Meet the Board
Ali Perkins LaTorre
Founder, Head Facilitator, and President
About: Ali was born and raised in Maine. She was diagnosed with dyslexia in first grade, so reading and writing were always a huge struggle for her. After graduating from Merriconeag Waldorf High School, Ali attended the University of Maine at Farmington and completed a degree in Elementary Education. She taught third and eighth grade English at Cornville Regional Charter School. In 2018, Ali moved to Hillsborough, North Carolina to open Ali Perkins Dressage LLC. For the past four years, Ali has been teaching dressage to students of all levels and ages. She has also competed in Grand Prix Dressage. In the winter of 2022, She became a certified Horse Powered Reading Instructor while taking graduate courses in Special Education in literacy. Rearing2Read was created in the summer of 2022. Ali is currently working towards a M.E.D from Elon University.
Favorite Genre: Survival Fiction
Email: President@rearing2read.us
Deb Halabis
Vice President
About: Deb has a BSEd from The Ohio State University. She worked at Durham Academy in the Lower School for 18 years. While there, she was a teaching assistant and Pre and Lower school assistant librarian. She loves to read, knit and be outdoors.
Favorite Genre: Literary Fiction
Email: debihalabis@gmail.com
Joe Halabis
Treasurer
About: Joe is a graduate of the The Ohio State University and was honored as one of the 100 Most Notable Alumni of the College of Optometry during their Centennial Celebration in 2014. He retired in 2021 from a career as an optometrist with the Department of Veterans Affairs. In addition to administrative roles and clinical practice he was actively involved in teaching students and residents. He held academic appointments with Indiana University, The Ohio State University and for the last 20 years of his tenure, Duke University. He lectured locally, nationally and on several occasions abroad. He is the author or coauthor of a number of articles published in peer-reviewed journals. His interest in ocular photography dates back to his days as a student at OSU and his images have graced journal covers, clinical articles and textbooks. His clinical photographs appear in the Atlas of Ophthalmology Online Multimedia Database, and most notably, Shield’s Textbook of Glaucoma, Sixth Edition. He has been awarded a number of photography awards including the 2013 American Academy of Optometry Anterior Segment Photography Grand Prize. His passion for horses and riding started as an adult. He has volunteered as a certified Equestrian Coach for Special Olympics and now with Rearing2Read. Joe met his wife Debi in college and they live in Hillsborough with their dog Winnie.
Favorite Genre: Adventure
Email: josephhalabis@gmail.com
Karen Ice
Secretary
About: Karen retired in 2022 from a 25+ year career in pharmaceutical development and the research services sector having spent the last 11 years of that as a company founder and executive of an ophthalmology-focused contract research organization. In addition to building and ultimately selling the company, Karen’s expertise in clinical study design and her technical writing skills assisted dozens of pharmaceutical and biotech clients. Horses have been a passion of Karen’s since childhood. As a teenager, she balanced time on the soccer field with afternoons and weekends on her Quarter Horse mare riding through the bucolic foothills of the Adirondack mountains. Karen continues to enjoy the interactions with the animals and the comradery of the barns in Hillsborough, NC. Karen also loves the adventure of travel and enjoys most any outdoor activity as well as spending time with her husband, 3 kids, 2 dogs and 3 horses.
Favorite Genre: Adventure and History
Email: karenlalonde68@gmail.com
Anne Klein
Fundraiser Chairman
About: Prior to retirement in 2017, Anne Klein managed Giraffe PR, a public relations firm that specialized in tourism and marketing consulting. Anne began her career as a food stylist for major food companies, holding a BA degree in foods and nutrition from the University of St. Catherine and a Culinary Diplome from LaVarenne in Paris, France. She received a MBA from the University of St. Thomas. Ms. Klein taught Intro to Marketing at California State University and has been a media spokesperson for food, fitness and equestrian products. Anne previously served on the boards of Educate Ethiopia, Osprey Packs, Hill Murray School, and the Colorado Tourism Office. Anne and her husband Richard split their time between Austin, Texas and Cedar Grove, NC. She has three adult children and enjoys dressage, travel, and baking.
Favorite Genre: Romance
Email: Anne.C.Klein@me.com
Katie Clark
Director of Communications
About: Katie graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in 2020 with a degree in Journalism and Media Studies. She now works full-time as a content specialist and marketer in the healthcare IT industry. She also enjoys music and is in multiple bands, enjoys writing, and loves to paint and craft. Katie has ridden horses since she was around four years old and rides in a lesson program in Apex, NC. She lives in Cary, North Carolina, with her fiance and two dogs, Luna and Jasmine.
Favorite Genre: Dystopian/General Fiction
Email: Katherinerachelclark@gmail.com
Rearing2Read is tax exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions made to Rearing2Read are deductible under section 170 of the Code.