United States Eventing Association

Meet the USEA Staff: Education

The United States Eventing Association (USEA), which was founded in September 1959, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization committed to providing eventing enthusiasts with a competitive level suited to their individual skills. By assisting and educating competitors, event organizers, and officials; maintaining responsible safety standards; and registering qualified competitions and clinics, the USEA offers strong and continuous training opportunities for an ever-expanding field of world-class competitors. Just as importantly, the USEA provides a means for all riders, regardless of age or ability, to experience the thrill of eventing.

While the USEA’s home office is based in Leesburg, Virginia, many of the small staff of 17 professionals that work to fulfill the duties and mission of the Association work semi or fully remote to accomplish their individual responsibilities. To better help the USEA members communicate with and get to know the team behind the USEA, the USEA will be featuring a Meet the Staff article once a month to help you identify which members of the team might best assist you with your individual needs. This month the USEA is proud to introduce you to the one-woman team behind the USEA's Education Department.

The Education Department at the USEA is manned by one very dedicated, long-time employee: Senior Director of Education, Nancy Knight. Knight joined the USEA staff in December of 1999 after moving to Maryland from Green Bay, Wisconsin. She is responsible for the administration of all Training Programs for Eventing Officials (TPEO) and Continuing Education Clinics (CEC) for licensed officials, as well as the workshops, assessments, and annual symposium held by the USEA Eventing Coaches Program (ECP).

In addition, Knight serves as staff liaison to the Course Designers/Builders Committee, Eventing Licensed Officials Committee, the Haller Education Grant Committee, and the USEF Course Advisor Program, and serves as a member of the Broussard Charitable Foundation Trust Going Forward Grants Committee.

One of Knight’s favorite responsibilities in her role is helping prospective officials and coaches navigate their way through the licensing and certification process with both the Eventing Licensed Officials Program (ELOC) and the ECP Certified Coaches program.

“Both programs are intense with a lot of moving parts and components to comply with to become licensed or certified,” Knight noted. Through her work with the ELOC and ECP, she gets to work with some of the top officials and eventers in the world, which she stated was an amazing learning opportunity for herself. “I joke that my idea of the perfect vacation would be to live inside their heads for a week,” she continued.

In 2023, Knight is excited to see the continued growth of all of the programs she is involved in, but especially the ECP and its coinciding ECP Symposium which takes place annually in January in Ocala, Florida. If you have been to Symposium, you will most definitely have seen Knight working behind the scenes to make sure the ship is sailing smoothly.

“Having the opportunity to be out in the field at the Training Programs, Continuing Education Clinics, and symposiums allows me to hear first-hand how we can continue to improve our educational programs. Getting to meet many of the people who I have only known through email for 20 years, is another great benefit of the job,” she shared.

When Knight isn’t helping eventers grow and learn outside of the saddle, you can find her kayaking on the Potomac River, or anywhere outside really! “I love the beach. I love to forage in our local woods, and my property, and am working on certification as an Herbalist. I also have a cool part-time gig at Gifts Inn Boonsboro, which is an art gallery/gift store that features local artists.”

The USEA is proud to employ some of the best of the best in the country to support the needs of our members. Be on the lookout for more staff profiles to better help put faces to the names of the team behind the USEA and to help point you in the right direction of which staff member can best assist you in the future.