s step-father is a Vietnam veteran who served multiple tours as a navy seal.
Diane has been married for over 30 years and is the mother to two sons and a daughter.