Who We Are
The MHC Foundation’s purpose is to provide funding for the charitable activities and priorities of the Minnesota Horse Council. MHC Foundation is recognized by the IRS as a charity under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Board of Officers
Tracy Turner, DVM, MS, Dipl.ACVS, Dipl.ACVSMR
President
Tracy Turner has lived in Minnesota since 1991. He served on the faculty of the Universities of Illinois, Florida and Minnesota. Presently, he owns his own practice dedicated to Equine Sports Medicine and Surgery.
Turner has been a member of the Minnesota Horse Council since 2002. He has served on the Grants and Scholarship committees and is co-Chair of Legislative and Chair of the Horse Welfare committees. He has served 6 terms as President of the MHC. In addition, he is an active member of the AVMA, AAEP, and the American Horse Council. Turner has served as chairman of the AAEP’s Farrier Liaison Committee, served on the AAEP Foundation Advisory Council, the AAEP Educational Programs Committee and he is on the AAEP Board of Directors. He is a past president of the Minnesota Association of Equine Practitioners and a member of the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association. He is currently president of the American Academy of Thermology. He has consulted for United States Equestrian Federation, The USDA Horse Protection and Federation Equestriene Internationale (FEI). He is married to veterinarian Julia Wilson and has two sons.
Jim Lane
Fundraising
Jim Lane is in his second 6-year term as a Minnesota Racing Commission member. He was appointed in 2009 and re-appointed in 2015. He is current Commission Vice Chair, chairs the Administrative Affairs Committee, and is a member of the Racing Committee. Jim is a graduate of Princeton University and William Mitchell College of Law. For the past 20 years he has maintained a general law practice in Minneapolis that includes equine law. He is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Animal Humane Society and was a founding member of the Minnesota Horse Welfare Coalition in 2008. He also is a horse sports enthusiast, having played polo with the Twin City Polo Club for 20 years and ridden for pleasure most of his life.
Tom Tweeten
Treasurer
Tom Tweeten has worked as a research chemist for more than 50 years with degrees from Winona State, North Dakota State and Kansas State Universities. He grew up on a farm in Southeastern Minnesota. In 1996 Tom formed a company that has developed a line of horse care products. His work highlights how grooming is an important part of building a relationship with the horse. Tom and his wife own a small farm near Prior Lake where they have trained and shown American Saddlebred and Morgan horses.
Tom Tweeten has served on the MHC Board of Directors since 1999. His experiences as a Director have included serving as Vice-president, President, and now Treasurer since 2016. He represents Minnesota at the national Coalition of States Horse Councils (CSHC) Meeting and the American Horse Council Meeting in Washington DC. He was elected Financial Liaison for the CSHC Board in 2018. He is on the Board of Directors for the Tri-State Horseman’s Association and is the Horse Council on the University of Minnesota Horse Team Advisory Group.
Mindy Means
Secretary/Marketing & Communications
Mindy’s work history includes 15 years at Xcel Energy; 10 plus years a Director of Executive Education Programs and Development Officer positions in Corporate and Foundation Relations. Her funding and volunteer history includes the St. Croix Valley YMCA Annual Fund Campaign, National Wildlife Federation, St. Paul K-9 Patrol, involvement in event planning and event leadership, board director on the Executive Women’s Golf Association of Minnesota and other various fundraising initiatives.
She is currently a Development Officer at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Minnesota. Her funding focus areas are equine, food-production animals and ecosystem health.
Mindy holds a master’s degree from the University of St. Thomas.
Compliance (open position)
Allison Eklund
Volunteer Advisor / Legal Counsel
Allison Fabyanske Eklund has practiced law in Minnesota since 1998. With a background in litigation and Federal Indian law, she started Eklund Law, PC in 2007 to focus on equine law and business advocacy, family legacy lands, and consulting with small businesses and nonprofits. Her “cowboy-and-Indian” law practice includes lobbying for equine business interests on behalf of the Minnesota Horse Council and serving as staff attorney for the Minnesota Horse Expo. She has been instrumental in passing property tax legislation favorable to equestrian property owners. She advises, represents, and helps create equine businesses and nonprofits to encourage best practices and support a thriving horse industry in Minnesota.
If you are interested in serving on MHC Foundation’s Board of Officers, please get in touch using our contact form to request information.