AQHA Adds Two Executive Leadership Team Members

John Pipkin will be the chief operating officer; Steven Hayes joins as chief commercial officer.

From AQHA:

The American Quarter Horse Association has added two executive leadership members to its team.

John Pipkin, executive director of the Texas Tech Equestrian Center, will join AQHA as chief operating officer. Steven Hayes, senior territory manager at Boehringer Ingelheim, will assume the role of chief commercial officer. Both will officially join AQHA in early May.

“John and Steven will both be huge assets for AQHA; their knowledge, experience and backgrounds have perfectly prepared them for these roles,” said Dave Dellin, AQHA chief executive officer. “Both of these men will be integral to AQHA, and to helping us accomplish both our short-term and long-term goals for our membership and the horse we all love.”

As COO, Pipkin returns to AQHA to work closely with Dellin to strengthen operational infrastructure, improve accountability and support a high-performing, values-driven culture. Pipkin will provide leadership across day-to-day business functions, driving performance, scalability and long-term sustainability.

In his role at AQHA, Pipkin will oversee the following AQHA departments and programs: IT, Racing, Member Services, International, Competition, QData, Youth, Public Policy, Member Programs and Affiliates.

Pipkin, who holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Texas A&M University and a doctorate from Texas Tech University, boasts an impressive executive, administrative and equine career, as well as decades of service to the horse industry and to AQHA. Since 2024, he has overseen the daily operations and management of the teaching, research and outreach activities of the Texas Tech Equestrian Center and equine programs that include the therapeutic riding center and the equestrian, horse judging, ranch horse and rodeo teams.

Pipkin served as director of officials at AQHA from 2023 to 2024, overseeing the AQHA judges and stewards programs. Prior to that, he served for 30 years as the director of the equine program at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas, where he coached the horse judging team that won 165 national/world champion or reserve champion titles; and supervised the equestrian and ranch horse teams that won more than 60 national champion or reserve champion titles.

In addition to training and showing horses professionally in various disciplines, Pipkin has been a judge for over 30 years for AQHA, American Paint Horse, National Reining Horse, National Reined Cow Horse, National Snaffle Bit and World Conformation Horse associations, and has judged over 500 total shows in 13 countries, including 26 world and national championships. Pipkin and his wife, Kenda, have two sons, John Luke and Josh. Currently, Pipkin is an AQHA national director from Texas and a member of the AQHA Judges Committee. He received the AQHA Don Burt Professional Horseman of the Year Award in 2023.

As CCO, Hayes will be responsible for driving AQHA’s commercial strategy, growth initiatives, brand visibility and member value through leadership of AQHA’s marketing, communications, publications, sales and sponsorships, events, and business development departments. He will also work closely with Dellin to strengthen member experience, expand reach, support sustainable revenue and enhance the organization’s overall market position through memberships, programs, partnerships and events.

Hayes, a graduate of Tarleton State University, possesses a combination of commercial leadership, operational experience, association understanding and lifelong industry passion. With more than 15 years of experience across equine associations, western sports, animal health, marketing, technology and business development, Hayes has built a career centered on growth, innovation and creating long-term value for members, partners and the broader horse industry.

Throughout his career, Hayes has held leadership roles with several well-known organizations, including the National Cutting Horse and American Paint Horse associations, United States Team Roping Championships, Rodeo Logistics and, most recently, Boehringer Ingelheim Equine, which is an AQHA corporate partner.

A lifelong champion of the American Quarter Horse, Hayes has a personal connection to the breed. He grew up on a cow-calf ranch in Comanche, Texas, where his family raised American Quarter Horses. Hayes also competed in college rodeo events, including tie-down roping and team roping, and still actively breeds, raises and trains Quarter Horses with his wife, Shantell, an accomplished horsewoman and barrel racer. They have two sons, Jaxton and Hazen.

AQHA news and information is a service of the American Quarter Horse Association. For more information visit www.aqha.com/news or subscribe to our news text “AQHA In the Know” for the latest Association updates.