2007
Exhibitor of the Year
Melanie Morgan
This year’s
Southern Region Exhibitor-of-the-Year is a successful breeder,
exhibitor, Breed Council Secretary, mentor, club member, frequent show
manager, lover of both cats and horses, and a business woman with an
MBA. She is a very accomplished individual who is a valuable asset to
CFA and the Southern Region. The CFA Southern Region is proud to award
the 2007 CFA Southern Region Exhibitor of the Year to Melanie Morgan.
Melanie has made a
significant mark on the Egyptian Mau breeder through both her breeding
program and mentoring of new Egyptian Mau breeders and lovers. She
established Emau cattery in 1995. Since then, Melanie has bred
sixty-four Grands, seven Distinguished Merit cats, 12 Regional Winners,
8 Breed Winners, and 1 National Winner. She was very proud of “Sunny”
(GC, BW, NW Emau’s Drop of Golden Sun) who was CFA’s 2007 Best Egyptian
Mau and Twenty-second Best Cat in Championship. She has also owned and
shown several other breeds including an Abyssinian, a European Burmese
and a Russian Blue to add to her knowledge of pedigreed cats.
Melanie is currently
serving her second term as Egyptian Mau Breed Council Secretary.
Members of the breed council have praise for the job she is doing and
are delighted with her willingness to communicate with her fellow breed
council members and to provide the guidance needed in this role. She
was instrumental in getting this breed established in Great Britain,
Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, and Singapore. She
has helped a number of new exhibitors and
breeders over the years, in fact developing her own competition.
Mautrix, Emauge, Emaugine, D'otz, Alotospotz, Karmau, and RasAbi owe
their starts to Melanie, who was mentoring well before CFA had a formal
mentorship program. She not only taught many newcomers the ropes of
showing cats, but stated many of them with top notch cats to begin their
own catteries. She was there on the phone in the middle of the night
when first litters were born, and offered expert advice at every step.
Her dedication to this breed is also evident in her commitment to
showing quality Egyptian Maus to their potential and imparting these
same values in all those she works with.
Melanie devotes much of her time to CFA. She
is a tireless worker who works on several shows each year including
Southern Region shows. A member of Southern Dixie Cat Club since 1999,
Melanie has held several officer positions including President and
frequently acts as show manager for their October Richmond cat show.
Joining the Southern Persian Society in 2003, she often serves as show
manager for their annual Southern Region Celebration show each April.
In addition to these Richmond clubs, Melanie is an active member of
several other clubs including NOVA Cat Fanciers, Sign of the Cat, Global
Egyptian Mau Society, The European Burmese Cat Club, and The
International Egyptian Mau Society. With no task too big, she
has also accepted the position of Co-Show Manager for 2007 National
Capital Cat Show which is one of CFA’s largest and most popular shows.
Melanie has come to the
aid of the CFA Southern Region several times through her work on
Southern Region shows including our June Award Shows. She has held
numerous show management positions for our regional shows over the past
few years. The most important has been show manager of several Richmond
regional shows where Melanie has not only managed the regional show but
helped coordinate and locate regional banquet facilities. Whenever the
region has needed help, Melanie has been quick to ask, “What can I
do?” Her willingness to step forward to help our region is typical
of Melanie’s enthusiasm and dedication to the cat fancy.
Outside the cat fancy, Melanie has an
undergraduate degree from Goucher College and MBA from RPI. She is the
Supervisor of Media Buying for the S & K Menswear. She enjoys reading,
is an avid horseperson, owns several horses, and has competed in the
High Amateur Owner Jumper and equitation divisions with her German
Warmbloods. Melanie is a very passionate person in whatever she
undertakes. She is very worthy of the 2007 CFA Southern Region
Exhibitor of the Year award.
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