Speakers
STEVEN APPELBAUM
Steven Appelbaum is CEO of Animal Behavior College (ABC), a vocational school dedicated to teaching animal lovers to succeed in animal careers. ABC has students in 50 states and Canada. Steve’s first business, Animal Behavior and Training Associates (ABTA), was the exclusive provider of all obedience classes for Petco from 1994-2004. Steve is a published author with over 30 years of pet industry experience. He is a freelance writer, lecturer and consultant and writes a monthly column for Pet Product News. Steve was the editor for Off Lead Magazine from 2007-2009. He has also written a book entitled The ABC Practical Guide to Dog Training.
DIANE BETELAK
Diane 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 has also competed and won the Creative Styling class at Groom Expo three times and placed every time entered. Diane is a National Grooming Consultant for the Andis Company. She also does demonstrations, speaks, judges and offers private consultation for conformation and competitive grooming.
DEBERA BUTLER, DVM
Dr. Butler graduated from Colorado State University in 1993. She has been in private practice in Arizona since graduation. She has been the technical services veterinarian for Merck Animal Health for the past three years. She lectures at veterinary association meetings, veterinary schools and a variety of animal-related meetings across the country. She is a member of The American Veterinary Medical Association, The Arizona Veterinary Association, The Arizona Academy of Veterinary Medicine and The American Association of Corporate and Public Practice Veterinarians.
DONNA CAREY
Donna Carey of Sarasota, Florida, is an accomplished pet stylist of 25 years in the Grooming Industry. She is a National Certified Master Groomer, a former GroomTeam competitor and board member. Donna has won several prestigious awards: multiple golds at Intergroom, wins in Creative Competitions, Clipper Vac Competitons and AKC Obedience and Conformation titles. Her career has included owning and operating a small fleet of mobile salons. She has been a National Sales Manager for an international health company. Donna is Reiki Master and a Certified Pet Massage practitioner. Her current business is Heart and Harmony Pet, where she teaches grooming, pet massage and business skills.
Carlos Carrizzo
Carlos is a native of Argentina and worked as a veterinary assistant and groomer while attending the Unversidad Nacional de San Juan. Carlos owned and managed a grooming facility in San Juan, Argentina for many years, while traveling the dog show circuit in South America. In 1999 Carlos settled in Southern California. Carlos has shown many dogs of different breeds to the top ranking in their breeds with multiple Best In Show wins. Carlos and his wife are the owners of Alta Grooming in Upland, Ca. where they have a staff of 14 employees. Carlos is certified as an AKC registered handler.
Lori Craig
Multi-award winning creative stylist and instructor Lori Craig has placed in almost every creative competition she has entered. She is best known for her “Lion King” design, which was undefeated. Lori’s work has been featured on The Today Show, TLC, Regis and Kelly, ABC Nightline and on the cover of Groomer to Groomer magazine. Lori has owned Doggie Styles in Moore, OK, for thirteen years and is Vice President and certifier for the National Society of Creative Stylists. Lori is also working with the National Society of Creative Stylists to help educate and promote creative styling worldwide.
TERI DIMARINO
An industry veteran, Teri has owned and operated successful salons and mobiles in Florida and California. A winning grooming contest competitor, Teri was a member of three GroomTeam USA Gold Medal teams. A multi Cardinal Crystal Award winner, Teri is a popular speaker and judge at seminars and trade shows across the United States, Canada, Europe, South America, Korea and Australia. Teri is a 2011 Barkleigh Honors Award winner for her writing in Groomer to Groomer magazine.
MICHELL EVANS
Michell won a 2011 Barkleigh Honors Award for Competitive Groomer of the Year. Owner of The Grooming Tutor LLC, Michell is a multiple Best in Show and Best All Around winner. She has received the Liz Paul Best Scissored Poodle award. She ranked second last year in GroomTeam points. She traveled to Belgium in 2011 to compete for the U.S. team and helped bring home a silver medal at the World Championships. Michell is an IPG Certifier and was instrumental in developing a certification program in Australia and Puerto Rico. She has been the president of two grooming associations and has groomed and/or handled 24 different breeds for AKC.
DANELLE GERMAN
South Carolina resident Danelle German owned and operated CFA’s Bara Cattery from 1999-2005. During that time, she produced and showed many National and Regional Award Winning Persians including CFA’s 3rd Best Cat in Premiership in 2005. She retired at the peak of her career to focus solely on her feline-exclusive grooming and boarding facility, The Catty Shack, LTD. Danelle is a current member of Foothills Felines Cat Club, serving as President from 2002-2005. She has produced and managed several CFA Cat Shows since 1999 and has written articles regarding cat grooming, behavior and general care for some local publications.
KEN GRIFFITH
The high point of Ken’s career was winning Eukanuba in 2005 with the Bloodhound known as Knotty. Over the past 30 years, he has successfully handled and cared for at least 100 different breeds and still travels professionally, showing dogs about 45 weekends a year. At one point, he had one of the largest working show kennels in the country. Ken is a ten-year veteran of the Dune Musher’s Mail Run with approximately 5,000 miles behind a sled dog team. He participated in long distance and freight races and had qualifying races for the Iditarod of 200 miles.
