Helen Humphreys
Huacaya Females and Judges Choice for females

997 Deer Creek Road
Gibsonia, PA 15044
403-601-4600 | Email: info@silvercloudfarm.com

Helen Humphreys, along with her husband Jim, has been breeding and raising alpacas since 2001, and Helen has been very active within the alpaca community. She served as the President of the Pennsylvania Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association, managed the PAOBA Breeders Showcase, served on the Mid-Atlantic Alpaca Association Board of Directors, and served on several Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association committees. Helen was also a founding partner in Silver Penn Sales, an auction management company. Helen has been a certified Halter and Fleece Judge since 2007 and enjoys traveling throughout the country evaluating alpacas, offering educational seminars, herd evaluations and sale consultations. Helen, Jim, and their two children, Mia and Raymond, reside in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania and manage a small herd of huacaya alpacas at Silvercloud Farm.

Jill MacLeod
Huacaya Males - Black, Brown, Fawn, Light, White
All Huacaya Production and Judges Choice Huacaya Male

Senior Judge & Judge Trainer for all certifications
Areas of Certification: Huacaya Halter, Suri Halter, Fleece
PO Box 5789
High River, Alberta, Canada T1V 1P3
403-601-4600 | Email: alpacas2@platinum.ca

Jill MacLeod lives in High River, Alberta, Canada with her husband Art and two daughters, Rachel and Emma. The family has been involved in the Alpaca industry since 1991, when the MacLeods began their breeding operation, Aztec Alpacas. Jill has served as a past director of the Canadian Alpaca Association, numerous association committees and is currently an advisor to the Quechua Benefit – a charitable organization focused on assisting the people of the Peruvian highlands. She spends much of her time traveling as an alpaca halter and fleece Judge and holds international training credentials and is also a Senior Judge and judge trainer for AOBA. Jill has been fortunate to judge across North America as well as Europe, the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

Jill has had a lifelong interest in textiles and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Textiles in 1987 from the University of Alberta. She is interested in development and promotion of alpaca as part of the luxury fibre market and is involved with the development of Canadian channels of alpaca fibre management. Jill is a certified Camelid Fibre Classer and spent a number of years assisting the Canadian fibre cooperative in developing its quality control systems and product development.

The MacLeods have managed a number of federal import and export quarantines from their farm. The challenges of this unique operation have provided an interesting perspective on various aspects of herd management under a variety of severe environmental conditions as well as long distance land and air shipment of stock.

Tim Lavan
Huacaya Males - Grey, MultiColor and Indefinite
All Suri Halter and Suri Production and Suri Judges Choice

Senior Judge & Judge Trainer for all certifications
Areas of Certification: Huacaya Halter, Suri Halter, Fleece, Performance
267 Academy Road
Bowdoin, ME 04287
207-268-3143 | Email: timlavan@fairpoint.net

Tim along with his wife, Cindy and their two boys have been breeding and raising alpacas at Chase Tavern Farm in midcoast Maine since 1993. He is an AOBA certified halter, fleece and performance judge trainer and has judged and evaluated thousands of alpacas in and outside the USA. Tim has judged more than 50 alpaca shows. He has written articles for Alpacas Magazine and has given lectures for numerous camelid organizations. Chase Tavern Farm is home to more than 60 alpacas, both suri and huacaya. Tim is a full time alpaca farmer and is active in most of the daily activities on the farm.

Cheryl Gehly
Fleece Judge for all Suri, all Cottage, and White Huacaya

Judge Trainer Fleece for Show Levels I, II and III
Areas of Certification: Fleece
119 Belmont Dr., Portsmouth, RI  02871
508-404-4373  | Email: crgehly@aol.com

Cheryl Gehly came to the alpaca world with a background of 25 years in education. Her subsequent immersion and fascination with alpaca fleece arose from an innocent decision to volunteer with shearing back in 1998. Once hooked, she pursued a desire to learn more and ultimately became an AOBA Certified Fleece Judge in 2002. In addition to judging fleece shows, Cheryl has shared her knowledge with judges and apprentices as an AOBA Certified Instructor at JTCC sponsored Judge Training Clinics, as well as being an AOBA Certified Fleece Judge Trainer. She has volunteered as a fleece show superintendent on several occasions and became a familiar face to many as she helped at numerous annual AOBA National Conference Fleece Shows.

