Megan McLeod Jones has been promoted to vice president of Team Valor International and will be groomed to eventually take charge of the business.
Jones, 29, was formerly director of client relations for the syndicate racehorse ownership company.
"I plan to groom her to take over operating the business," said Barry Irwin, Team Valor founder and president. "It is not something that will happen overnight, but I feel she will be fully up to the task within a few years.
"It is time for her to step up and learn to take over the stable. She knows the company, she knows the clients, she knows the horses, she knows the stable staff, and she is a tireless worker with a love for the game and Team Valor.
"Megan is a natural born entrepreneur, which is something that cannot be taught. She has great instincts."
Irwin stressed that he will continue at the helm of Team Valor and is likely never to fully retire.
"I like it too much," he said. "But I foresee turning the reins over to Megan, who will handle the day to day activities before too long. Megan has a lot of great ideas that have been percolating in that active mind of hers. I for one look forward to seeing what she can bring to the table once she is let loose."
A South Carolina native, Jones attended Clemson University, where she earned undergraduate and masters degrees in marketing, completing her education in 2008. Shortly afterward she was hired by Team Valor and is now into her sixth year working for the company.
"Megan started at the bottom and learned the ropes from the ground up," said Irwin. "Going forward from here, Megan and I are on the same page in terms of our goals for Team Valor's horses and its racing partners."
An avid sportswoman, Jones rides, shoots, and hunts, according to a Team Valor release. She first rode horses at age 2 and began competing on the show circuit aboard hunters and jumpers at age 8. Jones competed extensively through her teenage years.
Jones now owns one horse, the former stable colorbearer Badleroibrown. A contemporary and paternal sibling of Animal Kingdom , the gelding is stabled near Fair Hill in the spring/summer and Delray Beach in the fall and winter.
