The 2023-2024 American Quarter Horse Association Executive Committee was elected at the 2023 AQHA Convention in Fort Worth, Texas. Though AQHA operates primarily upon the decisions of its members through the board of directors, the five-person Executive Committee is responsible for implementing important decisions and governing AQHA between the annual meetings of the membership and the board. The Executive Committee convenes throughout the year to conduct and manage the business of AQHA.
The AQHA Executive Committee – consisting of a president, first vice president, second vice president and two additional members – is elected each year by the board at the convention. Each member serves a term of one year until the selection of his/her successor. Members are eligible for re-election and may serve on the Executive Committee for up to five years.
President Kenneth Banks
Kenneth Banks is an AQHA life member. He was elected as an AQHA director in 1996 and elevated to director-at-large in 2011. Banks has served on the International, Show and Contest, Nominations and Credentials, Amateur, and Marketing committees. He also served on the Foundation and Show councils. Banks currently serves on the Finance Committee.
Banks graduated with honors from Southwest Texas University with a bachelor’s degree in soil science and Texas A&M University with a master’s in soil chemistry. After more than 30 years in the business world, he sold his automotive aftermarket companies in 2015 and returned home to ranching, breeding and raising horses and cattle. Banks Ranch, located in central Texas, breeds, raises, trains and shows AQHA Ranching Heritage-bred American Quarter Horses for the show pen and the ranch. The cattle portion of the ranch includes registered Herefords and crossbred cows. The ranch’s artificial insemination program has created one of the best cow herds in Texas.
Banks is a past president of the National Snaffle Bit Association and member of the NSBA Hall of Fame. He has served as the chairman of the NSBA financial committee, treasurer, crisis fund committee, world show committee and Breeders Championship Futurity committee. Banks is also a past president of the Texas Quarter Horse Association. Currently, one of Banks’ loves is mentoring students at Texas A&M University. He is a member of the Texas A&M University Equine Initiative Development Committee, Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Development Committee, and Texas A&M University Beef Cattle Development Council.
Banks was awarded one of the most prestigious business awards when he received the Ernst & Young Master Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the Houston region. Not only was he successful in the business world, but he also received the Texas Philanthropist title for his benevolent, humanitarian efforts throughout Texas by Philanthropy in Texas Magazine. At the request of Texas Gov. George Bush, Banks served on the Texas Governor’s Business Council for eight years.
Banks and his wife, Laina, an AQHA director-at-large and dedicated lover of the American Quarter Horse way of life, reside on the ranch in Schulenburg, Texas, where they spend most of their time breeding and raising American Quarter Horses. They share three children, son Paul and daughter-in-law Heather; daughter Lindsay and son-in-law David Kutac; and son Russell and daughter-in-law Dr. Crystal Banks, and the joy of seven grandchildren.
First Vice President James Hunt
James “Jim” Hunt of Faith, South Dakota, is an AQHA life member and has been an AQHA director since 2013. Hunt has served on the Ranching Council, Stud Book and Registration Committee, Animal Welfare Commission and Hall of Fame Selection Committee. He has also served on the governance and microchipping task forces. Hunt also served as the chairman of the Ranching Committee. He also spearheaded developing the AQHA Ranching Heritage Breeder Young Horse Development Program and has personally donated more than 50 foals from his breeding program to this AQHYA program.
Hunt graduated from South Dakota State University with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business and worked for Hulett National Bank in Wyoming as a loan officer and then vice president. He competed as a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association saddle bronc rider, was the event director in the South Dakota Rodeo and Northwest Ranch Cowboy’s associations and was captain of the South Dakota State University College Rodeo Team. Hunt was also an agricultural reporter for radio station KLSC in Watertown, South Dakota. Hunt currently owns and operates Open Box Rafter Ranch, a working cattle and horse operation that has produced its own annual Quarter Horse production sale since 1994. He is an AQHA 30-year breeder and has bred more than 1,000 registered American Quarter Horses, including an AQHA Champion, Superior and Performance Register of Merit horses, AQHA World Show and Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifiers. Open Box Rafter Ranch was named the 2019 AQHA Ranching Heritage Breeder of the Year.
Hunt earned the 2009 Sunshine Bible Academy Distinguished Alumnus Award, was named the 2011 Black Hills Stockman of the Year and received the 2020 Black Hills Stock Show Pioneer Award.
