International Judges Association

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•	Poodles
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•	Freestyle/Salon Rules
•	Creative Rules

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Meet the Judges

Click Here to meet the Founders and Directors of IJA

(Listed Alphabetically)

	KARLA ADDINGTON-SMITH Karla, of Cincinnati, Ohio, is no new-comer to the grooming industry. She was one of the first members of Groom Team USA, a four time winner of the Cardinal Crystal Achievement Award and the Intergroom's 1989 Best American Groomer. Since 1990 Karla and husband Craig operate Pet-Pro Marketing, a sales and marketing company dedicated to the needs of independent pet retailers.

	BERNO BERKEBREDE Berno began working with dogs in the summer of 1980, as a kennel boy in his homeland of the Netherlands. It wasn’t long before he started some light trimming in his boarding/breeding/showing kennel. He opened his own shop in 1990, and in 1995, he became a professional handler for all breeds. He garnered Best in Show wins throughout Europe. He has bred Lakelands, Wire Foxes, Airedales, Jack Russell Terriers, Collies (rough), Shelties, and others. He has delivered top dogs and champions in all breeds, and has judged grooming contests in Europe and America. He is an IJA sanctioned judge.

	DIANE BETELAK Diane Betelak is a Nationally Certified Master groomer and has owned Heads and Tails Professional Dog Grooming, Inc. in Liverpool, NY since 1982. She has groomed competitively in the U.S. and abroad and has multiple "Best in Shows" and "Best All-Around Groomer" wins as well as multiple placements at prestigious competitions. Diane is a member of "Groom Team USA". She qualified in 1996 as the number one competing groomer in the United States and went to Milan, Italy to compete in the World Championship Team Competitions. Diane won a Gold medal in the poodle class and went on to win "Best in Show" which helped the U.S. Team collect enough points to win the Team Trophy. After sitting on the Board of Directors of Groom Team USA, Inc from 2002 thru 2004 she is now the teams corresponding secretary. She was also the winner of the Cardinal Crystal Achievement Award for "American Groomer of the Year" in 1997 and nominated as “Groomer of the Century” in 2000. The Cardinal Awards are the grooming industries "Oscars".

	JUDY BREMER - TAXMAN Judy is one of American's top industry speakers. She is a Certified Master Groomer, a multi-grooming shop owner in St. Louis, and General Manager of one of the world's largest kennels. She has won the Cardinal Crystal Achievement Award twice. She was a consultant and spokesperson for nationally known companies, such as Sargeants Pet Products and Ralston Purina. She is a private consultant, speaker, I. J. A. certified grooming judge, and author of The Empowered Employer and designer of the Barkleigh Minit Moneymaker programs. Judy is a regular speaker at Groom Expo.

	JUDY BRETON Judy grew up around dogs all her life. Her family owns Breton's School for Dogs in Danville, CA. She graduated from grooming school in 1971, was licensed as a grooming instructor in 1977, and became certified as a Master Groomer in 1983. In addition, she is an IJA judge and she has been a featured speaker at dozens of seminars and shows. She is currently employed by Tomlyn Products, as the West Coast Area Sales Manager/Grooming Specialist.

	KITTY DEKEERSGIETER (BELGIUM) Kitty began showing dogs as a child, and later, as a professional handler she “made up” many champions. She won multiple Gold, Silver and Bronze medals, Best in Shows and Best All Round Groomer awards in both Europe and America. Kitty is the creator, owner and designer of Tikima Pro Wear for Groomers, K-Design and is a director of Transgroom nv, a wholesale mail order company supplying products to groomers in Europe. Kitty is an international grooming contest judge, board member of the European Grooming Association, grooming speaker and demonstrator and has led seminars all around the world to educate groomers and the promote the grooming industry.

	TERI DIMARINO, CMG, NCMG, CAH Teri is a veteran of the grooming industry. She previously owned and operated a large and successful South Florida salon for twenty-seven years. She was a member of the '88, '89 and '93 GroomTeam USA Gold Medal teams, served as GroomTeam USA team coordinator, and is currently the GroomTeam USA Treasurer. She is a multiple Cardinal Crystal Achievement Award nominee and recipient. Teri writes a monthly groomers column for Pet Business, and has had columns and articles in Groomer To Groomer magazine. Teri now resides in Southern California, keeping her "hands in hair" with her business "State Of The Arf Mobile Pet Styling."

	JARBAS GODOY Jarbas was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Attracted to training show dogs in his early 20's, he started grooming his Standard Poodle champions and opened one of the first grooming salons in Brazil, in 1976. After moving to the USA, he opened The Dog From Ipanema, a Florida salon with an international reputation for quality work, champion groomers and loving treatment of pets. Barkleigh launched a side-career of public speaking, in 1996, with many engagements all over the nation that led to him being nominated twice for the Crystal Cardinal Achievement Awards. He co-organized and demonstrated at several large seminars in South America and conducted a series of workshops in Europe. He also was the featured groomer on Petsburg USA, an Animal Planet show, still in reruns. Jarbas was one of the founding judges of IJA.

	KARIN KRETSCHMER Karin has been involved with pets all her life. She has been grooming dogs for twenty years. She owns her own grooming salon in Germany called Karin's Poodle Parlor. In 1998, she organized the first groomer's guild show, called Eruo-KRU, an expansive German grooming show in East Berlin, Germany. She offers grooming workshops in Germany. Karin is a competitor, judge and instructor.

