Washington, PA – Heather Wilder, a longtime horsewoman and communicator who serves as the president of the Keystone Chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association, has been selected as the Member of the Year by USHWA in a poll of past winners of this award.
Shawn Wiles, chairman of the committee who selected the USHWAn of the Year, noted, “Heather is always out there getting the sport exposure with her bubbly personality. She is a great face for the industry. She has been solid for many years on the Red Carpet and as a host for the Dan Patch Awards. And she is modest, making sure the spotlight shines on everybody. We are a better organization with Heather in our ranks.”
Heather Wilder is a third-generation horsewoman whose lifelong commitment to harness racing continues through her family. Alongside her husband, driver Mike Wilder, and daughters Lauren (the principal author of this biography) and Scarlett—both fellow USHWAns—she has spent over a decade growing their family brand, Altmeyer Wilder Racing. Originally started by her parents, Dan and Ruth Altmeyer, the operation has become a respected name in the sport, building a following of 10,000 on Facebook and promoting harness racing with a family-centered and positive approach.
A USHWA member for 15 years, Heather is serving her seventh year as Keystone president and has served as a national director for two years. She is only the third president of the Chapter, following Hall of Famer Roger Huston and ironman Kevin Decker of The Meadows. Wilder also won the group’s Breakthrough Award in 2013.
Under Heather’s leadership, she has strengthened the chapter’s finances by leading projects such as the Pennsylvania Harness Racing coffee-table book, which was written by Victoria Howard; the annual Fair Banquet Journal; and advertising initiatives for the sport’s most famous events. Her ability to recruit new USHWA members and expand the organization’s digital presence has further modernized the organization’s outreach.
Heather’s influence extends both on camera and behind the scenes as she shines through her work with Two’s In Training for Harness Racing Update, the Ontario Sire Stakes, and the aforementioned Dan Patch Awards Banquet. She coordinates interviews and does coverage for the Little Brown Jug, and she travels annually to Ireland to work the Vincent Delaney Memorial. Wilder is also a committed board member of Pacing for The Cure and a first-year Hall of Fame Screening Committee member.
Heather Wilder will be honored at the Dan Patch Awards banquet, which is to be held at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. A link for hotel reservations is already online at usharnesswriters.com, and more information will be soon forthcoming, including information on sponsorships for the Banquet and advertising in the souvenir Banquet Journal.
The United States Harness Writers Association is the leading group of communicators about the Standardbred horse. USHWA conducts the official annual balloting for the sport’s most prestigious honors: induction to the Hall of Fame and Communicators Hall of Fame, along with the selection of the Horse of the Year, Trotter and Pacer of the Year, and the leading divisional horses of each season. Each year USHWA hosts the Dan Patch Awards Banquet, honoring the best and brightest performers in North American harness racing. This banquet is the Association’s principal source of funding, and with generous financial support from the harness racing and breeding industry, USHWA is able to host the banquet at a world-class facility in a world-class manner.