Devon Horse Show Appoints New President

The Board of Directors of the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair has elected Sarah Coxe Lange as its President of the show which is raises money in support of Bryn Mawr Hospital.  Lange has extensive business and investment experience and is co-owner of Willisbrook Farm in Malvern.  Coxe is a life-long Malvern resident. 

Coxe was elected to the position in December following a year long search.  Devon Horse Show and Country Fair Chairman Wade MCDevitt says "she brings a wealth of experience to the position, both as an equestrian competitor and breeder and as a 30 year business professional".

According a press release issued by the Devon Horse Show Lange says she is honored to be working with the "hundreds of talented volunteers that make Devon happen and to preserve the treasured tradition of Devon". She looks forward to helping the Horse Show improve its organization and operating policies, identify future leaders, find new financial sponsors and develop an endowment. 

For the past several years, Lange has been an integral member of the Horse Show Committee, focusing her efforts on revitalizing the number and quality of Saddlebred and Hackney entries, a key element to the largest outdoor multi-breed horse show in the country, according the horse show press release.   "In 2013 she led the team that designed, funded, staffed and operated Devon's new Exhibitors' lounge in an effort to make Devon the most sought out show in the country," the horse show said in making the announcement.

Lange graduated from the Agnes Irwin School and Dickinson College, and has a MBA and a CFA.  She has a long career in institutional investment management and fundraising. She served as Managing Director of Institutional Marketing at both Guggenheim Partners and Trust Company of the West.  Prior to that, Lange spent nearly two decades as Chief Investment Officer and President of Market Street Investment Management at Provident Mutual Life and subsequently Executive Vice President and Head of Portfolio Management for the $100 billion asset manager AEGON USA Investments. Currently she is part of the marketing team for Pentegra Retirement Services, a large retirement plan fiduciary and Entrepreneur Shares LLC, a mutual fund investment manager.  

Lange and her family are fifth generation American Saddlebred and Hackney exhibitors at Devon and have competed almost every year since the show was established in 1896.  Lange began competing at Devon in her late teens. Lange has been married to her husband William Shoemaker for over 30 years and has two children: Rachel Shoemaker, an active Devon exhibitor and volunteer who also manages Willisbrook Farm, LLC, and Gordon Shoemaker who will graduate from the University of Southern California in May 2014.

A Brief History of the Devon Horse Show

The Devon Show Horse Show and Country Fair, founded in 1896, is the nation's oldest and largest, multi-breed outdoor horse show. It is one of sixteen United Stated Equestrian Federation (USEF) Heritage Competitions. The eleven-day event attracts over 100,000 visitors annually and is one of the largest volunteer based fundraising events in the country. 

Proceeds from the event benefit Bryn Mawr Hospital. While attracting top competitors from around the world, the event remains one of Philadelphia's premiere traditions. Tickets go on sale April 7.