USEA Convention Program

25 C O N V E N T I O N S P E A K E R S SONJA KEATING Sonja Keating is the Executive Vice President and General Counsel for US Equestrian, the national governing body for equestrian sport. Keating earned a Bachelor of Arts from Transylvania University and a law degree from the University of Kentucky. Prior to joining US Equestrian, Sonja practiced in the litigation department at Dinsmore & Shohl, a full-service law firm headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. She has served US Equestrian for over 12 years and is an advisor to the Chief Executive Officer, senior staff, and Board of Directors on all legal matters. Sonja leads the organization's Safe Sport initiative and provides counsel regarding corporate governance, U.S. Team Selections, the Equine Drugs & Medications program, sponsorships, commercial disputes involving athletes and/or sponsors, contracts, and the rule- making process. She also handles athlete grievances, disciplinary matters before the Hearing Committee, and manages all civil litigation. Sonja served on the U.S. Olympic Committee NGB Task Force aimed to develop harmonious standards among the national governing bodies to address sexual misconduct and related misconduct in sport. This led to the adoption of minimum standards for all national governing bodies' safe sport initiatives. She is currently serving on the Planning Committee for the National Conference on Equine Law and participating in the Team USA Leadership Certificate Program through the U.S. Olympic Committee's partnership with the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Sonja is active with the Association of Corporate Counsel and the Sports Lawyers Association. BONNIE KIBBIE Bonnie Kibbie, VMD is the current chair of the USEA Volunteer Committee. She helped found the committee in memory of a beloved member of the eventing community, Seema Sonnad, whose vision it was to see volunteers recognized, organized, and rewarded at the national level for their contributions to the sport. She has enjoyed serving on the committee since its inception in 2015 and hopes to continue to improve the resources available to volunteers in the U.S. for years to come. Bonnie is an equine veterinarian in Chester County, Pennsylvania, where she lives with her husband, fellow eventer, and course designer, Jeff Kibbie, and their feisty toddler, Elias. She has evented through the Preliminary level but is currently helping her and Jeff's former competition horse, Loki, enjoy semi-retirement with the occasional trail ride and dressage lesson. Bonnie serves as a Volunteer Coordinator for the Plantation Field International Horse Trials and loves living in the heart of event country. RUSTY LOWE Rusty Lowe, NRP is Safety Coordinator/Medical Officer for several events in the U.S. including Red Hills International Horse Trials, Jersey Fresh International, Chattahoochee Hills Eventing, Fair Hill International Horse Trials, and for the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games in Tryon, N.C. As a past member and Chair/Vice-Chair of the USEA and USEF Safety Committees, he worked with other committees and organizations to improve safety within the sport such as improved rider safety equipment, increased medical care requirements for events, concussion management, and instructor minimum standards. Rusty has been a firefighter and nationally registered paramedic for 36 years including the last 30 at the Hoover, Alabama Fire Department where he recently retired as EMS Captain and Public Information Officer. He is an Emergency Preparedness Consultant for Stop Heart Attack/Trio Safety and EMS Instructor at Jefferson State Community College where he resides in Birmingham, Alabama.

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