Over the past few months, we’ve welcomed three incredible new team members to CHR—Kirsten, Claudia, and Cait! Their passion and dedication are already making a difference, and we couldn’t be more grateful to have them on board.

Kirsten Nordstrom, Development Director

Kirsten’s passion for horses began early in her childhood in Vermont, where she immersed herself in all things equine—from participating in 4H and riding at summer camp to spending countless hours in the neighbor’s barn. Her first horse, a beautiful rescue named MeToo, ignited her lifelong commitment to animal welfare.  Kirsten studied psychology at the University of Vermont and spent her summers teaching riding at a summer camp.

After earning an MBA from Cornell University, she pursued a career in consumer products creating some of the most memorable brands at Johnson & Johson, Ocean Spray, OxiClean and several startups. When her kids were young, she also volunteered at Catholic Charities and found she has a passion for helping the most vulnerable among us. This led to a second career in fundraising.

Kirsten is thrilled to be back to working with horses. “CHR is the perfect opportunity to combine my professional experience with my love of horses. It is so rewarding to know that we are creating a safer, better world for all horses”.  Kirsten loves giving tours of CHR and working with our donors, volunteers, and community to connect more people to our mission. When she’s not in the pasture loving on horses, you can find her with her husband and three sons playing sports, hiking or skiing in the mountains.

Claudia Laprise, Volunteer Manager

Originally from Quebec, Canada, Claudia relocated to Colorado in 2015 and quickly found it to be a wonderful place to establish roots. As a well-traveled and kind-hearted leader with a background in disaster management, international relations, animal welfare, and hospitality – Claudia’s journey has been marked by a commitment to social impact. Her studies led her to travel the world and to work with renowned organizations such as UNICEF, the Red Cross Society, and World Animal Protection.

Since then, she completed a certificate program in Animal Welfare at the Thompson Rivers University and was privileged to contribute her expertise to the Humane Society of Boulder Valley (HSBV), Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, and Boulder Parks & Recreation. She brings a wealth of experience in volunteer management, program oversight, and operations.

Claudia is a lifelong animal lover! Horses have had a special place in her heart ever since she started riding and caring for them in her teens. Claudia is thrilled to be part of this passionate community of staff and volunteers. She wholeheartedly believes in CHR’s mission and is eager to contribute to its continued success!

Cait Wilson, Placement Program Coordinator

Cait Wilson joined Colorado Horse Rescue as the Placement Program Coordinator in December 2024. She combines a background in tech support and customer support with a lifetime of work with horses. She is excited to be playing matchmaker for CHR’s adoptable horses in this new role!

Cait started riding early on and has never strayed too far from horses. Her first job was teaching kids lessons at summer camp. An initial interest in business took her into multifamily housing management, then tech support and customer service. But her 9-to-5 didn’t leave enough hours at the barn, so she enrolled in the Equine Science program at Colorado State University. Since graduating, Cait has managed the herd of therapy horses for a PATH Int’l lesson program and worked as the barn manager at a Northern Colorado boarding facility. She also has her own business providing hoof care to barefoot horses.

She’s now a 10-year resident of Colorado and just bought her first home in Berthoud with her partner. She’s excited to be part of the outstanding CHR team and to support the mission by helping horses find placements in appropriate forever homes.

Each of them brings unique skills, passion, and dedication to our mission of creating a better world for horses. Welcome to the team!