Board of Directors and Staff
Chris Block - President
Chris Block has been a lifelong member of the Chicago racing community. His parents owned a breeding farm in Central Illinois, and he grew up feeding horses, managing pastures, foaling the mares, and raising foals.
President Block loved attending the races with his family so much that when he wanted a career direction, he went to the racetrack. President Block worked for several trainers, including Bill Mott to learn the craft, and became licensed as a trainer in 1990. While he initially trained for his parents, he has since transitioned into a public stable.
President Block joined the board of Galloping Out at its inception. His family has always cared deeply for the future of horses following their racing careers. President Block assumed the role of president of Galloping Out following the death of the founding member and President Nate Ruffolo in 2014.
Donna Becker - Director
Donna Becker has admired horses and trail riding all her life. But it was not until she met Jan Ely, who introduced her to thoroughbreds and Galloping Out, that she started as a volunteer. Forever grateful to be given the opportunity to work alongside some of the best people, and to be in the presence of these amazing horses, she hopes to one day adopt a thoroughbred of her own!
Michele Boyce - Director
Michele Boyce has been on the board of directors of Galloping Out since it was started by Nate Ruffolo. Director Boyce is also a volunteer with Central Illinois Sheltie Rescue and trains horses in both Illinois and Florida.
Mickey Goldfine - Director
Mickey Goldfine has been an avid member of the thoroughbred racing industry since his late teens. Working his way up the ladder, from groom to trainer, he has volunteered his expertise and time by joining both the Galloping Out Board and the ITHA Board. Director Goldfine takes a great deal of pride in helping the equine athlete move on to a life after the racetrack.
Steve Holland - Director
Steve Holland has been a horse owner and member of the ITHA Board since 1992. Director Holland has been a member of the Galloping Out Board since its inception. Both he and his wife strongly believe in giving Thoroughbreds a life after racing.
Neil Pessin - Director
Neil Pessin is a lifelong participant in horseracing. In his training career, he has won 214 races with horses trained by him earning nearly $8 million. He has raced throughout the country.
Director Pessin Brings a passion for doing the right thing for horses with him as a director and plays an integral role in policymaking for Galloping Out.
Jan Ely - Program Coordinator
Janice Ely has been a thoroughbred trainer since 1982. She realized early on that one of the hardest parts of the job was what to do with the horses when they are done racing.
Jan became a founding member of Galloping Out. Since 2010 when this adventure started, she has been there every step of the way – along with amazing fellow board members and volunteers – building this program into one that every member of the Chicago Racing Community can be proud of.
David McCaffrey - Executive Director
David McCaffrey is a horseman with extensive experience directing lobbying efforts, managing public messaging, negotiating contracts with tracks and otherwise advocating for Illinois horsemen. He was named ITHA executive director in 2016.
McCaffrey first became involved in Illinois racing at the former Quad City Downs track when he was a teenager growing up in nearby Davenport, Iowa. He studied business at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, and worked at the track when he returned home for summer. After graduating from St. Thomas, he studied equine racing management at the State University of New York in Morrisville.
McCaffrey has been a standardbred trainer and owner for the last 25 years and is widely recognized as a stalwart of Illinois racing. He served nearly two decades in leadership roles with the Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association; he was elected director in 1997, vice president in 2000, and president in 2008. He has more than 1,800 wins as a harness trainer and, in 2015, was inducted into the Illinois Harness Racing Hall of Fame.