Cheryl has subsequently been hired as the Fleece Show Superintendent for several fleece shows. Cheryl has also volunteered her time with AOBA by being a member and chairperson of the Judge Training and Certification Committee. Cheryl was subsequently appointed as a member and chairperson of the AOBA Judge Advisory Committee. She is also the fleece judge liaison to the Show Rules Committee and the Judge Training and Certification Committee. Cheryl teaches at breeder seminars around the country as well as judging multiple AOBA Certified Fleece Shows annually.

Ursula Munro
Fleece Judge for all Huacaya with the exception of White

AOBA Certified Fleece Judge
Areas of Certification: Fleece
64 Lupine Lane, Freeport, ME 04032
207-865-0677  | Email: umunro@mac.com

Ursula Munro, together with her husband Ryen, owns and operates Tripping Gnome Farm Alpacas in Freeport Maine. Ursula has been an alpaca owner since 1998, having started out with a small herd of fiber boys. After moving to Maine in 2002, she entered into the breeding world, and the herd has grown to 100 huacayas. Her interest in judging alpaca fleeces is an extension of a lifelong interest in fiber, handwork, textiles, and animal husbandry.

Prior to obtaining her AOBA Judge certification in 2010, Ursula spent many hours volunteering at fleece shows and taking advantage of many fiber education opportunities across the U.S. and in Canada. She offers educational seminars covering fleece skirting, show prep, sorting, and grading.

Ursula is also a registered nurse and serves on the Board of Directors of the Quechua Benefit, a non-profit organization serving the people of the Peruvian Highlands. Ursula and Ryen have two daughters who love the alpacas and who truly make the farm a family enterprise.

Kathy Kenworthy
Spin-Off and Hand Spinner's Derby

950 Railroad Road,
Mohrsville, PA 19541
610-926-6120 | Email: almostaranch_96@comcast.net

Kathy owns and operates Almosta Ranch Alpacas in Mohrsville, PA., and has been a spin off judge for several years. It all started in 2003 when she wanted to learn to spin and increase her knowledge about all kinds of natural fiber. As her knowledge and appreciation of exquisite alpaca fiber increased, so did the focus of her breeding program. She now focuses on quality and quantity of fiber produced as opposed to color. Kathy’s first spin off judging experience was the AOBA National Show—beige and whites. Baptism by fire! Kathy believes spinning for a spin off competition is truly a labor of love. She has been doing shows from different areas and enjoys evaluating and spinning samples from all over the country.

Kathy is a registered nurse by profession and when she is not working out of the house or on the farm, she enjoys spending time with her three young grandchildren, being a member of Treadlers Thru Time (a Sheep to Shawl team that competes at the PA Farm Show every year), knitting, and of course, spinning!

Wini Labrecque
Fiber Arts & Skein Competition

112 Old Pike Lane
Cabot, PA 16023
724-272-4285 | Email: swffiber@zoominternet.net

Wini Labrecque is a textile artist with interest in a wide variety of techniques. She has a very strong passion for fiber. Since the late 1980s, utilizing natural fibers, Wini has been spinning, weaving, knitting, and felting from raw form to finished product. Her handspun skeins and woven/knit goods are sold at area art festivals and in area specialty shops. Many have taken ribbons at various shows.

Wini teaches classes in beginning spinning, felting, and/or weaving to individuals or small groups. She has presented many special programs to area fiber guilds, Girl Scouts, 4H groups, alpaca farms, and alpaca conferences. She is the weaver on the sheep to shawl team for her local guild, competing in competitions 2-3 times each year at the county and state level where she has won the weavers award on more than one occasion. Once exposed to alpacas and their wonderful fiber, she has been utilizing and promoting the fiber to everyone who will listen.

Wini recently became an AOBA Certified Alpaca Fleece Judge for the alpaca industry. She passed part 1 of a Certification course on grading camelid fiber. She is also a presenter at many alpaca shows and events on topics relating to fleece and fiber. Her passion for alpaca fiber has led her to a project to develop a wash-and-wear alpaca fabric. She is currently working with the NC College of Textiles in Research & Development of this product as well as partnering with a few select area alpaca farms to pursue development of an alpaca textile company.  Her animal experience includes 10 years as a Veterinary Assistant, raising Cashmere Goats for over 10 years, and keeping a fiber herd of alpaca wethers for over 9 years. Horses, sheep, and rabbits were among earlier livestock kept on her property.