Our Staff and Board
Denise Reding
Executive Director
Denise grew up on a farm in the Midwest, where she was an active member of 4-H and developed a lifelong love for animals and the outdoors. She credits her strong work ethic and values to the lessons learned from her parents and her rural upbringing. In 1990, she began her career with AT&T and transferred to San Antonio in 1993. During her 27 years with the company, Denise especially enjoyed mentoring young professionals and watching them grow into successful leaders.
After retiring, Denise embraced the opportunity to focus on her family while seeking new ways to use her leadership skills to make a positive impact. Staying active and involved has always been important to her, and she was drawn to opportunities that combined her values, experience, and love of the outdoors. When she visited a therapeutic riding facility, she immediately recognized the powerful connection between horses and healing—and saw how her leadership could help support and grow that mission. It was a natural next step in her journey of service.
Denise is proud to serve as Executive Director of Upward Transitions Therapeutic Horsemanship, where she brings heart, vision, and experience to a program that changes lives every day.
Board of Directors
Brian Kastner
Treasurer
Growing up in San Antonio, Brian has always loved horses which led him to being actively involved with programs that keep him close to them. He served on the board of directors with a therapeutic riding center in Houston where he worked with both veterans and children since 2005. He moved back to San Antonio in 2015. His passion and dedication to helping kids with special needs brought him to Upward Transitions. Not only does he spend time in the arena during lessons but he also serves as the Treasurer of the organization. Brian’s professional career of initiating and launching new programs is a valuable strength for both his business understanding and the overall operations of UTTH. Brian enjoys spending time with his family and working on his property outside the Helotes area.
Rica Banks
Rica was born in Germany and raised in a small town, often moving overseas due to her father’s military career. She made her first trip to the U.S. in sixth grade and later joined the Army herself after high school, traveling extensively before retiring as a Major in 2012.
After retirement, Rica stayed active by volunteering with PAWS and CASA, driven by her passion for helping others. In 2019, she joined SJRC Texas (formerly St. Jude’s Ranch for Children), where she currently serves as the Director of the Child Placing Agency.
A lifelong horse lover, Rica was thrilled to find an opportunity to volunteer at Upward Transitions Therapeutic Horsemanship. She’s passionate about the program’s impact on children, veterans, and volunteers alike. Rica now has her own horse at the barn and looks forward to integrating him into the program soon.
Chuck Seligman
Chuck’s journey began on a 14-acre ranch in Eustis, Florida, where his early bond with horses sparked a lifelong passion that he returned to decades later while stationed with the Air Force in San Antonio. After more than 30 years of global military service and six deployments, he found healing through reconnecting with horses—now co-facilitators in his mission to help others recover, grow, and reconnect. An ordained minister, licensed professional counselor, and Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Chuck currently serves as Senior Joint Base Chaplain at Joint Base San Antonio and plans to
open a counseling practice in 2027. His published work and talks center on trauma, grief, and the integration of psychology and spirituality, shaped by his own journey through moral injury and PTSD.
Certified in Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, Chuck finds purpose at the barn at Upward Transitions, where his passions, faith, and commitment to healing others come together in a sanctuary of peace and growth.
Advisory Board
Kristi Maxwell
Marketing & Communications
Kristi has always loved horses and dreamed of working with them as a young girl. When her son began his equine therapy journey at Upward Transitions, she found herself living out her dream. As she supported her son, she was able to learn horsemanship and got a front-row seat to the transformative power horses have. In 2023, she started a marketing consulting business and uses her marketing knowledge to help further Upward Transition’s mission of turning disabilities into possibilities.