Our Team

Jayme Gallegos - Volunteer Coordinator

Jayme earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Biology from Oregon State University. Her years of lab experience and management may seem like an unlikely match for a ranch environment, but her knack for creating systems and implementing organization have made the care of our herd seamless among staff and volunteers. Jayme is forward-thinking and an incredible leader.

Deb Sherwood - Director of Family Support/Board Member

Deb has played a vital role in the lives of youth in Salem for decades. She has served with Young Life, her Church, as well as many other avenues to reach the youth in our community. She has a passion for helping empower teens and young adults to step out in courage, despite the difficult roads they may face. She is a dedicated Bible study leader, mentor, and friend.

While she is passionate about youth, she also has a strong desire for unity in the entire family. Because of that passion she was led to start supporting guardians & parents here at the ranch. She is a safe place to process, listen, pray for, and connect to other community resources.

Paige Greene - Assist. Program Director & Session Leader

Growing up in Salem has given Paige a unique love and calling toward the teens at Acres of Hope. She brings a joyful, young perspective to the team that is backed by years of both administrative and ministry experience. From working for a well known mortgage company to serving the homeless, Paige’s desire is to love others like Jesus would through service, patience, and connection.

Paige has an incredible talent of approaching all of her sessions with creativity, flexibility, and a desire to empower each youth to make their time at Acres of Hope their own. Through her gifts of leadership and mentorship, Paige helped make the launch of the Teen Time program possible in the summer of 2021.

Beth Weaver - Forever our horse trainer

On June 23, 2024 we unexpectedly lost our beloved horse trainer, Beth. She will remain on our page, as she spent years supporting our team and herd. Her wisdom and knowledge will remain in our hearts and her love of the horse will continue on here at the ranch.

Beth not only has years of horse experience in a variety of settings, but she specifically has a heart for the youth we serve. She has worked for dude ranches and therapeutic riding facilities, has been a student for dressage and jumping trainers, and currently manages Northwood Farms in Independence, Oregon. She has attended countless Buck Brannaman clinics and has also been mentored by Parelli. For two summers, Beth worked one-on-one with struggling youth and mustangs. There she helped teens who had been abused, run away, or self-harmed find their way out of darkness, using the horse as the facilitator. Beth is forever and always a student of the horse. She is one of the most generous people we know, and we are honored for the 5 years we had with her. We laughed, learned, cried, and saddled up for continuing to sit in the hard places with our youth. We will continue to do even in her absence.

Tricia McCormick - Session Leader & Herd Exercise Team

Tricia has been drawn to horses since childhood. She was given her first horse when she was 8 years old and has owned many horses since then; each one so uniquely loved. She thanks her Natural Horsemanship mentor, Dave Williams, for a decade of teaching her about how to connect with horses through observing their behavior and learning how they communicate.

In addition to her extensive horse knowledge, Tricia also has over 17 years of experience working in the field of Equine Assisted Therapy. Between this invaluable experience and her genuine desire to be a safe place for teens, Tricia is an incredible gift to the entire ministry. She is kind, humble, hard working, passionate, and has a heart to share the love of Jesus.

Mandy Neifert - Herd Exercise Manager/Session Leader

Mandy was born and raised in Oregon. She credits her mom for her love of horses, she has never remembered a time without horses in her life. When Mandy was nine years old she got her first horse, as a foal. The two of them got to learn together and went on to compete as they got older. 

Mandy graduated from  Western Oregon University in 2013 with a Bachelors of Science in Business. During her years in college, God was already shaping and preparing Mandy’s heart. It was during her time at Western Oregon that her love for Jesus deepened and He began developing in her the desire to work with teens and horses. Mandy is backed by 8 years of administrative work prior to being called to Acres of Hope. In addition to Session Leading, Mandy is now using her administrative gifts to manage our herd exercise and training.

Judy Hull - Parent Support

Judy has a Bachelors of Science in Computer Science from Oregon Institute of Technology She is a Mom to four grown children.  Judy previously taught math and worked as a College Advisor in Longview Washington at Three Rivers Christian School and in Salem at Western Mennonite (Christian) School. 

Judy learned about Acres of Hope while serving with Deb at Salem Alliance Church. She loves Jesus and people, and has a desire to be used by Him. Judy was an incredible answer to prayer in 2023 to increase parent support at the ranch.

