Staff
Meet the TROT Staff
Jeff Copfer
Executive Director
Email: jcopfer@trotarizona.org
(520) 749-2360 Ext. 601
They live only five minutes from TROT with their two horses: Ernie who is an Arabian/Saddlebred mix and Bert who is an Arabian.
Jeff was born and raised in West Berlin, Germany. After completing High School in Germany, he joined the US Air Force and finished his nearly nine-year career as an Instructor at Vandenberg AFB in California and then transitioned into law enforcement.
For 26 years, he was a deputy sheriff with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department ascending to the rank of Captain. He ended his career in law enforcement as the Administrative Division Commander responsible for strategic oversight and guidance of the 160-million-dollar department budget, recruiting, human resources for the over 1,400 employees of the department and the training section responsible for the police and corrections academies. He is a graduate of the Senior Management Institute for Police at Boston University, Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command, U of A Southwest Leadership Program, FBI LEEDA Command and Executive Leadership Institutes, and the Arizona Leadership Program.
With over a decade of mid to executive level experience in budgeting, human resources, project management, strategic planning, and organizational leadership, TROT is the home he always yearned for. #StrongerTogether
Margaux DeConcini
Development Director
Email: mdeconcini@trotarizona.org
(520) 749-2360 Ext. 602
Margaux is a native Tucsonan and her belief in the power of TROT first stemmed from her volunteer experience at TROT when she was in high school. Margaux has always been involved with horses through 4-H and local shows. Margaux is an Apprentice Graduate of Al-Marah Arabian Horses, where she studied Equine Husbandry and Training. Margaux has always understood the healing properties of the human-horse connection leading her to complete a Master of Social Work degree through the University of Southern California. Margaux focused on social change and innovation with a specialty concentration in equine-assisted therapies. Her experience in grant writing, program evaluation and events will help to propel TROT’s legacy.
Laura Bissing
Volunteer Coordinator
(520) 749-2360 Ext: 612
Laura grew up in Tucson, AZ and after traveling across the country for her degrees, has returned to the desert. She holds a B.S. in Communications from NAU and a Doctor of Physical Therapy from Elon University. Throughout her life she has been very service minded with a wide breadth of volunteer experience ranging from animal rescue and therapeutic riding to pro bono services and youth recreation programs. She is always eager to learn new things and believes some of her best teachers have been the four legged and furry kind. She is excited to put her skills to good use as Volunteer Coordinator at TROT.
Carolyn Ohrel
Office Manager
Email: info@trotarizona.org
(520) 749-2360 Ext: 600
Growing up in Alabama, horses were the focal point of Carolyn's life, including pony club and eventing. She migrated to Arizona for college and later worked as a sign language interpreter, paralegal, and fitness coach before finally finding her dream job at TROT where her passion truly lies.
Dora Kafkaridou Brown
Program Director
(520) 749-2360 Ext: 608
Dora was born in Cyprus and has been a Tucson resident for the last 25 years. She graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor’s in Psychology and has dedicated her career to non-profits. Dora was involved in behavioral health for over ten years, working extensively with children in the foster care system providing behavioral management, de-escalation training, as well as grief and loss work.
Dora fell in love with horses as a toddler and began riding as a hunter-jumper at age seven. She continues to ride today and has had the pleasure of training as well as caring for horses, both her own and within program settings. Dora has held certification thru Eagala as an Equine Specialist and in 2017 she was the program director for Desert Dove Farm, a non-profit equine-assisted psycho-therapy program.
Dora began her involvement with TROT as a volunteer and in 2018 she became a Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor thru PATH Intl. Her passion for her career and unique skills assists our participants in reaching both their riding and personal life goals, while ensuring that our TROT programs adhere to the highest PATH Intl. standards.
Melissa Radtke
Full Time PATH Certified Instructor and Program Assistant
Email: mradtke@trotarizona.org
(520) 749-2360 Ext: 610
Tara Whaley
Part Time PATH Certified Instructor
Rachael Radtke
Part Time PATH Certified Instructor
Rachael grew up in the Tucson area and first discovered TROT while in high school. After taking a break to complete a degree in Piano Performance at the University of Arizona and to focus on her career as a piano teacher, she returned to TROT. Rachael began volunteering in August of 2020, allowing her to hone her skills as a horse handler. Then in June 2022, she was able to fulfill her dream of becoming a Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor through PATH Intl. In her spare time, Rachael enjoys a variety of activities including: gardening, spending time with family, and taking hunter/jumper lessons.
Coco Hames
Part Time PATH Certified Instructor
A native of central Florida, Coco Hames grew up around horses, learning to ride in both English and Western disciplines. After more than a decade touring the world as a musician, she rediscovered her passion for horsemanship volunteering at Southern Reins Center for Equine Therapy in the Memphis, Tennessee area.
Upon relocating to Arizona, Coco began her involvement with TROT as a volunteer in 2021 and became a Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor through PATH Intl. in 2022.
A graduate of the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, Coco has a Montessori teaching certification and has previously worked developing programming for The Children’s Museum of Memphis. She also founded the Nashville-based 501(c)(3) non-profit animal rescue, Tennessee Hollow.
Coco lives in Oro Valley with her husband and her Bichon Frise, Jojo, and keeps her registered APHA gelding, Tuco, nearby.
Sierra Ohrel
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
PATH Advanced Instructor
Equine Specialist
Email: sierra@trotarizona.org
(520) 749-2360 Ext: 605
Sierra has been in the presence of horses all of her life and has witnessed their healing powers. She holds an advanced therapeutic riding certification from PATH and views horses as barometers that provide feedback to allow humans to explore the mind, body, spirit and emotion. Sierra is also an iRest Yoga Nidra and LifeForce Yoga Practitioner and trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Her office is the beauty that is all around, and the horses are her co-therapists. Horses live in the present moment and teach non-verbal communication, life skills, new behaviors, teamwork, empathy, and so much more. It is through their partnership that she is able to guide people on their journey.
Kim Kime
Part Time Barn & Property Manager
TROT continues to be a leader in innovative and therapeutic therapies by maintaining a distinguished title of a Premier Accredited Center by PATH, International.
What does this mean? It means:
- TROT is held to the highest standards. Every year, TROT reviews over 300 industry standards to verify we are exceeding all criteria needed to maintain our status. These standards include safety, equine management, mental health training, adaptability and inclusion for those living with disabilities, and that all programs are using current evidence-based models.
- The entire operation (programs, property and administration) undergoes a thorough audit every 5 years to ensure that all of the required standards are met.
- TROT's instructors are professionally trained and certified through PATH, Intl and are required to complete continuing education hours annually on a variety of topics including but not limited to: disability and mental health education, equine welfare, and advanced horsemanship training.
TROT is proud to be the only premier accredited center providing life-changing services for children and adults with special needs in the Greater Tucson area.
Interested in joining our team? TROT offers a CTRI Mentorship Program and would love to talk to you! Email TROT's Program Director Dora at dkafkaridou@trotarizona.org.
