Michele Pesula Kuegler is the Founder and Executive Director of Wasabi Aftercare Fund, which focuses on the safe and secure retirement of Thoroughbreds. Prior to Wasabi Aftercare Fund, Ms. Pesula Kuegler was the Director of Aftercare and Community at Wasabi Ventures Stables (WVS). Building on her love of animals and the support of the WVS club members, she created Wasabi Aftercare Fund, which concentrates on horses who have run or were bred by WVS. She applied skills from her earlier careers as an elementary school teacher, CEO of her own online publishing company, and program director to develop Wasabi Aftercare Fund from a glimmer of an idea to a thriving nonprofit that has assisted in the retirement of 28 horses.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Jen Roytz is a marketing and communications specialist based in Central Kentucky with a professional background in Thoroughbred aftercare. Over the past 10 years, Roytz served in the capacities of board member, marketing consultant and for the past four years as executive director of the Retired Racehorse Project, a nonprofit organization that works to increase demand for Thoroughbreds after racing, a role from which she stepped down at the end of 2021. Previously, Jen was the marketing director for Three Chimneys Farm, where she also served as the aftercare liaison for the farm and its clients.

After a short career as a corporate attorney, George decided to follow his passion and embarked on a career in the Thoroughbred industry in 2012. He established his Housatonic Bloodstock LLC in 2014, which provides pedigree analysis and mating recommendations to clients, as well as assistance identifying and inspecting potential purchases both privately and at auction. He also serves as the Director of Stallions and Breeding for Wasabi Ventures Stables. His prior industry experience included stints at Claiborne Farm, Country Life Farm, and Shug McGaughey.

Jessica Paquette has worked in the horse racing industry for nearly 20 years in a variety of capacities with a background in broadcasting, PR, and communications. Since November of 2022, she has been the full-time track announcer at Parx Racing in Pennsylvania and is currently the only woman in North America to hold that role and became the first woman to ever call a Grade 1 race in September of 2023. She is also an avid equestrian with a passion for Thoroughbred aftercare and competes in the hunters, jumpers and equitation.

Brit Vegas is a professional trainer that specializes in restarting Thoroughbreds for equestrian sports, such as eventing, show jumping, fox hunting, and other English disciplines. She owns and operates Royal Fox Stables in Southeast Nebraska with a winter base in Aiken, South Carolina. In addition to campaigning her own horses through the Intermediate level of eventing, Vegas also retrains and sells between 50 and 70 Thoroughbreds per year and has competed in the Retired Racehorse Project’s Thoroughbred Makeover each year since 2015 with multiple Top 5 finishes in eventing, show jumping and field hunters. In addition, she manages her husband, Dr. Adam Gengenbach’s sport horse veterinary practice.