Illinois Equine Humane Center

Board of Directors

Gail Vacca
President

Christine E. Righeimer, Esq.
Secretary

Brian Guastella, CPA
Treasurer

Janine Starykowicz

Gail Vacca has been engaged in the horse industry for nearly four decades. Her career within the industry began on the east coast where she taught riding lessons, trained, and competed hunter/jumpers throughout New England. In 1984, she passed the New Hampshire Racing Commission licensing exam and began her career as a Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. While no longer actively training racehorses, she still owns and operates a Thoroughbred lay-up farm in Wilmington, IL where she also cares for several retired and rescued Thoroughbreds of her own. Active in equine rescue and rehabilitation for over 30 years, her most visible role in recent years has been as a grassroots advocate for both national and state-based non-profit organizations dedicated to reducing equine cruelty and neglect through education and legislation.

Christine Righeimer received her law degree from The John Marshall Law School in 1993 where she graduated cum laude. She spent eleven years working at several law firms where she gained experience in the areas of business and commercial law, as well as personal injury defense and construction litigation. Christine started her own law practice in July 2004 and in March, 2005, Christine invited her friend and colleague, Nancy Paluch Tassi to join her firm as a partner, resulting in the creation of Righeimer & Tassi, P.C. Christine has also been able to merge her career and her lifelong passion for horses by including equine law as an important part of her law practice. She has been an avid horse owner and rider for over thirty years. Christine’s human and animal family currently includes her husband of 18 years, their 7 year old son, three dogs, two cats, a bunny and four horses.

Brian Guastella is a Certified Public Account licensed to practice in Illinois, Missouri and Kansas. He is an audit and accounting director with the Nonprofit Practice Group of McGladrey & Pullen. He is responsible for planning cost-effective audits, maximizing the use of technology in the audit process, coordinating the progress of services to ensure timely completion, and determining if audit documentation satisfies professional standards, firm policies and adequately supports the opinion given on financial statements. He joined McGladrey & Pullen in 2003 and has more than 20 years of audit and client service experience. Brian focuses his time serving clients in a limited number of industries with a focus on non-profit and governmental organizations, including higher education.

Janine Starykowicz is a Thoroughbred owner and publisher of Chicago Barn to Wire, and also works in retail marketing. Janine started Chicago Barn to Wire in July 2000 to cover horse racing in Chicago and Illinois, both Thoroughbred and harness. She's also been active as a grassroots advocate for both national and state-based non-profit organizations dedicated to reducing equine cruelty and neglect through education and legislation. Prior to this, Janine was involved in political and non-profit fundraising. She has a degree in Journalism and Political Science from Indiana University Bloomington.