Vanessa was born in St. Louis, MO but grew up in Georgetown, KY. After completing three years at the University of Kentucky, she moved to St. Louis to finish her BA in Business at Lindenwood University. While living outside Kentucky for nearly 20 years, she worked as an accountant, horse trainer and coach. She returned every year to volunteer for her mother, who was the Chief Steward of horse inspections. She started to volunteer at the Kentucky Three-Day Event when she was a member of the Keeneland Pony Club in 1984 and groomed for a rider in 1985. In 2008 Vanessa moved back to the area, and Janie Atkinson asked her to come in and help with the event – she never left. Now, she has quite a bit of knowledge and history with the event.

Vanessa currently serves as the Chief Competition and Operating Officer, a role she stepped into after holding the position of Senior Director of Competition beginning in the spring of 2013. She is responsible for overseeing all competitive aspects of EEI’s events, including coordination with contractors, volunteers, and related areas. Before that, Vanessa served as Director of Ticketing and transitioned to lead Sponsorship in 2012.

Vanessa tries to give back to the sport by volunteering and supporting other local events as much as her schedule allows. She has been an eventer most of her life and still owns two horses, Rooster and Schoo. She and her husband, Anthony, love to travel and spend time with their daughter, Alexa.