David Silver is Detroit Horse Power’s founder and Executive Director. He has a background in urban education after teaching at Burns Elementary/Middle School and earning his Masters in Teaching in 2014. He launched Detroit Horse Power and has overseen the program’s growth in the last four years while pursuing the long-term vision of bringing horses to the city. He has a background as a competitive horseback rider in the Olympic sport of Three-Day Eventing and has received the highest horse management certification from the United States Pony Club.

Ciara Ginyard has more than two decades of experience as a fundraiser in the non-profit sector which also includes serving in the role of grant maker.  Ciara has deep family roots in Detroit and in 2013 was selected as a Detroit Revitalization Fellow at Detroit Employment Solutions. Creating sustainable funding streams for CBOs whose mission is to elevate disenfranchised communities of color and particularly youth is what Ciara is most passionate about. Her passion has allowed her to achieve multi-million portfolios for community-based organizations. No surprise that she was recognized as one of the Top 40 under 40 National Fundraisers in 2019.  Ciara is excited to have everyone involved with creating access to the equestrian community for urban youth.

Sie is a Detroit Native who fell in love with the city at a young age. Her passion for helping others developed into advocacy for youth and underserved populations in Detroit. Sie also has a passion for performative arts and holistic healing. During her younger years, Sie spent time educating her peers about the importance of healthy relationships, abstinence, STI/HIV prevention, and other important life skills. She is now expanding her career with Detroit Horse Power to learn and teach how the art of social-emotional learning coincides with riding and caring for horses.

Nicole Byrd has over 25 years of experience working in the non-profit sector in Detroit. Nicole studied Social Work at Ferris State University. She is an AmeriCorps Alum, having served as part of the inaugural class. Most recently, Nicole served as the Managing Director of Impact with City Year Detroit where she led their school based service strategy, training and evaluation work. Nicole has seen the positive impact of horses on young people’s self-esteem, self-efficacy, and self-confidence through her daughter’s riding experience. She is committed to bringing this experience to more young people in Detroit.

Born and raised in Detroit, and a graduate from the University of Michigan and Oakland University, Paquina Beard known as “PQ” has spent her career working in the nonprofit space focused on youth and workforce development. 

Prior to joining Detroit Horse Power, she has provided service in two AmeriCorps programs. The first includes 8 years as a Corps Member. The second as a Program Manager for  City Year Detroit before transitioning to Public Allies Detroit, where she had several roles that include  Program Manager to Site Director. Service to others is her passion and she’s excited to continue doing impactful work as the Program Director for DHP.

Rhonda Holstein has decades of experience serving youth in our region, spanning from being a Head Start Educator, working with the 21st Century Community Learning Center program in Pontiac, and with Wayne State University’s College of Nursing C2 Pipeline Program supporting high school students in Oakland County. Rhonda attended the University of Michigan Dearborn and has extensive professional development experience with the High Scope Education Research Foundation. She also has been an equestrian for 45+ years with an interest in dressage and biomechanics for the horse and rider. As DHP’s Program Operations Manager, Rhonda is looking forward to continuing to serve youth and families in the city of Detroit by maintaining a high-quality afterschool learning environment.

Kate Trost is a Hope College 2022 graduate who majored in Business with an emphasis on Marketing, especially for nonprofit organizations. Most notably, in the Summers of 2021 and 2022, she developed and performed the marketing and fundraising activities for the Hope Summer Repertory Theatre in Holland, MI, including the 2022 $500,000 for 50 years Email Marketing Campaign. She has a 12+ year background in the equestrian sport as a Hunter Jumper. Having seen the beneficial lessons and skills riding horses gave her as a child, she is passionate about making those opportunities available to others. In her free time, she is heavily involved in Christ Church Grosse Pointe’s volunteer programs, such as serving as a Eucharistic Minister and Verger.