The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) announced Nov. 8 that it has hired James Hastie as its executive director, effective Nov. 18, 2013.

Mike Ziegler, who has served as the TAA’s executive director since March 2012, will remain with the organization through a transition period before returning full-time to his role as executive director of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s Safety and Integrity Alliance.

Hastie joins the TAA from Cazenovia, N.Y., and brings to the role 15 years of executive management, fundraising, and communications experience. Most recently he served as major gifts officer for the American Red Cross in Syracuse, N.Y., where his responsibilities included identification, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and communications with major donors.

Hastie will be based in the TAA’s Lexington, Ky., office