Spirit’s Promise Equine Rescue has elected a new board of directors to represent the rescue farm. The new board of directors are Marisa Striano, founder & president of Spirit’s Promise Rescue, Wendy Harris, the new treasurer and John Harrison and Dwayne Eleazer were also elected. Wendy has been involved with working with Marisa for the last 20 years and has watched her grow Spirit’s Promise from conception to what it is today. A short bio on each new director is below:
Marisa Striano:
Marisa Striano was born on Long Island, the oldest of three daughters, to Peter and Caroline Striano. She began riding horses at the age of eight. Marisa graduated from St. Mary’s High School in Manhasset and from Stonehill College in Massachusetts with a degree in psychology. She worked as a special education teacher, as a project manager for a construction company, and in the garment industry before opening her own clothing store in Chappaqua. Her love of animals led her back to founding Spirit’s Promise Equine Rescue in 2010 with her beautiful daughter, Jessica. Her son, Peter, is the creator of the farm’s website
In 2015, Marisa's marriage came to an end. Shortly thereafter, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy. Despite this adversity, she continued on her path to both personal healing and helping others to heal. She began to understand that being vulnerable herself would help her to better understand those who were coming to Spirit's Promise.
Marisa’s vision to help both horses and people led her to become certified in EAGALA. In addition, she has completed her certification as an Equus Life Coach through the Koelle Institute. Marisa is also a certified grief counselor. In 2020 she will begin her Masters Degree in Social Work at NYU. The programs she has created at Spirit’s Promise have helped countless people to deal with trauma and grief. Marisa specializes in work with teenagers. She has created a haven for people to find peace and comfort while appreciating the beauty of nature.
Wendy Harris:
Wendy Harris has resided in Nassau County for the last six years. In addition to being a board member for Spirits Promise she is currently on the Board of The Peter and Caroline Striano Foundation and a Committee Member for The New York Yankees Foundation Homecoming Dinner. While she is a new board member, she has been involved with working with Marisa for the last twenty years and has watched her grow Spirit’s Promise from conception to what it is today. She looks forward to being a part of that growth going forward.
Dwayne Eleazer:
Dwayne has been a Riverhead resident for over 30 years and is a co-founder of Stop the Violence Long Island. Eleazer is also a board member for the Town of Riverhead, Police Reform Committee, Recreation Advisory Committee and has been employed at Brookhaven National Lab for 32 years.
John Harrison:
John grew up in Riverhead and is a member of the Riverhead Chamber of Commerce. He is a master electrician, auto engineer and owns and operates three business in Riverhead: Harrison Electric, Eastern Long Island Entertainment and P1 RC LLC.
