The United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation announced that Jennifer Gates, Kristi Mitchem, and Ann Thompson have joined the Board of Trustees in 2022.
“We’re delighted to welcome Jenn, Kristi, and Ann to the USET Foundation’s Board of Trustees,” said W. James McNerney, Jr., Chairman, President, and CEO of the USET Foundation. “As the philanthropic partner to US Equestrian (USEF), the USET Foundation supports America’s elite and developing international high performance horses and athletes. With this in mind, Ann, Jenn, and Kristi’s commitment to the success of the U.S. equestrian teams will be very valuable. The insight gleaned from their involvement in the sport at the highest levels and in multiple capacities, along with their undertakings outside of the sport, will enable them to assist in continuing to bolster both USET Foundation and USEF programs that will ensure long-lasting success for our country’s horses and athletes.”
Jennifer Gates
Jennifer Gates of Wellington, Florida, joins the USET Foundation Board of Trustees with an extensive show jumping resume. Early in her career, Gates held top rankings in the USEF Under 25 division, earned the individual bronze medal and helped secure the team silver medal at the 2016 North American Young Rider Championship, and won the 2017 USEF U25 Series Championship. She went on to represent the United States on Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI) Nations Cup™ teams in 2017 and 2018 and has earned top-ten placings in some of the most prestigious show jumping grand prix events in the world.
Gates graduated from Stanford University in 2018 and is currently attending medical school at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, New York. In addition to her academic pursuits, she remains involved in equestrian sport as the founder and owner of Evergate Stables, LLC, which is focused on developing quality young show jumping horses.
Kristi Mitchem
Kristi Mitchem of San Francisco, California, joins the USET Foundation Board of Trustees as a successful businesswoman who currently serves as the chief executive officer and head of Bank of Montreal’s (BMO) Global Asset Management (BMO GAM), BMO’s asset management division. Prior to that, she served as the CEO of Wells Fargo Asset Management and has more than 20 years of experience in related roles at State Street Corporation, BlackRock, and Goldman Sachs.
Mitchem was named one of the Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business by the “San Francisco Business Times” in 2018, one of the Top Women in Asset Management by “Money Management Executive” in 2017, and Top 100 Influential People by “Treasury & Risk” in 2008.
Mitchem earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Davidson College and a master’s degree in business administration from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where she was an Arjay Miller Scholar. She is also a Fulbright Scholar.
In addition to her professional experience, Mitchem is passionate about high performance equestrian sport and actively supports the endeavors of her daughter Caroline Mawhinney, an up-and-coming show jumping athlete. Mawhinney shows promising talent for the U.S. and, at just 16 years old, recently won the $25,000 Hermès Under 25 Semi-Final Grand Prix in Wellington, Florida, in March 2022, the $15,000 Under 25 Grand Prix in Lexington, Kentucky, in May 2022, and was part of the gold-medal-winning U.S. team in the 2021 FEI Youth Nations Cup Jumping Final in Kronenberg, the Netherlands.
Ann Thompson
Ann Thompson of Upperville, Virginia, is a lifelong horsewoman. Thompson has passed down her love of horses and the sport to her two daughters, Charlotte and Sofia. A long-time animal welfare advocate, Thompson is active in equine rescue and helping horses in need. In addition, she has been successful as a horse owner with several show hunter/jumper trainers and riders through her business Everlong, LLC, including Ginny Edwards, Hardin Towell, and Jessica Fortin.
Most recently, Everlong, LLC’s Balou du Reventon earned USEF’s 2021 International Horse of the Year title following an impressive season that included being short listed for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, and a second-place finish in the Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen in Aachen, Germany, with young show jumping star Brian Moggre.
A complete list of the USET Foundation Board of Trustees can be found here.
