Meet the Master Certification Evaluation Team
We are pleased to introduce you to the Master Sewing and Design Professional Certification Evaluation Team. There are a minimum of three members in each of five modules, Design, Fashion Illustration, Fit, Garment Construction and Pattern Development.
The Professional Practices module will be evaluated by a Business Professional outside of the Association of Sewing and Design Professionals. The Fabric module will be evaluated by an online test. We are honored to have evaluators with such impressive backgrounds.
Vandarra
Director of Operations
Vandarra Robbins: Orange, NJ
Education: Washington University, St. Louis, MO BA French; Newark School of Fine Arts, Newark, NJ AA Interior Design; NJ City University, JC, NJ; MA English as a Second Language.
Vandarra was a founding member in 1993 of the New Jersey Chapter and has served as Vice President and President. She worked with Maria Guzman and Linda Macke to establish that chapter’s jurying program in 2001.Vandarra worked for the McCall Pattern Company as the “Ask Meg” Sewing Expert and as a freelance technical designer for Isaac Mizrahi. She is the owner of Sewphistication at The Couture Hand teaching tailoring techniques.
Pamela
Pamela Leggett: Vernon, CT
Pamela Leggett has been teaching sewing since 1981. Specializing in pattern fitting, fine garment sewing skills, knits and serging she has developed a fun and informative teaching style that is available in her patterns and instructional DVD’s. After completing the Palmer/Pletsch pattern fitting method Pamela created Pamela’s Patterns which have many fitting solutions and adjustments built in the patterns. Pamela’s Patterns have been reviewed and featured in magazines and on-line review sites. Pamela is a contributing writer, book author and DVD personality for Threads Magazine, an instructor for Craftsy online classes, director of the Palmer/Pletsch Philadelphia and Connecticut Sewing Workshops and a national sewing/serging educator. She has also appeared on PBS’s Sewing with Nancy and Canada’s The Shopping Channel.
Pamela lives in Connecticut and has a teaching studio, Pamela’s Patterns Fashion Sewing & Fitting Studio, in Vernon CT. Pamela will be available to evaluate in Garment Construction, Pattern Development, and Design.
Judith
Judith Baer: Torrance, CA
Education: Southwestern College, Chula Vista CA; Los Angeles Trade Tech.
Judith Baer has had a career in the garment industry since 1982. She has worked as a designer for Street Scene, Ledger II and Secrets, has been a production patternmaker for Carole Little, Nancy Johnson Traces and Rialto and has had her own children’s clothing line selling through Neiman Marcus.
When Judith retired from the garment industry she started working full time as an artist working in both textiles and watercolors. She is a member of the Artists Studio at the Palos Verdes Art Center as well as the Art-A-Fair in Laguna Beach. As an exhibiting artist she has won numerous awards. At present Judith has her own line of wearable art garments.
Judith is a 2014 graduate of the MSP Certification Program and will be available for evaluations in Fashion Illustration.
Rae
Rae Cumbie: Baltimore, MD
Education: University of Richmond, BA Religion and Sociology.
Rae Cumbie has been creating clothing for women and children in her home-based studio for over 20 years. Her custom gowns for weddings and special occasions have earned her a place as one of Baltimore’s most sought-after dressmakers, and the title of Baltimore’s Best Tailor by Baltimore Magazine in 2005.
She also creates custom artful wearables and limited-edition jackets that have been shown at galleries and craft shows in the Baltimore /Washington region for over 10 years. Her Little Black Dress entry was named Most Creative in the Threads Magazine/PACC 2007 Little Black Dress Challenge. She has taught numerous classes for the Baltimore Chapter of ASDP and has led many workshops.
Rae served as the National President of The Association of Sewing and Design Professionals and is a founding member and past president of the Baltimore Chapter. Rae is a contributor to Threads Magazine and Sew News Magazine. Rae will be available for evaluations in Fit, Garment Construction and Alteration Techniques.
Karen
Karen Bengtson: Longmont, CO
Education: Taylor University, Upland IN, BA Physical Education.
