The Brewers Association (BA) Technical staff and Technical Committee recently completed their annual recruitment cycle and are pleased to announce they have invited 23 new members to volunteer across the six technical subcommittees. We are excited to have the energy, diverse experiences, and varying perspectives of the new members, who are now contributing to both relevant discussions concerning the craft beer and beverage industry and the creation of new resources, which can be found in the BA’s Resource Hub.

Please join us in welcoming all our new volunteers, who are listed below. Also, we would like to extend a big thank you to all the seasoned subcommittee members who have already been sharing their insights and knowledge. We could not do our work without you.

If you have any interest in volunteering on a subcommittee, fill out the BA Committee Interest Form.

Technical Committee and Subcommittee Updates

Technical Committee

• Christian Ettinger, Hopworks Brewery, co-chair of the Sustainability Subcommittee
• Nikki Lavery, Lavery Brewing, co-chair of the Safety Subcommittee
• Hal McConnellogue, Drake’s Brewing, co-chair of the Sustainability Subcommittee

“It’s so exciting to welcome our new subcommittee members. I’d like to thank them in advance for their time, dedication, and commitment to working on all the projects we have in place to help craft brewers. Our volunteers come from breweries of all sizes and have widely varied professional experiences, giving us many unique perspectives and insights. The work our subcommittees do to provide information, best practices, and resources to the BA membership is thorough and valuable to everyone.”

Mitch Steele, Technical Committee Co-Chair

Draught Beer Quality Subcommittee

• Matt Perrin, Calgary Flames National Hockey League Team
• Kristin Rudy, Molson Coors
• Stephen Wagner, The Brewtorium

“Co-chairing the Draught Beer Quality Subcommittee has been exciting and educational. So much work goes into each resource, and I’m very proud to be a part of it. With the new members coming on this year, we have an even greater pool of experience and knowledge going into our work.”

Paige Martin, Draught Beer Quality Subcommittee Co-Chair

Maintenance and Engineering Subcommittee

• John D’Orvilliers, Boulevard Brewing
• Garrison Fratoni, Russian River Brewing
• Vincent Morenza, Kona Brewing Hawaii

Quality Subcommittee

• Dan Anderson, Pinthouse Brewing
• Jake Blitzer, Wissahickon Brewing
• Chandler Cottrell, MadTree Brewing
• Patrick Gibson, Tidal Creek Brewhouse
• Chris Haupt, Two Ass Brewing
• Aaron Ross, Kalamazoo Valley Community College
• Julie Smith, Lawson’s Finest Liquids

“We’re welcoming a strong cohort of Quality Subcommittee members this year! As our industry continues to evolve, our subcommittee knowledge base has expanded as well. Our new members bring a variety of experiences in the craft beverage industry that will complement our existing team’s. We are well poised to continue supporting BA members with new resources in 2025.”

Ashley Howard, Quality Subcommittee Co-Chair

Safety Subcommittee

• New co-chair: Nikki Lavery, Lavery Brewing
• Matt Lawson, Level Beer
• Rissa Spalding, Ninkasi Brewing

Supply Chain Subcommittee

• Jon Courtois, Pure Madness Brewery Group
• Colin Cummings, Fort George Brewery
• Cole Hackbarth, Rhinegeist Brewery
• Joey Panarese, Pinthouse Brewing

Sustainability Subcommittee

• New co-chair: Hal McConnellogue, Drake’s Brewing
• New co-chair: Christian Ettinger, Hopworks Brewery
• Jordan Beaver, University of California, Davis Pilot Brewery
• Peter Kruger, Mother Road Brewing
• Lexie St. Denis, Great Lakes Brewing
• Jacob Yarbrough, Creature Comforts Brewing

A big thank you to the volunteers who contributed throughout 2024 but who are no longer participating on a subcommittee: Cameron Selna, Eric McCrory, Andrew Klosinski, Chilkoot Ward, John Seabrooks, Matt Bailey, Rob Eichenlaub, Sean Diffley, Drew Herron, Heather Caron-Muzzy, Jacob Eaton, John Armstrong, Lauren Zeidler, Phil Leinhart, Tammy Nicholson, Adam Fuller, Matt Cook, Tommy Cimino, Bryan Baxter, Chris Shields, Emily McLaurin, Carol Cochran, Caitlin Singer, and Hannah Johnson.

An extra big thank you goes to Mandi McKay (Sierra Nevada) and Adam Beauchamp (Creature Comforts), previous co-chairs of the Sustainability Subcommittee. Their unflagging commitment to sustainability and the betterment of their workplaces made them fantastic leaders in the space who continue to guide craft beer toward new horizons of sustainable achievements.

Lastly, we would like to acknowledge the passing of Chris LaPierre, whose dedication and contributions to the Safety Subcommittee will always be remembered. His presence and efforts will be greatly missed. We are grateful for the time and energy Chris devoted to our work, and his legacy will continue to inspire us.

Meet the Technical Subcommittee Members

If you share any of the Technical subcommittees’ passions, be sure to keep an eye on the schedule for the 2025 Craft Brewers Conference® (CBC®) taking place in Indianapolis. At the meetups and networking events, meet volunteers, learn more about what each subcommittee is working on, find out what it is like to be a volunteer, ask questions, and share ideas. Check out the CBC website for more information on registration, schedules, and educational seminars.