Jill Byrne announced as new executive director of VTA

Jill Byrne, who previously worked as a top executive of Colonial Downs in Virginia, has been hired as the new executive director of the Virginia Thoroughbred Association, the organization announced on Thursday.

A native of Virginia, Byrne was the vice president of racing operations for Colonial from 2019 to 2023. She left the track to join the Virginia Equine Alliance at the end of that year, and will remain the VEA’s vice president of marketing and strategic planning while serving as executive director of the VTA.

The Virginia Thoroughbred Association is responsible for administering two bonus programs for Virginia-bred horses. The two programs have distributed a total of $14.6 million in bonus from 2018 to 2024.

Byrne will replace Debbie Easter, who will remain the president of the Virginia Equine Alliance.

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