DR. MELISSA HALL
Dr. Melissa Hall graduated from the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis in 2006. While attending Davis, Dr. Hall was involved in many clubs and received numerous scholarships. She served as the class president for several years as well as the president of the Veterinary Business Club. Upon graduation, Dr. Hall completed a 12-month rotating internship with the Florida Veterinary Specialists and the North Bay Animal and Bird Hospital in Tampa, FL. Dr. Hall accepted a residency position in veterinary dermatology in 2007 at Animal Dermatology Clinic in Tustin, CA, and achieved Diplomate status in 2011.
ASHLIE HERRING
Ashlie Herring currently serves as Program Operations Manager for Animal Behavior College. In 2008, Ashlie joined ABC to lead their Veterinarian Assistant Program. She earned her RVT License after graduating from Los Angeles Pierce College with an Associate of Science Degree in Veterinary Technology and has been working in the Veterinary field for over 10 years. Throughout this time, Ashlie has worked in a variety of veterinary hospitals, caring for both large and small animals. Aside from her passion for teaching, she is very energetic about emergency medicine; in addition to her duties at ABC, she is also on call at an emergency veterinary hospital.
CAROL HOOVER
Carol began bathing dogs when she was 13 years old and began grooming at 16. She is an IPG certified master groomer and owns The Gentle Touch Grooming in Puyallup, Washington. In 2001 she began competing and moved up the ranks nationally in the competition world. “My passion and goal in the pet industry is to be able to groom every AKC breed to a show quality breed standard and share the knowledge I’ve received... not only correct professional grooming, but also on being a professional in the pet industry,” says Carol. Carol was nominated for a 2011 Barkleigh Honors award.
SUE KOPITZ
Sue Kopitz is the author of the popular grooming book Wet Dog Millionaire. Sue lives in Southeastern Michigan on a farm where she raises Huacaya alpacas with her husband, Greg. She is the mother of two grown children of whom she is extremely proud. She also has two German Shepherds, a cat, a donkey and a flock of chickens. Sue has been a pet groomer for 30 years and has started two grooming businesses from scratch. She has inspired others to believe in themselves, work hard and accomplish their dreams. Sue believes that a positive attitude will improve all areas of your life.
CECE KOPLIN
CeCe Koplin currently serves as Lead Program Manager for the grooming department at Animal Behavior College. She has been a Certified Groomer for 10 years and was owner of A Dog’s Life Grooming Salon & Spa where she developed and specialized in Gentle Touch Grooming techniques. CeCe joined ABC in 2009 to assist in the development of their grooming program. She was previously in the computer industry for 14 years and is a published writer, as well as a script doctor. Before working in the computer industry, CeCe worked as an equine groomer and specialized in therapeutic touch to calm horses before competition and in between events.
ANGELA KUMPE
Internationally renowned creative stylist and instructor Angela Kumpe has more placements in creative styling than anyone, worldwide. She is the author of A Creative Collection, a step-by-step guide to creative styling. Angela’s work has been featured on Animal Planet, TLC, The Today Show, Regis and Kelly, and ABC Nightline as well as in The New York Times and on the cover of Groomer to Groomer magazine. Angela is the owner of Angela’s Grooming and Pet Spa in Little Rock, AR, and is also the founder and President of the National Society of Creative Stylists.
MARCO LALAU
Marco Lalau was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and came to the United States for college. He graduated from California State University, Long Beach with a degree in Marketing. His German Shepherd dog, Kona, inspired Marco to start a new business. So while in college, Marco opened Bubbles Pet Spa with his brother Marcelo. Since then, they have opened three stores in the Los Angeles area. Bubbles Pet Spa was named Best Groomer in Los Angeles by My Fox LA’s Hotlist 2007 and 2008. Marco learned how to groom at the 4 Dogs Grooming Academy in Torrance, CA, and was an apprentice of Cate Garcia.
JODI MURPHY, NCMG, MPS
Jodi was a 2011 Barkleigh Honors Awards nominee. She is a NCMG and MPS, Meritus. She owns the Puppy Spa Mobile Grooming Salon in New Jersey. Jodi was a four-year member of GroomTeam USA and ended the 2004 season as number one. She won Best American Groomer in 2005 and 2006 at Intergroom. In 2006 she won the World Championship title in the Oster Invitational Tournament of Champions. Jodi won gold and bronze medals in 2005 in Barcelona, Spain, and a gold medal in 2007 in Milan, Italy. Jodi now produces her own Instructional DVD Series for all levels of grooming. Jodi just released a book titled Mobile Pet Grooming.
