In April 2025, Kris joined the Equine Department as an Equine Specialist. In this role, she participates in the horse exercise program to support the safety and effectiveness of therapy and adaptive riding services, assists with the overall health and well-being of the program horses, and contributes to ongoing volunteer training and the development of educational materials.

Kris first came to The Shea Center as a volunteer in 2019 and joined the staff as a Lesson Treatment Assistant (LTA) in 2021. Before joining the Shea family, Kris spent 26 years as a lawyer. During that time, she taught Bar Exam preparation, worked in juvenile dependency and delinquency, and ultimately built a private domestic adoption practice, which she ran for 11 years—before trading in her lawyer hat for a riding helmet!

Originally from East Hampton, New York, where she grew up riding, Kris moved to California to attend UC Berkeley and later Pepperdine School of Law. Since 1997, she and her husband, Larry, have lived in Mission Viejo, raising their three daughters to be compassionate, confident, and engaged individuals.

What Kris loves most about her Equine Specialist role is building deeper relationships with the horses and learning what each needs to thrive in the program. She shares, “I love being an integral part of the process at Shea and the fact that I can continue to learn and acquire new skills both under saddle and on the ground with the horses.” Kris approaches her role with calm confidence and takes pride in being a positive role model—always striving to bring out the best in others, including the horses.

When she’s not at Shea or keeping tabs on her coffee shop (High Ground Coffee House), Kris enjoys exercising, playing pickleball, snapping horse photos to send to her grandson, Theo, and talking about Shea any chance she gets!