For decades the MSBA has promoted the Maine sheep industry, educated producers, and improved breeding and management practices.
The Maine Sheep Breeders Association (MSBA) is a group of like-minded shepherds working together to promote all aspects of sheep husbandry, management, and enjoyment across the State of Maine. The newly revised MSBA strives to increase networking and educational programming to promote a thriving sheep industry in Maine. From hobbyists, to wool growers, to solar grazers, the MSBA seeks to be a conduit for dissemination of information, marketing opportunities and fellowship among its members. In the interests of shepherds from across Maine, the MSBA is once again recognized as a voice for sheep producers at agricultural events as well as in our State Capitol.
Meet our Board
Tom Hodgman, President
Tom has over two decades of experience producing and marketing Katahdin seedstock with annual distribution across the Northeast, Southeast, and Midwest. A long-standing practitioner of quantitative genetic selection as a primary tool for flock improvement and breed advancement. Tom earned an M.S. in Range Management from WSU and is a skilled grazer applying high-density, short-duration rotational methods to advance regenerative land management goals — including beneath solar arrays (agrivoltaics). He also serves on the American Sheep Industry Association’s Genetic Stakeholders Committee.
Nanne Kennedy, Vice President
Beginning in 1988, she established a Maine farm and developed a long-term homebred Polwarth program — selecting rigorously for fine wool quality, parasite resistance, and lambing ease. Her work is part of a broader vision to restore value-added fiber processing to Maine in alignment with the growing fibershed movement. Inspired by the precedent of the Katahdin breed's development in Maine, her ultimate goal is to contribute a purpose-bred fine wool sheep to the US wool industry — built from the ground up in Maine, for American conditions.
Sue Watson, Secretary
A lifelong sheep farmer with experience raising Merino and Corriedale sheep in Maine, Sue generates the majority of her farm income through felt making and rug hooking while participating in festivals and fairs statewide. Her career with the Natural Resources Conservation Service spanned roles as a Soil Scientist and Project Coordinator across more than a dozen Maine counties, where she developed agriculture, aquaculture, forestry, and community development programs. She is committed to helping restore the MSBA to the valued resource it once was for Maine's sheep industry and farmers.
Charity Klinger, Treasurer
Charity is a Maine shepherd and livestock producer with more than six years of shepherding experience and over a decade of hands-on farm management. She is the owner and operator of her family farm in Gray, Maine (established in 2011), where her work spans showmanship, fiber and meat production, and commercial solar grazing. Charity has and continues to serve in leadership roles with 4-H, Civil Air Patrol, her Road Association, and Town Council. She is committed to strengthening Maine’s sheep industry by helping expand opportunities for networking, marketing, and education.
Tara Shively
Tara brings extensive hands-on sheep experience rooted in a lifetime of working with livestock, including a family ranch, a sheep farm in Scotland, and their own Maine farm where they have raised a 100-head Icelandic flock alongside East Friesians for dairy since 2010. Their professional background as a wildlife biologist and veterinary technician, combined with expertise in disease biology and both traditional and non-traditional animal husbandry, gives them a strong scientific foundation for supporting flock health and biosecurity.
Jonathon Tibbets
Jonathon is a multi-generational farmer and owner of Tibbetts Farm in Lyman, Maine since 2016, raising 250 bred Katahdin ewes for meat and solar grazing across 110+ acres, with a growing Halal market. They are civically active in agriculture, currently serving as Vice President of the Maine Farm Bureau and President of the York County Farm Bureau, with additional board experience in Maine Beef Producers. They are seeking revitalize MSBA as a networking hub for Maine sheep farmers, bringing hands-on experience in solar grazing, Halal markets, and large-scale sheep operations.
Paul Kempf
Paul is a retired government professional with an extensive background in food safety, having served as a Sanitary Engineer for the US Navy, USEPA, and USDA, and holds degrees from SUNY-Cobleskill, the University of Connecticut, and the University of Maine. He and his wife operate a small farm in Wilton, Maine, where they raise animals and process and sell fiber products including wool and mohair. As an Army Veteran and certified HACCP plan writer, Paul's goal for the MSBA is to unite members, share marketing strategies, and advocate for the growth and success of the Maine sheep industry.
Erin Percival Carter
Erin Percival Carter is an associate professor of marketing at the University of Maine and a five-year shepherd who raises natural-colored Corriedale and Corriedale-Merino sheep in central Maine, focusing on high-quality hand spinning fleece and sustainable small-scale production. Drawing on her expertise in consumer behavior, research, and communication, she seeks to strengthen the Maine sheep industry through effective association leadership, producer outreach, and improved connections to consumers, policymakers, and funding opportunities.
Matt Kovarik
Matt is a first-generation shepherd running a solar grazing focused operation. Passionate about innovation in the sheep industry, Matt believes that collaboration in Maine's sheep community is essential to collective growth and the development of a thriving shepherd network. He is eager to bring his enthusiasm for community engagement and fresh ideas to the MSBA board, where he hopes to foster connection and continued learning among fellow shepherds. He also serves on the American Sheep Industry Association’s Young Entrepreneurs Committee.