Meet our ‘Ohana
Our growing team is dedicated to making a positive impact through the power of horse.
Board Members:
Paige Deponte, Maurissa Deponte, Dirk Terpstra, Jack Naidich, Dr. Banks A (Advisory Board)
We are actively seeking more dedicated board members.
Meet our Team
Paige Deponte, Founder & Executive Director
Paige traveled the world but Maui has always been her base, it brings peace, as she is a warrior for healing as she is a survivor of complex trauma herself. Paige’s passion of giving back to Maui’s community began in 2011 when her husband passed away, she found a place of healing and joy with her horses and their inspiring sentient souls. She has created The Spirit Horse Ranch as a Trauma Informed Care Equine Assisted Healing Center for children of Trauma 2021. A place to heal and rebuild positive futures for children, especially here on Maui.
Paige is a EAL Certified Facilitator, Natural Lifemanship TIC-EP, HeartMath Certified Mentor, Brainspotting Trained, Art Therapist, Certified Belief Clearing Practitioner, and Certified Mental Health First Aid. Paige enjoys her ranch with family of four children and ten grandchildren, her amazing horses her best buddy Blue, an Australian Sheppard and her passion for protecting the future of every child.
Maurissa Deponte, Facilitator
Maurissa is a single mom of three amazing children. Growing up mostly in Maui and graduating from Seabury Hall, she also has had the opportunity to live and travel outside of the islands in New York and Italy. Finding herself at home on the island of Maui which has always felt like a part of her from the mountains to the ocean and brings her a certain peace. Growing up on her fathers ranch and around horses have been a blessing. Traveling with her mom and older brother have added to her appreciation of her home and the people she meets on a daily basis.
Maurissa is a EAL Certified Facilitator, Natural Lifemanship TIC-EP, Brainspotting Trained, and Certified Mental Health First Aid. Maurissa has a natural empathy which enables her to help those in the program.
Lee Paradis, Facilitator
Before moving to Maui, Lee Paradis founded and managed non-profit Horses Healing Humans, Inc. in CT as Executive Director, Instructor, Grant Writer, and On-site manager until 2017, when a debilitating case of Lyme Disease made working through the winter months impossible. Having visited her Maui family during the winter months for 12 years, she knew the sweet Aloha spirit and the magical Aina provided the ideal environment to heal and transition to a new semi-retired lifestyle, and shortly thereafter founded Malama Pono Equine-Assisted Learning in Lahaina, which closed after Covid and the Lahaina fires. Lee has earned Professional Certifications as a Therapeutic Riding Instructor, Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning, Equine Assisted Psychotherapy/ Learning Facilitator, Equine Sports Massage Therapist, and Trauma-informed Equine Services for Veterans. Outside of her work Lee enjoys travel, art, theater, music, and spending sweet time with her beautiful grandchildren, East Coast and Maui Ohanas.