I cannot say precisely how long I have known Vicki Jo — it feels like I have known her forever. I remember awarding one of her cats an International Winner title at an Annual banquet, and how proud she was of that moment. Later, when she joined the Board, I watched her manage the Annual meeting in Corpus Christi through no small difficulty.
My first impression of her was — and still is — that she is someone who genuinely cares for other people, and who carries a real passion for what we do.
I have judged since 1993 and became a TICA Allbreed Judge in 2009. I just love cats, and I love handling them. I have had so many wonderful experiences on the judging table, and handled so many beautiful cats all over the world — it became part of my life in a way I cannot imagine living without.
That is the thread that runs through everything else: thirty years of judging, a region built from almost nothing, and now a second term asking to keep building.
Back in 2018, many judges wanted some form of representation before the Board, but no concrete proposal existed until Carlos Lopez and Toni Jones brought forward the idea for a Judging Program. They invited me to be part of it, and my role was to work on the existing rules to create a Standing Committee unlike any we'd had before. Vickie Fisher and I worked through the necessary additions and amendments, and I've been the Board liaison for the Judging Committee ever since. It took years to consolidate into what it is today.
"Luiz Paulo is the calm in the room when I'm the one pacing it. I can get swept up in how much I care about something — he never does, and that's exactly why I trust him with the decisions that need a clear head. I don't think I could do this job the way I do it without him next to me."
— Vicki Jo Harrison
"I feel we form a team. Vicki Jo is more emotional in many things — I tend to be more rational. We understand each other perfectly and work together in the very same direction. Besides, I admire her integrity and her honesty."
— Luiz Paulo Faccioli
According to our by-laws, the Vice President exists to replace the President when necessary, and to vote on the Board. But I always think the role is more than that.
It's someone the President can share responsibilities and decisions with — and that's the way Vicki Jo and I have worked.
That is why I said yes to a second term. Not for the title, but for the partnership — and because I believe in where we are taking this association together.
South America has always struggled with low membership, and we still do. But we have increased our number of shows, and with it, our registrations. That growth did not happen on its own — it took thirty years of judging, building relationships one show at a time, across a continent most of TICA's leadership had never set foot in.
"I believe it's mostly a personal trait. But I also worked for many years in management at a Federal Bank in Brazil, dealing with difficult people and crises — and I'd say I like that kind of challenge."
Faccioli votes independently on Board matters, guided by principle rather than politics — a non-partisan approach he brings to TICA leadership.
"TICA is a valued and respected name in South America now — and that, to me, matters more than the numbers."
Vicki Jo thinks about TICA twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. She's a workaholic. She reflects a great deal before making any decision, because she's always thinking about what's best for the Association and its members. That is what I want members around the world to know about her.
Please look at everything we've accomplished over the past six years under her leadership. Look at where we are now, and decide whether you want to keep moving in this direction — or change it.
"When I think about what TICA could be in three years, I think: that we are the Number One Registry in the World, and no one will threaten us on that position."