KENDRA OTTO
Kendra graduated from the Great Lakes Academy of Professional Pet Styling in 1997 and started competing in creative styling. She soon moved onto regular classes and won multiple Best in Show and Best All Around Groomer awards, the Will Stone Memorial Award and the Liz Paul Scissoring Award. She has been on the 2007, 2008 and 2009 GroomTeams. She was ranked in the top ten for GroomTeam for four years. Kendra is on the Andis Staff. She works closely with Woburn Scottish Terriers and actively fosters dogs. She works at The Barker Shop in Countryside, IL.
IRINA PINKUSEVICH, NCMG
Irina Pinkusevich has been in the grooming industry for over 20 years. She was a 2011 Barkleigh Honors Awards nominee. She is a multiple Best In Show and Best All Around winner, Winners Circle champion and Best American Groomer 2008 at Intergroom. A member of Travel GroomTeam USA 2008, Irina also competed at the World Team Championship in Dachau, Germany, in September of 2009 and helped bring back gold for the U.S. Currently Irina teaches the art of pet syling at Merryfield School of Pet Grooming in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
JAY SCRUGGS
Jay and his wife Michelle own Here Comes the Groom, a highly successful mobile grooming salon in Germantown,Tennessee. Jay has won multiple Best In Show and Best All-Around Groomer awards and helped GroomTeam USA win the Gold medal in Calgary, Canada, in 2001. Jay was named American Groomer of the Year in 2001, Groomer of the Year at Westminster Dog Show in 2002, and Grooming Judge of the Year in 2004. In 2003 Jay won an International Gold and Bronze medal in Barcelona, Spain, helping GroomTeam USA win the silver team medal. He and Susan Zecco offers seminars nationally. Jay won a 2011 Barkleigh Honors Award at the event that he emceed.
KATHLEEN SEPULVEDA
Kathleen Sepulveda has been involved with animals for over 30 years. She is also an award-winning, internationally known artist, specializing in dog art. “I believe dogs enrich our lives; I therefore celebrate them though my art.” Kathleen has won numerous awards for her efforts in the animal industry. Westminster Kennel Club, Eukanuba Invitational, and national specialty shows have earned her recent success with her beloved Japanese Chin. She has won many awards for grooming, training, leadership and non-profit work. Kathleen was a first-year contestant on Groomer Has It. Kathleen was the weekly groomer on Drs. Foster and Smith’s syndicated series Faithful Friends.
SHERRI SHINSKY
Sherri was nominated for a 2011 Barkleigh Honors Award for Up and Coming Speaker. She is a dog groomer and certified massage practitioner with eight years of experience who hails from Medina, Ohio. She graduated from The Ohio Academy of Pet Styling where she studied under Gail Schroll. Sherri was a contestant on Animal Planet’s Groomer Has It, Season 2. Sherri currently works for Shark Fin Shears and travels the country conducting day-long certificate programs on pet massage.
DEANISE STOOPS
Deanise is an IPG certifier and an International Certified Master Groomer. Her career began at 14, and she became a competitive groomer at 24, garnering multiple wins in all breeds as well as creative styling. Deanise is the reigning Poodle class winner at Groom & Kennel Expo. As the owner/operator of PurrrScision Grooming in Southern California, her goal is to “promote a continuation of excellence for all levels of groomers.” Deanise’s sense of humor comes out in both her creative presentations and her educational seminars.
GLEE THACKER
Glee Thacker has been happily involved in the grooming business since 1962, when her father turned his hobby into a profession and put the whole family to work. She is a National Certified Master Groomer and owner of Very Important Pets in Adamsville, Tennessee. She is also the inventor of Help from Above, a deluxe grooming support/restraint device that takes the struggle out of dealing with difficult dogs. Glee was nominated for a 2011 Barkleigh Honors Award for Up and Coming Speaker.
CAROL VISSER
Carol began grooming in 1982 and certified with NDGAA. Her career in the pet industry has included owning an exclusive suburban salon, managing, teaching and creating curriculum at a major grooming school, and giving grooming seminars to professionals as far away as New Zealand. Carol’s long time interest in training dogs led to testing as a Certified Pet Dog Trainer. Being employed by PetEdge as a product expert for many years led to being a contributing editor and writer for Pet Business and Grooming Business magazines. Carol currently offers grooming, boarding, day care and training along with her husband, Glenn, at Two Canines Pet Services in Montville, ME.
SUE ZECCO
Sue is a 2011 Barkleigh Honors award winner. She is a Certified Master Groomer with both the National Dog Groomers Association (NDGAA) and the International Professional Groomers (IPG). She has been grooming for over 30 years. She has won multiple grooming awards, including her biggest show accomplishments, International Groomer of the Year 1998, and 1999’s Oster Invitational Tournaments Grand Champion. Sue has been a member of GroomTeam USA since 1997 and broke all records in 1999, earning 113 points. She is also a Wahl Clipper Corporation spokesperson and conducts a series of full-day seminars with Jay Scruggs called Super Styling Sessions. Sue breeds Standard Poodles under the Dreamcatcher prefix.