	JUDY KURPIEL Judy has been in the grooming industry for thirty-three years and is the owner of Little Critters Grooming and Windy City School of Pet Grooming, in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. A multiple contest winner, Judy was a member of Groom Team USA in 1988. She is a Certified Master Groomer (CMG), Companion Animal Hygienist (CAH), presently serves as President of the International Professional Groomers Association, and is acting Head Certifier. A winner of the David G. Salzberg Cardinal Crystal Achievement Award (2000), Kurpiel has been twice nominated for the Cardinal Crystal Achievement Award for Judge of the Year.

	ZBIGNIEW "ZIBBY" LENARCIK (POLAND) Zibby has always been interested in dogs. As a young man, he was a breeder and handler of Schnauzers and gun dogs. Next, he established a Grooming Salon in Poland and began to cooperate with some of biggest companies from the grooming world. He is the founder of modern grooming in Poland and owner of a grooming supply company that imports and produces professional grooming products. He is founder and owner of the "Polish Grooming School". He still works as a groomer in his own grooming salon and as a teacher in his school.

	JOHN NASH John is the founder of the Nash Academy of New Jersey, Co-founder and President of Nash Academy of Kentucky. He has been an international judge for twenty years and is co-founder of the International Judges Association for Dog Grooming Competitions. He was the 1991 recipient of the Cardinal Crystal Mary Bucklew Award for Outstanding Service to the Grooming Industry.

	VIVIAN NASH Vivian Nash is the owner and director of Nash Academy of Kentucky. She is co-founder of the International Judges Association. She was a bronze, silver and gold medal winner at Intergroom and International Groomer of the Year in 1986. She was the 1991 winner of the Cardinal Crystal Achievement Award for Judge of the Year. She has been an international grooming judge for fifteen years.

	SASHA RIESS Sasha Riess is one of the most accomplished and well-known dog groomers and handlers in Europe. He began grooming in 1990, after graduating from the Grooming Academy of Budapest, Hungary. Shortly after his graduation, he became an instructor for that Academy, as they were so impressed with his talent and his work. In his continuing quest to hone his talents, he studied in master classes with the best groomers in Europe. In 1994, he added show dog handling to his resume, achieving over 700 certified championships in over 30 different breeds worldwide. He is the founder and originator of the Alexander Riess Pet Grooming and Styling Studio, and the Alexander Riess Show Dog Care Company, as well as the first large school in Serbia for dog grooming and handling, in affiliation with the Open University of Novi Sad. In 2004, he opened the Alexander Riess Grooming and Handling Academy. He has been a judge of grooming competitions throughout Europe, and in 2007 was named Groomer of the Year in Hungary. In 2008 he was accepted as an IJA Judge and judged his first competition in Lexington, Kentucky. In 2009, Sasha co-founded Nash Academy Europe with Vivian, John and Tanya Nash, to offer the Nash System of Education worldwide.

	KATHY ROSE Grooming professionally for over twenty years, Kathy has gained recognition as a top winning stylist in the United States and abroad. She earned a spot on Groom Team for four consecutive years and then served as Team Coordinator for two years. She received eight Crystal Achievement nominations, winning the award for outstanding service to the pet industry. Kathy is the Team Leader for The International Judges Association, an online instructor for Nash Academy, and owns Pets of Perfection in Boynton Beach, Florida.

	NAOSHIA TSUJIHARA Naohisa Tsujihara is the son of Masahiro and Naoko Tsujihara, the well known and popular Japanese medallist, demonstrator and judge at Intergroom. Naohisa was instructed by his mother, Naoko, and has succeeded in winning many awards at grooming competitions. Not only is he a professional groomer, but he also takes an active role as an instructor and demonstrator for a popular grooming magazine in Japan. Naohisa breeds and shows mainly Poodles and Miniature Schnauzers. He is now is the Director of Sepia Pet Care School, a world-renowned pet care school in the industry, actively training promising professional groomers at the school and is authorized by the Japan Kennel Club.

	MAREA TULLY Marea is the International Grooming Consultant for Andis Company. She is a past Groom Team Member, Best in Show International Winner, and serves our industry as a judge, demonstrator and lecturer in the USA, Europe and Asia. Nominated many times for Judge of the Year and won four Cardinal Crystal Achievement Awards Journalism & Congeniality. Groomed and handled Poodles, Bichons and Terriers for confirmation ring. She writes The Grooming View in Groomer to Groomer Magazine.

	JOEY VILLANI Joey was introduced to the grooming industry at the age of nine. Since then, he has worked as an instructor at The Nash Academy of Animal Arts, was a multi-shop owner, has set up grooming competitions all over the world and has had the privilege of working with some of the industry's best. Joey now lives in Cliffside Park, New Jersey, and is the President and Director of The Nash Academy of Animal Arts, in New Jersey.

	GAN WEE YET (MALAYSIA) The Founder and President of House Of Groomers Pet Salons & Academy, Mr. GAN Wee's students have taken American and International grooming contests by storm.. Mr. Gan's prowess in pet industry as a successful pet guru and a leading entrepreneur of high end pet salons as well as education has empowered him to achieve a multitude of milestones that many can only envy. As a groomer, breeder and handler of many breed champions, he is also the Founder and the President of the Malaysian Pet Groomers Association (MPGA) He received Best Creative Groomer and Show Dog Groomer awards in conjunction with 2005 Malaysian Kennel Association (MKA) 1st FCI International All Breed Championship Show held in Kuala Lumpur. And his school was presented the Gold award for excellence in the international advancement of dog grooming and styling from the Thailand ministry.