Leadership

Doug Russo is the resident farrier at Iowa State University’s Lloyd Large Animal Hospital, where he works with veterinarians to treat lameness and injuries. He teaches a clinical rotation for 4th year veterinary students and co-teaches a 3rd year Equine Lameness elective. He is an American Farrier’s Association Examiner, Pre-Certification Instructor and Chairman of the AFA Research Committee. He is a Certified Journeyman Farrier with the AFA and an Associate of the Worshipful Company of Farriers (based in the UK). He has been an active member of the AFA for nearly 20 years and looks forward to serving the American Farrier’s Association Foundation.

Travis Burns is an Associate Professor of Practice in the department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech. Travis is a Certified Journeyman Farrier (CJF) with Therapeutic (TE) and Educator Endorsements (EE) from the American Farrier’s Association. He is also a Fellow in the Worshipful Company of Farriers (by examination) from the United Kingdom (FWCF).

He has served the American Farrier’s Association in the past as President, regional director, chairman of the education committee, and a tester. He currently serves as an examiner for the association’s certification program and chair of the bylaws committee. He is also currently serving the American Farrier’s Association Foundation as the Vice President.

Tim Byrne Jr., CJF is a second-generation farrier and has been shoeing for 21 years. He attended Kentucky Horseshoeing School and completed a 3-year apprenticeship under his late father, Tim Byrne Sr., CF. Following his apprenticeship, he married his wife, Courtney. They currently live on a small farm in Southern Indiana with their two children, Whitley and Timothy Patrick Byrne III (Tripp).

Service has always been a passion from the beginning of Tim’s career. He sat on the Board of the Indiana Farriers Association and helped start the Derby City Horseshoers Association, where he held the Treasurer position for 7 years. Having continued education and competition opportunities though the AFA has helped lead the way to a rewarding career for Tim, including a couple of notable highlights such as earning the alternate position on the American Farriers Team, winning the Great Lakes Triple Crown open division twice, and achieving multiple open level best shod foot awards. He currently holds the Treasurer seat in both the American Farrier’s Association and the American Farrier’s Association Foundation.

Tom and his wife, Ann, and traveled from New York’s Hudson Valley to California in the summer of 1978, where they enrolled in the horseshoeing course at Merced College under the instruction of Mr. Bob Barrett. Bob took the entire class to the 1979 AFA Convention in Fresno for two days. There they saw Hall of Fame farriers like Lee Liles, Lee Green, Randy Luikart, Reuel Darling, Bruce Daniels, Steve Kraus, and Jay Sharp (who competed with a pipe clenched in his teeth). Walt Taylor was there also, of course. That year Tom and Ann were accepted as AFA members, numbers 511 and 512. They returned to New York and began to “practice farriery”. Ann decided to take up other pursuits, and Tom continued to “practice farriery”. The introduction to the AFA that Bob Barrett provided has been one of the most important influences in his career. I am honored to serve on the Board of Directors of the American Farrier’s Association Foundation in hopes that aspiring farriers can gain inspiration to develop their skills in service to the horse.

Eric is part owner of Bent Tree Forge, Inc., a farrier service based out of Social Circle, Georgia. He is also a part owner of Hoof House Farrier Supply which he helped start in 2013. Eric began shoeing in 1990. Within the American Farrier’s Association he has served as Treasurer, Board of Directors Region 4, Certification Examiner, and Certification Instructor. Eric competes at the local contests and encourages other farriers to compete and strive for AFA Certification.

Hank Chisholm has been a professional farrier since 1985, earning his Certified Farrier designation in 1992 and his Certified Journeyman Farrier in 1997. He is currently the President of the American Farrier’s Association, and has served in numerous other roles, such as the President of the Southern Farriers Association, the Vice President of the Alabama Professional Farriers Association, a Certification Tester, a Certification Instructor, and as the Chairman of the Pre-Certification Committee. He was awarded the Edward Martin Humanitarian Award in 2015 and 2021 and the Walt Taylor Award in 2018.

Hank lives in Lucedale, Mississippi with his wife, Stephanie, and sons, William and Wade. He looks forward to serving the Foundation in an Ex-Officio capacity while President of the AFA, as he believes the mission of the Foundation is critical to working farriers and their equine clients.

Martha Jones has served as the Executive Director of the American Farrier’s Association since July 2019 and of the Farrier Industry Association since June 2020, where her primary roles are staff operations, communications, fiscal responsibility, PR/marketing, serving as a staff liaison to the Executive Committee and Board of Directors, and volunteer/committee management. Prior to that, she has spent nearly her entire career in trade association management, serving as the Executive Vice President of the Associated Builders and Contractors of Indiana/Kentucky and the Vice President of Operations at the Building Industry Association of Greater Louisville, where she also served as the staff liaison to the Building Industry Charitable Foundation.

Martha is a graduate of Purdue University and lives in southern Indiana with her husband, David, and stepsons, Colin and Easton. She looks forward to serving the Foundation as an Ex-Officio Director and staff liaison, and most especially to the meaningful legacy the Foundation will create for AFA members and their families both now and into the future.