Karen has been a member of the evaluation committee for the Colorado Chapter since 1996 and worked on National’s first attempt to set up a certification program. She has served as President of the Colorado Chapter as well as Vice President. Karen has studied pant fitting with Joyce Murphy and now teaches Joyce’s methods to other groups and chapters. Karen will be available as an evaluator for Fit and Garment Construction.
Leslie
Leslie Littell: Auburn Hills, MI
Education: University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH; BS Design Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ; MA History.
Leslie is the owner of Ashbridge Costume Studio, a private studio offering full costume design services. Currently, her studio focuses on historic pattern development. She is a member of the Costume Society of America and has over 100 costume design credits for theatre and dance productions from New York to Colorado, including serving as the principal Costumer for Eisenhower Dance Ensemble in Michigan for ten years. She has presented at national and international conferences on teaching and the creative process.
Leslie has been on the faculty at Oakland University’s Department of Music, Theatre & Dance (Michigan) since 2002 and has worked and taught previously at Wayne State University (MI) and Montclair State University (NJ) in similar capacity. She is available as an evaluator in Fit, Design and Alteration Overview.
Debbie
Debbie Bone-Harris: Kennewick, WA
Education: Washington State University degree in Business with a Marketing emphasis; Washington State University with a Masters in Clothing and Textile Design.
Debbie is an award-winning designer specializing in wearable art. She is a two time Bernina Fashion Show Designer (2006 and 2007) and has exhibited her work widely. Debbie says “My passion and focus is spectacular design with superior garment construction for all of my work. I try to pass along this passion to all those that I teach, lecture, and demonstrate techniques to in the sewing industry. I also have a strong passion to teach our youth principles of the sewing industry, with emphasis on design, the science of fabrics, and garment construction techniques. “ Debbie will serve as a Design Module evaluator.
Debra
Debra Utberg: Portland, OR
Education: Portland State University, BA in Foreign Languages.
Debbie’s sewing career began in 1990 and proceeded intermittently until 1997 when she began marketing her business. In 2005 she moved into a commercial location and renamed her business “Debra Dianne-Fine Dressmaking and Bridal Couture.”
Debbie has been actively involved in ASDP for many years and has served the organization both on the chapter and national level. She has also completed the Oregon Chapter’s evaluation process. Debbie will serve as both a Fit and Garment Construction evaluator.
Carol
Carol Kimball: Denver, CO
Education: BA Hastings College, Hastings, NE
Carol is a professional artist. She taught at the Emily Griffith School in Denver for about 10 years. She has taught classes at Association of Sewing and Design Professionals Conferences in Las Vegas and Chicago.
Carol has integrated design into her teaching and client work for over 30 years. She is a full time artist and has developed her own method of teaching fashion illustration called “Fashion Sketching for Any Body.” She has also served as the art director on several movies. Carol will serve as a Fashion Illustration evaluator as well as a Design Module evaluator.
Marian
Marian O’Rourke-Kaplan: Carrollton, TX
Education: BFA Fashion Design from Stephens College, Columbia, MO; MBA from National University, San Diego, CA.
Marian has over 20 years in the fashion manufacturing business, including design, patternmaking, production and operations management. For 17 years she has been on the Fashion Design Department faculty at the University of North Texas. In that capacity she has served as department head, curriculum development instructor of all level classes. She is currently Associate Professor of Art and Fashion Design at UNT.
Marian will serve as both a Fashion Illustration and Pattern Development evaluator.
Justine
Justine Limpus Parish: South Pasadena, CA
Education: BFA Academy of Art University in San Francisco; Attended the Art Center College of Design and Pasadena City College.
Justine has served as the Fashion Department Chair at the Academy of Art University where she developed the Fashion Department in 1987. She currently teaches at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, the Otis School of Fashion Design in Los Angeles and Mount San Antinio College in Walnut, CA. She has also taught at Fullerton College, Los Angeles Trade Technical College, Pasadena City College and American College of Applied Art.
