Contest Judges

Wire Coated Breeds: Friday AM
Open: Victor Rosado and Jonathan David
Intermediate: Shannon Tupes
Entry: Joey Villani
Group: Victor Rosado, Jonathan David and Shannon Tupes
Rescue Clip-In: Friday PM
Blake Hernandez
 
Sporting: Friday PM
Open: Irina Pinkusevich and Jay Scruggs
Intermediate: Sue Zecco
Entry: Nicole Kallish
Group: Irina Pinkusevich, Jay Scruggs and Sue Zecco
Salon Freestyle: Friday PM
Open: Colin Taylor and Misty Gieczys
Intermediate: Shannon Tupes
Entry: Jayne Gallagher
Group: Colin Taylor, Misty Gieczys and Shannon Tupes
All Other Purebreds: Saturday AM
Open: Colin Taylor and Olga Zabelinskaya
Intermediate: Teri DiMarino
Entry: Victor Rosado
Group: Colin Taylor, Olga Zabelinskaya and Teri DiMarino
Rescue Clip-In: Saturday PM
Blake Hernandez
 
Poodles: Saturday PM
Open: Sue Zecco and Jay Scruggs
Intermediate: Teri DiMarino
Entry: Jodi Murphy
Group: Sue Zecco, Jay Scruggs and Teri DiMarino
Abstract Runway: Saturday PM
Adriane Pope and Misty Gieczys
 
Best In Show: Saturday PM
Victor Rosado and Sue Zecco
Best First Timer: Saturday PM
Blake Hernandez
Invitational Rescue Round-Up: Sunday AM
Teri DiMarino
Creative Styling: Sunday PM
Adriane Pope and Misty Gieczys
Contest Coordinator
Jill Pipino

Jonathan David

Jonathan David

Jonathan David has been the recipient of multiple scissoring awards, multiple Best All Around Groomer awards and Best in Show earning him a position on GroomTeam USA in 2008 and 2009. Jonathan was also a contestant on Animal Planet's "Groomer Has It" and has been featured as a grooming expert on multiple television shows. Currently, Jonathan owns and operates his salon, Lap of Luxury Dog Spa in Delray Beach, Florida and is a board member of multiple dog clubs.

Teri DiMarino

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 multiple Barkleigh Honors and Cardinal Crystal Award winner, Teri was a regular columnist for Groomer to Groomer Magazine as well as a popular speaker and judge at seminars and trade shows across the United States, Canada, Europe, South America, Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

Jayne Gallagher

Jayne Gallagher

Who would have thought that someone who grew up in a "No Pets Allowed" household would end up spearheading some of the most iconic grooms in the country? Jayne graduated from the Jersey Shore Grooming Academy in the year 2000, took courses from the prestigious Nash Academy, and took private lessons from top pet stylists and GroomTeam members from around the globe. She marks herself as a perpetual student, always excited to stay sharp in her craft. She is an award-winning legend who is known far and wide in the grooming community, even being featured as a competitor in the 2021 cultural phenomenon Pooch Perfect on ABC Network. Jayne specializes in creative styling, salon freestyle, Asian fusion, poodles, and bichons.

Misty Gieczys

Misty Gieczys

Misty is an IGA Certified Master Groomer and has won many Best in Shows, Best All Around Groomer. She was on the US Gold Winning Model Dog Team in Taiwan and took BIS Creative. She won the Cardinal Crystal Grooming Achievement Award for her Charity "Groomers for Groomers." Nominated for Creative Groomer Barkleigh Honors and awarded IJA Creative Groomer. Misty started grooming in 2005 and helped open 3 other salons. She owns 2 upscale salons in Columbus Ohio with a staff of 15; Designer Paws Salon. 1st opened in 2013 and second in 2018 with receiving multiple service awards.

Blake Hernandez

Blake Hernandez

Blake Hernandez is a NCMG and three-time Barkleigh Honors recipient. He is best known for his online persona and caterwauling lyrics that speak to our industry. Blake has brought innovation and current outside trends to the grooming industry from Personality Marketing to the FoxEye, a phone holding device for the everyday groomer or aspiring influencer. Blake runs Foxy Roxy's Pet Salon in San Diego, CA, in addition to competing in grooming contests and dog shows all over the country. He is the co-creator and founder of GroomSource, an app made for groomers' continued education, as well as creator and producer of many products with Foxy Roxy's Supply Co. Blake was also a feature groomer in Netflix's "DOGS" documentary and a contestant on ABC's Pooch Perfect Season 1.

Nicole Kallish

Nicole Kallish

Nicole Kallish is a Certified Master Groomer and the Global Education Manager at Andis Company. Nicole attended the Academy of Dog Grooming Arts and then successfully ran her mobile grooming business for six years prior to starting a shop in Sarasota. Nicole had worked her way up the ranks in the ring earning many 1st, 2nd, and 3rd placements in entry and intermediate levels, including Best Groomed Dog. Nicole won “Rising Star of the Year” at Intergroom in 2013 and was a Barkleigh Honors nominee for "Up and Coming Groomer of the Year" and a nominee for the Cardinal Crystal Achievement Awards “Mobile Groomer of the Year” 2011 and 2012. Nicole is now a judge, speaker and educator since selling her shop if Florida and joining Andis full time.