Kevin Smith - Archery Session Leader

Kevin brings many different gifts to Acres of Hope. He has a lot of knowledge in different areas that have helped support this ministry. Kevin works as an electrician, and gives a lot of his spare time to Acres of Hope. He has helped Acres of Hope with different electrical projects around the ranch. Prior to coming to Acres of Hope, Kevin spent 4 years doing endurance riding, and logged over 2,000 miles on horseback during that time. Now Kevin gets to use those skills in working with our herd, and helping support the Horse Exercise team. 

Kevin has felt called to youth ministry for a while. As he prayerfully considered where to serve, God created an avenue for Kevin to join our Archery program as an Archery Session Leader. Kevin was an integral part of the growth of the Archery program in 2023.

Ben Nanke - Development Coordinator

Ben joined our team in the spring of 2024. He comes to Acres of Hope with years of ministry background. Ben has a B.S. in Christian Ministry from Mission College, formerly Reach Training Institute. During his senior year of college, he did a residency in Toulouse, France, working at an international church. In addition, Ben has done 10 years of young adult ministry and two years volunteering with at-risk and foster youth at Teen Reach Adventure camp. 

Ben writes “In ministry, I always feel called to live out the Gospel.” At Acres of Hope, that call looks like using his gift of writing skills to further the ministry. Ben has been an incredible addition to the Acres of Hope team and a gift to this ministry.

Roxann OBryant - Session Leader

From an early age, Roxann has had a love for God. She is rooted in strong faith and a deep belief that with a relationship with God, anything is possible including overcoming the most traumatic of circumstances. A strong desire to help youth drew her to participate in a school mentoring program many years ago. Her passion for horses and her extensive veterinary background allow her to connect with animal-loving youth.

Roxann has a lifetime of diverse experiences with horses. As a child, she spent all her free time riding in the mountains near her home with her beloved first horse. The two formed a very special lifetime bond while enjoying several equine activities. Roxann continues to expand her horse knowledge, including equine behavior and communication by utilizing natural horsemanship techniques as well as learning carriage driving. She competes with her miniature horses in Combined Driving and miniature horse breed shows.

Shiela Duluk - Session Leader

Shiela comes to Acres of Hope with a wealth of knowledge and ministry experience. She received her Associate's Degree from Palomar College, and since then has continued to pursue ongoing training and education in the areas of Youth Mental Health. She brings trauma-informed care, QPR certification, and training in Domestic violence response, Crisis Counseling, and Sexual Assault Response. In addition to her education, Shiela also brings extensive work and ministry experience to our team. From working with YMCA, Avid, and various PTAs, to serving as the President of the Board of Directors at the Gate Youth Association and being a Worship Director for First Baptist Church Independence; Sheila's experience is truly a gift to Acres of Hope. 

When asked about why she felt called to serve at Acres of Hope, Shiela wrote: “After seeing the change in my daughter’s life through sessions at Acres of Hope, I felt God calling me to leave my job and focus on serving him through demonstrating Jesus love to youth working through difficult things.”

Sharon Stapleton - Volunteer Coordinating Assistant

Sharon’s life has always been devoted to caring for children and their families. Prior to joining our team, Sharon had a career as a Critical Care Transport Nurse for Doernbecher Children’s Hospital and traveled the world teaching medical professionals how to care for critically ill children. Sharon's life changed dramatically after a traumatic brain injury which led her on a journey of discovering the powers of patience, self-acceptance, and reliance on the Lord. She has been volunteering now for the past 20 years in various programs. She enjoys serving with horses and programs dedicated to improving the lives of children and their families.

When asked about why she felt called to serve at Acres of Hope, Sharon wrote the following. “I am humbled and proud to be working with Acres of Hope. Their devotion to the love of Christ, and His purpose for each and every person and animal that arrives on the ranch is amazing. I am where I am meant to be.”

Jennifer Klopfenstein - Session Leader

Most of Jennifer’s ministry experience is working with women. She has led many Bible studies, both at church and home, been a mentor, and worked in several settings to bring women together for fellowship. It fills her cup to hear others open up about faith, family, etc. Jennifer had limited horse experience before she started volunteering at AOH in 2020. Mostly, she rode with friends who had horses. 

Jennifer writes: “Acres of Hope has become a huge support in my own life. I’ve had two children go through sessions and teen time and my whole family sometimes comes to help with feeding and clean up. It feels like home to me. I knew the first time I drove onto the property, I would have some significant life experiences here. I want every youth who walks into the barn to have a sense of belonging, feel loved and begin a healing journey.”