The Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Kelly Kreiter Penning will take the reins in January as the new Executive Director for New Kingdom Trailriders.
Kelly joins NKT with a breadth of experience and true passion for community engagement. A Quad Cities native, her professional experience includes nearly thirty years in human resources, labor relations, and executive development with Rockwell Collins, Lear Corporation, Clysar, and sixteen years with Deere & Company. Her experience with project management, teambuilding, and strategic planning will be a valuable asset to the team.
In addition to her work in manufacturing and business, she has been actively volunteering with NKT for several years. Prior to NKT, she volunteered at six PATH centers and served on the board at Rainbow Riders in Monmouth. Her journey with therapeutic riding programs started at Miracles in Motion in Swisher, Iowa, 24 years ago. She described her experience as “life changing” and credits that opportunity with igniting her passion for therapeutic riding.
Kelly has a BA and MBA from the University of Northern Iowa. She is currently pursuing her Masters in Mental Health Counseling from Northwestern University, focusing her research on animal-assisted therapy. She also works as a Mental Health Counseling Intern in Survivor Services at Family Resources in Davenport, Iowa.
She currently serves on the board of Hand in Hand in Bettendorf, Iowa and is a longtime volunteer and former board member with Junior Achievement.
Kelly and her husband, Jared, live on a small farm in LeClaire, Iowa, with their goats, miniature donkeys, calves, kitties, and horse.
Please join us in welcoming Kelly to the NKT team!