Her work experience includes Art Director for Newspaper advertising for Liberty House of California, and freelance work for Belle Amoire Magazine, Sony Pictures Merchandise Division. She has also served as a freelance fashion illustrator for Joseph Magnin, I Magnin, Levi Strauss, Koret of California, Bullocks North, Emporium Capwell and others. She has her own line Justine Limpus Parrish Collections sold through specialty boutiques and galleries nationwide.
Justine will serve as a Fashion Illustration module evaluator.
Laurel
Laurel Hoffman: Oreland, PA
Education: Syracuse University; Thomas Edison NJ State College; BA in humanities with concentration in fine arts.
Laurel is currently developing and teaching the Fashion Engineering certificate program at Drexel University. She developed and taught the fashion degree program prerequisite fashion design Garment Structures course at Philadelphia University. She has written Drafting & Fitting Pants and Skirts and Inside Fashion as well as Basic Sample Making Procedures textbook for Philadelphia University. She has worked extensively in the clothing manufacturing industry as supervisor, grader, fit model, custom couture designer and sample sales.
Laurel is available as an evaluator in the Pattern Development module.
Trish
Trish Crocket: Gresham, OR
Education: University of Montana, Missoula, Montana; B.S in Home Economics – Clothing & Textiles; Masters Degree in Education, Instructional Leadership at Argosy University in Seattle, Washington.
Currently, Trish is an Apparel Design Department Instructor at the Art Institute of Portland. Trish has worked extensively with the Palmer/Pletsch International Sewing School. Trish has been a member of ASDP since 1984 and has been active in the Portland Chapter. She was a member of the committee that drafted the requirements for MSDP.
Trish will be available to evaluate in the Design, Fit, Fabrics, Garment and Pattern Development modules.
Clara
Clara Dittli: Cherry Hills Village, CO
Education: Degree in Fashion Design and Tailoring from the School of Arts at the University of Zurich, Switzerland.
Clara apprenticed in an atelier and worked in some of Zurich’s fine Couture Houses after graduation. In 1985 she moved to Denver where she started her own haute couture business, Fashion by Clara. Clara is a sought after teacher at national and local conferences and is a founding member of the Colorado Chapter of ASDP and as the chair of the chapter’s jurying committee. Clara will be available as an evaluator in the Design, Fashion Illustration, Fit, and Garment Construction modules.
Linda
Linda Macke: Camano Island, WA
Linda Macke received her Apparel Construction and Design Certificate from Phoenix College in 1991. She was on the Advisory Board for the Fashion Design Program at Phoenix College from 1991-96. Linda was a guest lecturer at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City in October 1999. She was also a co-chairperson and presenter at the 1999 Association of Sewing and Design Professionals (ASDP) National Educational Conference in New Jersey. Linda had an alteration and custom clothing business for 20 years and currently is a retired member of ASDP.
Linda has been a charter member of the ASDP since 1991. Linda co-chaired the committee that created the original mission statement for ASDP. She was an active member of both the Arizona and New Jersey Chapters and was an evaluator for the New Jersey Chapter’s Referral Evaluation program from 2000- 2008. Linda has attended all the ASDP National Educational Conferences from 1994 to 2019. Linda was the ASDP Region 1 Director from 2006-2007 and served as ASDP’s VP of Certification Programs from 2009-2014.
Linda won the Most Whimsical Closure award in the reversible wool contest sponsored by Threads Magazine and Joanne Fabrics in 2001. Her award winning suit can be seen in Threads Magazine, October/November 2001 issue, pg. 40.
Andrew
Andrew Myers: Olympia, WA
Andrew J. Myers received a Bachelor of Science Degree from Central Washington University in Business. Shortly after he received a professional designation as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR). He then started his career as a small business manager for a high end salon and spa. After that he worked as a Human Resources Coordinator, Staffing Coordinator, and Recruiter for Macy’s. For the past 12 years he has been working for DaVita Kidney Care as an HR Generalist, Training Supervisor, Training Manager, and Human Resources Business Partner supporting the Finance functions for this Fortune 200 company.