California board has new executive director

Kirk Breed, a California racing lobbyist the past 18 years and a lifelong horseman, has been appointed executive director of the California Horse Racing Board. Breed fills the position vacated by Ingrid Fermin, whose resignation was effective Jan. 7.

Breed was selected for the position by the racing board's chairman, Richard Shapiro, and vice chairman, John Harris. As executive director, Breed is charged with oversight of the agency that regulates horse racing in California. The executive director advises and implements policies of the board, including enforcement and licensing activities. According to a board release, the executive director's annual salary is $116,508.

Breed assisted his father in training quarter horses in the 1950s while attending Oklahoma State University on a football scholarship. A founding member of the Oklahoma Horse Council, Breed was general manager of the California Exposition and State Fair from 1979 to 1985, and was director of racing during the summer fair meet.

In 1988, Breed, as a consultant to a state assembly committee, analyzed legislation pertaining to horse racing and gaming. He drafted legislation pertaining to safety standards at racetracks and satellite wagering. Breed began a lobbying and consulting firm in 1990, with his principal client the Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Association.