About our Regional Directors

Region 1 (Red): Celestia Lensky

Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and the District of Columbia 

I have been training dogs, exotic birds and coaching/teaching school age children using positive reinforcement for over 32 years. I fell in love with the Berger Picard breed after importing my first eight-week-old Berger Picard puppy boy from France in 2007. With some persuasion from founding president Betsy Richards, I joined the BPCA in 2010.

My dogs have all been involved in herding, conformation, agility, obedience, nose work, barn hunt and dock diving. They have also enjoyed being ambassadors for the breed meeting people all over the USA and Canada both as official participants representing the BPCA as well as unofficial BPCA events and programs at elementary schools and nursing homes with TDI (Therapy Dogs International). Sharing the many talents of these dogs with others in so many different venues and environments has been an amazing journey. I am committed to helping and supporting everyone who has an interest in this wonderful and unique breed and believe that by working together the Berger Picard breed will be able to be maintained and preserved for many generations to come.

During my membership with the BPCA, I have been the Chair of the National Health Committee, Chair of the Judges Selection Committee Chair, Chair of the Nominating Committee, Chair for the National Berger Picard Rehome, Chair of the Newsletter Committee as well as serving on many other committees including the Judges Education Committee, Policy & Constitution/Bylaws Committee, Archives Committee and the Internet Committee. I have also served on the executive board multiple times as the Region 1 Director and as the Corresponding Secretary. I am privileged to serve as a breed and judge’s mentor and am also the first and only recipient thus far for the club, of the AKC Outstanding Sportsmanship Award for my service to the breed and the club. Most importantly however, I am the Permanent Chair of the American Élevage.

I firmly believe that publicly available health and temperament disclosures are of paramount importance when making decisions in breeding. My first import, Berger Picard CH Caspian de Lann Guic CM CGCA HIT TT successfully produced some of the first AKC Berger Picard conformation Grand Champions/Champions and the number one Owner Handled Picard in the US. That line continues producing AKC Grand Champions today. I have similarly high hopes for my newest Picard boy, CH Pierre de la Vie en Rose CGC FDC DJ DN HT TT TKN BCAT.

Region 2 (Purple): Michele Fitzgerald

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia

Hello there and Picard hugs! My husband Joe and I have adored and shared our lives with Picards for close to 16 years now. I came from performance events and was competing in agility and rally with my Rottweiler and Amstaff 20 years ago, as well as equestrian events. As the dogs and horse aged, (and I aged) I began researching breeds with the willingness to dabble in many sports, and a breed that needed owners willing to promote them, breed responsibly and keep their numbers from dwindling. We loved the look of the Berger Picard, and when we met Betsy Richards’ pack at her home, we were sold!!!! (Who isn’t??) Our first Picard was graciously imported for us with the help of quite a few folks going to the Elevage in 2007, and then we added a second, a third- our foundation girl from Canada- a 4th, etc. Over the years we’ve had lots of fun learning, breeding, and competing in all different venues; but more than that, we’ve had the most fun introducing others to the breed and connecting with so many who adore them and want them to succeed. We love to stay in contact with our puppy owners and try very hard to encourage them to try new sports, too. 

In that interim I have volunteered for my past local KC (SVKC) as show chair for 5 years, been a member of a local Lure coursing club as well as the IHCUS club for our Ibizan hounds; and since we moved further north, Joe and I are now active members of our local all breed club (Shawnee Kennel Club of VA) where I am also a board member, and recently chaired their all breed Fast Cat events. I also chaired both the FDC and Herding trial for the BPCA at the 2022 National-as well as serving as the area 2 representative, and have served in the role of recording secretary for the past year.  I am hoping to become a member of our local Obedience Club this year as well. 

 In all this time, as they say, age is wisdom, and one thing I’ve learned is it takes a lot to keep these dog sports that we love alive. The volunteers for most of my clubs are painfully aware of this, so I just want to say thanks for giving me the opportunity to give back and hopefully encourage others to volunteer as well.  Get out there with your Picards, get involved, and I hope to see you at some shows or sporting events this year!

Region 3 (Blue): Nancy Draper 

Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin

Berger Picards are a unique and interesting breed. The breed standard outlines their conformation qualities, but their even-tempered personalities make them easy to live with – and who can resist that scruffy face!

I reside in suburban Omaha, Nebraska, acquired my first Picard in 2017 and joined BPCA in 2018. My Picard was shown to her AKC Championship, has her Herding Instinct Certificate, her Farm Dog Certification and passed her temperament test in 2022. This was my second conformation breed as I have owned, bred and shown Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers for 30 years. During that time I bred 14 Wheaten litters and finished 16 AKC Champions.

In the fall of 2018, I retired as a court reporter for 40 years with the Iowa Judicial Department and have plenty of time to devote to volunteer activities. When the Region 3 Director position became available, I was interested because of the wonderful Picard owners who live in this Region. Many of us have competed against each other, celebrated each other’s accomplishments and enjoyed working together as we planned the 2022 BPCA National Specialty.

In the past I served as a conformation show chair, obedience trial chair, president of the Des Moines Obedience Training Club, secretary of the Des Moines Kennel Club, a member of the West Des Moines Public Library Board and president of the Iowa Court Reporters Association. I have been a member of the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier Club of America since 2003 and served on their Board of Directors. At this time I am a member of the Platte Valley Kennel Club.

In 2020 I had plans to travel to Northern France, but the pandemic put a halt to all travel. Hopefully someday that trip will take place. In the meantime, I look forward to watching Picards at the 2025 World Dog Show in Helsinki, Finland, next summer.

Region Directors are responsible for planning supported entries at all-breed dog shows, and I hope to put together several future Picardy Parties. I bred one litter of Picards in 2020 but am no longer breeding Wheatens or Picards. I am happy to organize gatherings at dog shows and work for the Berger Picard Club of America.

Region 4 (Green): Ailynn Knox-Collins

Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming

In my life, I've had the fortune to own and  love many different breeds. I didn't show dogs until I got my third Old English Sheepdog about 6 years ago. That's when I also became involved in the breed club. 

The first time I saw a Berger Picard, I was in love. I waited patiently for almost 3 years to get my first -- Marius (GCH Pollux des Montagnes). The western region Picard community was so welcoming that it made showing Picards a lot of fun. And Marius set the bar high for the rest of my pack. He shows beautifully in the ring, but more than that, he loves sports and therapy work. His favorite is FastCat. He's discovered agility and barn hunt. He has such a great temperament and now he's a certified therapy dog and is on his way to becoming a crisis response dog. He loves people and has a real instinct for those in need. 

I am happy to help out on the BPCA board, representing the community out here in the western region as Region 4 director. I want to continue that friendly, Picard-loving culture that's been built out here.  I hope to meet old and new owners, and be a resource for all.