Jodi Murphy, NCMG, MPS

Jodi Murphy

Jodi, NCMG and MPS, Meritus, owns the Puppy Spa Mobile Grooming Salon in New Jersey. Jodi was a four-year member of Groom Team USA and ended the 2004 season as #1 team member. She won Best American Groomer in 2005 and 2006 at Intergroom, and in 2006 she won the World Championship title in the Oster Invitational Tournament of Champions. Jodi has also won gold and bronze medals in 2005 in Barcelona Spain and a gold medal in 2007 in Milan Italy. Jodi has produced an instructional DVD Series for all levels of grooming, designed her own line of grooming apparel for groomers which is made in the USA, and written top selling grooming books.

Irina Pinkusevich

Irina Pinkusevich

Irina Pinkusevich, NCMG, has been in the grooming industry for over 20 years and currently teaches the art of pet styling at Merryfield School of Pet Grooming in Ft. Laugerdale, FL. She was a 2011 Barkleigh Honors Awards nominee, is a multiple BIS and Best All Around winner and Best American Groomer 2008 at Intergroom. Irina was a member of GroomTeam USA travel team in 2008 and competed in World Team Championship in Dachau Germany in 2009 where she helped bring back the gold for the U.S.

Jill Pipino

Jill Pipino

Jill Pipino started grooming in 2000. She bought a turnkey operation, turning it into a successful business offering her clients everything from daycare to spa services and personality trims to show styles. She began regularly attending seminars and trade shows at the beginning of her career, and started competing in 2007. She has been a regular in the competition circuit ever since. In an effort to further her understanding of pet styling, she has trained privately with top stylists and breeders. She also works with breeders and handlers at dog shows and is looking forward to showing her field spaniel, Brucie.

Adriane Pope

Adriane Pope

Adriane Pope is an award-winning Pet stylist in Breed Profile and Creative Grooming. Her specialty is extreme creative styling and creative abstract design. Adriane is owner/groomer of Adriane's Groom and Go Mobile Grooming in Conway, SC., and also the owner of Rivertown Bed and Biscuit Luxury Kennel since 2004. She has 24 years of grooming experience, and has been mobile for 22 years. She started competing in breed profile in 1997 and started the creative world in 2004.

Victor Rosado

Victor Rosado

With 26 years of experience in professional grooming and conformation, Victor Rosado is a NCMG with NDGAA, ICMG, and is a certifier with IPG, as well as a Grooming Contest Judge and a Licensed All Breeds Conformation Judge for FCPR/FCI. As a competitive groomer, Victor Rosado is a multiple Best All Around and Best in Show winner, and one of the top groomers on GroomTeam USA. Victor is a member of American Spaniel Club, an AKC Breeder of Merit, and an exhibitor of American Cocker Spaniels for 20 years with multiple Best in Show and Best in Specialty Shows wins. Victor is also an Oster Ambassador in Latin America and owner of Davis Puerto Rico.

Jay Scruggs

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 Award 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 Sue Zecco offer seminars nationally. Jay won a Barkleigh Honors Award at the event that he emceed.

Colin Taylor

Colin Taylor

Colin Taylor, author of ‘What Would Colin Do? 101 Situations and Solutions for Every Dog Groomer’ and founder of the Colin Taylor Academy is an international multi-award-winning groomer, who has been in the industry for 30 years. After more than 20 years of grooming in the US, Colin has returned to the UK to continue his career. His aim is to bring the same level of excitement and energy to the dog grooming industry worldwide. Colin is also an international judge and speaker and runs and manages Master Groom Dog Grooming Contest.

Shannon Tupes

Shannon Tupes

Shannon Tupes is a Certified Master Groomer with National Dog Groomers Association. She has been involved in the pet industry for 28 years and has owned several successful grooming salons throughout the US. She is a member of GroomTeam USA, a current Board member of GroomTeam USA, and a national and international judge and speaker. She is also a Global Educator for Andis and a Brand Ambassador for Superior Care Pet. Shannon is a successful breeder, owner, handler of Bichons under the kennel prefix Releve, has bred over 25 champions, and is an active member of the Bichon Frise Club of America. Shannon is also a club-approved mentor for judges.

Joey Villani

Joey Villani

In 1998, Joey purchased the Nash Academy in New Jersey which he owned and operated until 2008. Now a well-known pet industry speaker and judge, Joey has been nominated 14 times for the Cardinal Crystal and Barkleigh Honors awards. He has been enthusiastically involved with Intergroom International for 33 years and has been instrumental in expanding the organization's reach into Belgium, Italy, and France. Joey is one of the original members of the International Judges Association and has made many television appearances. Today, Joey continues to innovate and explore new dimensions in the pet care and grooming industry. In early 2009, Joey became part of the Animal Radio on-air staff where he is known as "The Dogfather".

Olga Zabelinskaya

Olga Zabelinskaya

Olga is a Certified Master Groomer and owns two grooming salons, Elite Pet Spa & Boutique in Madison, NJ and Grooming Gallery in Morris Plains, NJ. She has multiple BIS and Best All-Around Groomer wins as well as two prestigious Winners Circle Champion titles. Olga is 2009 and 2010 American Groomer of the Year by Cardinal Pet, and was awarded the Lynne Carver Memorial Award as Best All Around Stylist 2009. Olga was born in Russia where she had a Master Degree in Engineering and finished law school. Olga was a GroomTeam USA member 2008-2012 and won the Silver medal in Belgium, 2011 as a part of the traveling team. Olga co-hosts many pet fundraising events.

Sue Zecco

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: 1998 International Groomer of the Year and 1999 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. With Jay Scruggs, she conducts a series of full-day seminars called Super Styling Sessions. Sue breeds Standard Poodles under the "Dreamcatcher" prefix.