Meet Our Board of Directors:
Susie Bjorklund, Founder and President (2000)
Susie is the Founder of Freedom Farm. She has been a riding instructor and training horses for 41 years and is a licensed practical nurse.
Susie is a Certified Path International Therapeutic Riding Instructor, Mentor, and Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning.
Susie provides the primary direction and instruction during all therapeutic riding sessions.
Jeromie Hamann, Treasurer (2025)
Jeromie is a Minnesota native who graduated with a Bachelors of Engineering degree from the University of Minnesota. Jeromie’s career has spanned engineering, quality, compliance, and management roles within the aerospace and medical device industries. He enjoys spending time with his wife, Chris, and their 3 boys, with family favorites including swimming in the summers, skiing in the winters, and movie nights year-round. Jeromie brings a strategic mindset and strong business acumen, focusing on background processes so Freedom Farm staff can spend more time with horses and riders.
Dr. Winstead Kirkpatrick, Director (2018)
Dr. Winstead Kirkpatrick graduated from the Oklahoma State College of Veterinary Medicine in 2014, and was then hired by Oklahoma State for a one year equine surgery and internal medicine internship where he honed his skills in all aspects of veterinary medicine. Winstead grew up in Buffalo, MN where he enjoyed being active in the Wright County 4-H horse programs, starting young horses, and working on his parent’s hobby farm. Winstead trained American Saddlebred show horses for several years before attending veterinary school, and continues to enjoy showing in his free time. Winstead enjoys all elements of equine practice, with special interests in sports medicine and reproduction.
Linda Berg, Director (2020)
Linda is a lifelong Watertown resident who graduated with a BA degree in Business Education from Winona State University. She taught and coached at the Howard Lake-Waverly High School for 5 years before deciding to stay home to raise the 3 boys she has with her husband Rob. Linda currently works as an office administrator at Berg Companies, is a real estate agent on Kevin Butcher’s Team at Edina Realty, and also offers interior design services through Berg Interiors, her small residential design company. She has been a part of Freedom Farm’s Polo event fundraiser from its inception as the property host and party planner, and has also served as a volunteer as a side walker.
Cynthia Glock, Director (2020)
Cynthia Glock has been a life-long advocate for at risk youth as well as animals in search of good homes. Cynthia moved to Winsted in 2015 with her partner, Jeff Bellairs. They live on a small hobby farm with their rescued horses, goats, dogs, cats, chickens and ducks and enjoy gardening of all types.
Cynthia moved to Minneapolis in 2008 and became involved with several volunteer organizations. She was a Guardian Ad Litem in Hennepin Country from 2010-2014. As court appointed special advocate for the safety and well-being of children, she became passionate to discover programs that would help give these children support to succeed. During this time Cynthia became an advocate for animal assisted equine therapy and was a board member for Truhaven Ranch Equine Rescue. Cynthia came to Freedom Farm in 2018 as a volunteer side walker and leader. She also volunteers with Freedom Academy, teaching art classes to the teens during the school year.
Cynthia has a BS in Food Science with a minor in Fine Arts from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, and continued education programs from the Art Institute of Chicago. Cynthia is currently a Senior Account Manager at Sensient Technologies, a global flavor, extracts and color producer. Working from her home office in Winsted, Cynthia works with National food and dairy manufacturers to create innovative new food products for consumers.
Lori Maus, Director (2024)
Lori Maus is a Waverly resident who graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BS in Medical Technology. After working 10 years as a Medical Technician she came home to raise her children, which evolved into homeschooling them for 14 years. It was during this time that she started volunteering at Freedom Farm as a horse leader and she just completed her 15th year. Lori and her husband Jeff enjoy traveling, volunteering, fishing, biking, and entertaining.
Zach Johnson, Director (2024)
Zach Johnson served in the United States Marine Corps from 2007-2011 with deployments to both Iraq and Afghanistan. He is a Combat Wounded Veteran and Purple Heart recipient. He has been working with horses for a little over a year and a half and greatly believes in the benefit of equine assisted therapy for veterans and first responders as well as for all demographics. He hopes to bring a perspective of a veteran that has lived through traumatic experiences and to help Freedom Farm support the veteran and first responder communities.
Linda Carlson, Director (2025)
I grew up on a family farm in western MN and graduated from Concordia College, Mhd, MN in 1975. My first job was teaching Home Economics in Australia! That experience plus a subsequent journey around the world are what I call ‘my bonus college degree’!
I worked in food promotion in the MN egg business and dairy business. During those years, I married my favorite farmer, and we live on his family farm south of Buffalo. We raised 3 great children and are blessed with 11 grandchildren.
As we were raising our family, a career in education with the Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose school district was a perfect fit. I worked for 23 years as a parent educator in the ECFE program. Twelve of those years involved home visits with “at risk” preschoolers to help families implement strategies that would support their child’s growth and development.
I began my second career in education as an Early Childhood Special Education teacher. I loved working with families who had children with disabilities from birth to 3 years old. While doing this job, I learned about the great results that children with challenges were achieving through equine therapy at Freedom Farm. I heard the stories and saw the happy tears of parents so proud of their child’s progress in skills and confidence from their time at Freedom Farm. I am happy to have the opportunity to help in any way I can to ensure that those who need this wonderful therapy are able to have it.