Our Team
We're pretty sure we have the best team in Equine Assisted Learning.
With well over 100 combined years of working with humans of all ages,
our staff is dedicated to changing lives every day.
Dr. Tufia Steidle is a licensed clinical psychologist and a certified equine assisted psychotherapist. During her 20-year career, she has worked in a variety of clinical settings including: a student counseling center at a college, providing mental health care in a prison, providing counseling services for people with AIDS/HIV, working in inpatient and outpatient substance abuse facilities, and also providing psychotherapy in several community mental health centers. Dr. Steidle held a senior management position for almost 10 years at a nonprofit community mental health agency in Los Angeles where she oversaw the operations of multiple adult and child outpatient clinics. She also held the position of Training Coordinator and Supervising Psychologist for the 8 clinics and previously was a Clinic Manager for one of the larger adult sites.
Horses have always been a huge part of her life and she has witnessed how they are valuable teachers and healers. She decided to dedicate her career to combining her love of horses and mental health. She is certified by 3 equine psychotherapy organizations. Since 2014, she has worked with numerous residential substance abuse and mental health treatment centers, veteran’s treatment programs, school programs, and programs for survivors of sex trafficking.
Dr. Tufia Steidle
Program Manager
Local semi-retired business owner Mark Anderson lends us his decades of operational experience and a lifelong commitment to personal growth. He has been clean and sober over 35 years. Additionally, Mark has extensive leadership experience, leading over 40 Mankind Project New Warrior Training Adventures men’s weekends. He is committed to living and teaching integrity, accountability, and living a passionate, mission-driven life.
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Mark serves as board member, CFO and youth mentor at the Ranch. He can also be found in the stalls with the horses at times. Mark is deeply committed to maintaining and growing the programs at Home Base Ranch. He shares its history and vision with everybody who may be able to support the Ranch in any way – however small or large – and considers outreach a key component of his commitment. He’s helped secure non-profit status, partnerships with local school districts, as well as outside funding sources.
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As a parent, grandparent, foster parent and mentor, Mark brings experience that can only be obtained through living a full life. He passes on his hard-earned knowledge to our young people in hopes of positively affecting their futures.
Mark Anderson
CFO
Maggie Anderson is the Ranch Manager at Home Base Ranch. The horses, grounds, buildings and volunteers benefit from Maggie’s attention to detail and strive to continually improve the facilities. In addition, Maggie acts as mentor to Ranch program attendees and their parents, plus runs our summer day camp programs.
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Maggie is a certified facilitator in several personal growth organizations that help adults explore their inner world, overcoming old patterns of behaviors and beliefs that hold them back. It is her life’s work to help people grow.
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Having facilitated thousands of men and women through personal obstacles since the 1990’s, Maggie knows that a lot of struggles might have been avoided with early intervention. As a mother of four adult children, a grandmother and a foster mom, Maggie is keenly aware of the particular pitfalls kids face as they navigate adolescence. She models emotional literacy by being authentic with kids – feelings happen, and Maggie helps our teens and preteens to regulate their emotions in every interaction.
Maggie Anderson
Ranch Manager