Hunt has also served on the Rushmore Plaza Expansion Project Design Committee, Central States Fair Board of Directors, Black Hills Stock Show Horse Committee, Black Hills Stock Show Foundation Board, Sunshine Bible Academy School Board, SBA Foundation Board, Bethel Free Lutheran Church deacon and South Dakota Quarter Horse Association Board of Directors.
Hunt and his wife, Joni, have seven children, all of whom are involved in the family ranching operation: oldest son J. Tom and wife Sage, who have 4-year-old twin girls and 2-year-old boy and girl twins; daughters Jessica and Jimmie Jean; sons Joshua and Jordan; son Justin and wife Erica; and son Jeb and wife Dr. Grace Hunt.
Second Vice President Jeff Tebow
Jeff Tebow is an AQHA life member and has served as an AQHA director since 2011. Tebow currently serves on the AQHA Executive Committee and formerly on the Stud Book and Registration, Hall of Fame Selection, and Grievance committees. He has also served on the Racing Committee and Racing Council.
Tebow graduated with a master of business from Oklahoma City University, bachelor of business administration in finance from the University of Central Oklahoma and associate of applied science in business/accounting from Connors State College. He is the managing partner and licensed insurance producer at Andreini and Co. of Oklahoma, chief executive officer of Heritage Place Inc., and auctioneer and real estate agent at Buford Resources Inc. Auction and Reality.
Tebow is a life member of the Oklahoma Quarter Horse Racing and Oklahoma Quarter Horse associations. He is a past OQHRA president and currently serves as an OQHRA board of director. He was also the Oklahoma Quarter Horse Youth Association president in 1983. He is a member of the Ranchero Visitadores-Los Bustardos, Southwest Texas Cattleman’s Association, National Auctioneers Association, Oklahoma Auctioneers Association, National Rifle Association and United States Team Roping Championships.
He has been an avid competitor at AQHA shows in the past and currently enjoys team roping. He also earned the reserve world champion title in boxing, and was a finalist in ranch riding and heading at the 2017 Adequan® Select World.
Tebow and his wife, Vickie, reside in Piedmont, Oklahoma. Tebow also has two daughters, AQHYA Past President Ann Elizabeth and Meg, who served on the AQHYA board of directors.
Member Jim Brinkman
Jim Brinkman is an AQHA life member and has served as an AQHA director since 2011. Brinkman currently serves on the Stud Book and Registration Committee and Ranching Council. He has also served on the Hall of Fame and Best Remuda selection committees, AQHA World Show Sale committee and the parentage verification task force.
Brinkman is a third-generation rancher on the Pitzer Ranch, which was founded in 1946. He runs commercial cattle and is the owner, manager and trainer overseeing the ranch’s American Quarter Horse program. The ranch runs over 500 broodmares and hosts two AQHA horse sales a year, one in the spring and one in the fall, selling about 800 head total.
Brinkman is an AQHA Professional Horseman and showed the first-ever AQHA Superhorse, Vickie Lee Pine, for grandfather and owner Howard Pitzer. Brinkman works to continue the traditions of honesty and integrity that built his family’s operation over 75 years ago.
Brinkman and his wife, Tana, a former Miss Rodeo Nebraska, reside in Ericson, Nebraska. They have two children, daughter Sarah and husband Lane; son Sam and his wife, Kendra; and three grandchildren, Kale, Rio and Brooke.
Member Lori Bucholz
Member Lori Bucholz of Waterloo, Nebraska, is an AQHA life member and has been an AQHA director since 2008 and was elevated to director-at-large in 2020. Lori has served as the chairperson of the Animal Welfare Commission and International Committee. She currently serves on the affiliate advisory board and Animal Welfare Commission.
Bucholz is a professional registered parliamentarian and multiple AQHA world champion and year-end high-point winner. She received her bachelor of science from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Bucholz and her husband, Frederick “Rick” S. Bucholz, have three children, Marca Bucholz, Britta Ruoff and Spouse Chad, and Frederick “Buck” Bucholz; and five grandchildren, Sophia Bucholz, Cayson Ruoff, Bristol Ruoff, Lilly Ruoff, and Cooper Ruoff.
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