Shepherd of the Year

Each year, MSBA recognizes an individual or couple for their distinguished work within the Maryland sheep industry; their unique contribution to the organization itself and their dedication to volunteerism. For 2025, the selection committee chose Nancy Starkey.

2025 Shepherd of the Year: Nancy Starkey

Our awardee this year, Nancy Starkey, is someone that everyone knows. As chairman of the Sheepdog Demonstrations committee at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival, not only is her event one of the most enjoyed activities at the Festival, but she deserves extra kudos for always being able to find sponsors to fully offset the cost of her committee every year. Nancy has always stepped up to be a volunteer of the highest regard, doing her job quietly, thanklessly and completely. Not only does she volunteer at the festival but she has stepped up numerous times to serve on our board of directors, frequently filling in when directors drop off. Nancy doesn’t just fill in, she steps up, and is currently in charge of our awards committee, which made presenting her with this award particularly difficult as it took quite a lot of sneaking around to give an award to our awards committee chair! But speaking of awards, Nancy is someone we all assumed had already earned this award a hundred times over only for us to realize that her name was not yet on the prestigious list of recipients. She is recognized regionally for her ability to train sheep dogs and is very devoted to her dogs and their training. In addition to her skill with dog training, she has long been known for her beautiful flock of Blue Faced Leicester sheep.