Meet The Board
Mary Seymour -President
Sue Pratt- NEPGP Honorary Board Advisor. Sue has been a member of this organization since it's inception as Massachusetts Professional Dog Groomers, which later transformed in to NEPGP. She was president of NEPGP from 1991-1993, and again from 2013-2015. She has been grooming for 50 years and competed in the mid and late 90's winning many classes and scissoring awards, including two silver medals at Intergroom and Best In Show at the N.E. show in 1995. Sue has been the contest coordinator for both Intergroom and the N.E. shows for the last 15 years. She loves to go to grooming shows and really loves judging the competitions. The highlight of her judging career came when she was asked to judge Best In Show at the Atlanta Pet Fair. She loves to share her knowledge with other groomers and feels that the camaraderie of this organization is what makes everything work. "Everyone can learn something new by keeping your mind, eyes, and ears open and talking and listening to other groomers."
Sue is hoping to be ale to retire in the near future and just enjoy a quiet life with her 6 dogs, 2 cats, 1 horse, and 1 beta. |
Steve Ferraro- Vice President. Steve has been on the NEPGP board since 2016. After eighteen years in facility maintenance and management, he entered the grooming world in 2008. After attending the Connecticut School of Dog Grooming, Steve started Clippity Do Dog Mobile Dog Grooming in Trumbull CT. Steve continues his education at yearly seminars and work shops. His passion for animal goes beyond grooming, as he also attended the Bancroft School of Massage (DoggieU) in Worcester Massachusetts and is certified in Small Animal Massage. As part of his massage education, Steve interned his skills at the Connecticut Humane Society where he saw first hand the power touch and massage have on sheltered dogs. Steve has also sat on the board and volunteered for a Bridgeport CT. non profit whose mission is to assist disadvantage dog owners with basic pet care needs such as vaccinations and pet food.
Vanessa Ciancio - Vanessa started her animal care career at 16, working in the boarding kennel of a veterinary hospital on Martha’s Vineyard. Enjoying the experience of a job centered around animals she became interested in veterinary medicine and worked for a few years as a Veterinary Technician. She fell in love with grooming, in 2004, when her good friend Ellen offered to mentor her. Her vet tech background has given her the experience and technique to work with many difficult dogs. Helping dogs learn to enjoy grooming and seeing their behavioral changes as they learn that grooming can be a positive experience makes this not so glamorous job worth every scratch and bite for this passionate groomer. In 2014 Vanessa opened From Head To Tail Grooming, in Warwick, RI. A cage-free salon where dogs receive “Professional Care in a Playful Environment”. Vanessa has been a board member of the NEPGP since 2014.
Nikki Elie. Nikki has been a member of NEPGP since 2011 and a board member since 2012. After attending her first NEPGP sponsored grooming show, she instantly felt welcome and a part of the NEPGP family. Nikki began her grooming career in 2006 working in a grooming salon cleaning the shop. Nikki quickly advanced to bather and then mentored by the salon owner in grooming. Attending grooming seminars along with critiques and support from other groomers, she advanced her grooming skills. Being a groomer is much more than a career for Nikki as she found comfort and joy of being part the industry. Nikki has won awards in grooming competitions and has been featured in Groomer to Groomer magazine twice. Nikki is a salon owner in Leicester MA.
Joyce Kahakalau -Secretary began her relationship with the NEPGP in 1996, when she completed the grooming program at Mt. Ida College. She is active in fighting for small business and supporting continuing education for all groomers. As a “pets with special needs” advocate she has done work with rescue and uses her skills in Behavior & Training as well as Pet Massage Therapy to help pets have the best quality of life. Currently she has her dream of owning a small neighborhood salon. She is looking forward to serving on the Board and welcomes emails from members regarding any concerns, questions and/or comments on what they would like to see from the NEPGP.
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