Meet USTA Judges Department leaders, U.S. IBTF Judges Representative
As the national leader in education and training for baton twirling judges, USTA is pleased to welcome four Professional members who bring exceptional knowledge, experience, and passion, to serve our judging community:
USTA is excited to introduce these Professionals to you, but first we want to recognize our outgoing Judges Department Director, John Chamberlain, and Alyse Windsor, who stepped down as Judges Training and Certification Department Manager last season. We thank them for their dedicated service to our judges and organization!
Kathy Butera-Fanney
Judges Department Director | North Carolina
Butera-Fanney brings extensive experience, leadership, and a deep commitment to the judging community. She served in this role from 2015–2022 and is excited to return to support and advance the Judges Department. Kathy is passionate about serving judges by ensuring they have the resources, tools, training, and educational materials necessary to make sound, consistent judging decisions. She is equally committed to helping judges develop their skills and advance their judging careers, from Level I through Master Level.
Kathy is a certified coach, a USTA Master Judge and Clinician, and an IBTF NJS Master Judge and Clinician. She has judged numerous domestic and international competitions and is highly respected throughout the judging community for her expertise, professionalism, and dedication to the sport.
Recently retired after nearly 40 years of government service as a Human Resources Executive Director within the Department of Defense, Kathy brings a wealth of leadership and organizational experience to this position. Outside of her professional and judging commitments, Kathy and her husband Rich, reside in North Carolina, where they recently welcomed the newest member of their family, a puppy named Maverick.
Dawn Shepetuk
Judges Training and Certification Department Manager | Maryland
Education is Shepetuk’s passion. She is an educator by trade, teaching World Languages at Allegany High School. She graciously stepped into this position in the middle of last season and is working to provide all levels of Judges Workshops to our judging community.
Dawn is a USTA Master Judge and Clinician with a focus on mentoring junior judges to ensure they understand and are confident using our judging policies, procedures, and educational materials. She is a proven expert at every level of instruction and is well-respected in the twirling community as a judge’s educator.
Outside of baton, Dawn is married to Kenneth Shepetuk and they have two children, Patrick and Bridgette.
Michael Lopez
Adjudicator Management Department Manager | Texas
Lopez is a USTA Master Judge and Clinician and an IBTF Master Judge (NJS Certified) with a strong passion for advancing the sport of baton twirling and supporting the growth of its judging community. A multi-time Grand National Men’s Champion and Grand Finalist, Michael has proudly represented the United States as a two-time World Team member, as well as a Team USA member at the WBTF International Cup and IBTF Grand Prix.
As a Master Judge, he has expanded his expertise to the international levels of competition, most recently judging his first World Championship in Paris, France. Drawing on his experience as an athlete and an international official, he is committed to upholding the highest standards of judging and supporting the continued growth of baton twirling worldwide.
As the USTA Adjudicator Manager, Michael values learning, collaboration, and the development of fellow judges. He looks forward to working alongside the judging community to share knowledge, promote continuing education, and foster a culture of fairness, consistency, and excellence throughout the sport. Through this role, he hopes to strengthen the judging community and help ensure a positive and successful future for baton twirling.
Krystal Mignone
U.S. IBTF Judges Representative | California
Mignone has been involved in twirling since she was nine years old, starting her journey as part of community drum and bell corps where she tried her hand at baton, color guard, and bass drum. After a short coaching career which included a Twirl Team national championship, she attained her judge's certification over 30 years ago.
Mignone found the area where her analytical skills could give back to the sport. She has a wealth of domestic and international experience including judging at the world level 20 times. Her judging resume includes leading, developing and presenting educational materials for focus meetings and workshops at all levels including the recent IBTF Freestyle New Judging System.
She has a passion for educating fellow judges and providing athletes with fair scoring and valuable feedback. Krystal's vast knowledge, experience, and dedication are truly an asset to the baton twirling judging community.
