The Brewers Association (BA) is excited to announce new leadership for the Safety Subcommittee and Sustainability Subcommittee.

Hal McConnellogue of Drake’s Brewing (San Leandro, Calif.) and Christian Ettinger of Hopworks Brewery (Portland, Ore.) are taking the reins as the new co-chairs of the Sustainability Subcommittee, and Nikki Lavery of Lavery Brewing (Erie, Pa.) is filling the Safety co-chair seat alongside Zach Perrotte of Night Shift Brewing (Boston, Mass.).

Hal has been in the craft beer industry and at Drake’s for the past 12 years, where he helped develop a sustainability-focused position for himself at the brewery not long after his coworkers started recognizing him as the workplace trash man.

“I’m very excited to be stepping into the co-chair role after serving on the Sustainability Subcommittee for the past three years. Before Drake’s, I was just a fan of craft beer, honing my brewing skills in the garage. Improving things and bettering the future are my main drivers when it comes to sustainability.”

–Hal McConnellogue

Sustainability Subcommittee Co-Chair

As an engaged contributor who cares not just about the environment but the health of industry workers, as demonstrated by his Craft Brewers Conference® (CBC)® talk on occupational noise exposure, Hal is a conscientious and dedicated BA volunteer.

“While sustainability isn’t an ingredient in beer, it’s definitely something every brewery should be putting into their operations,” says Hal. “The subcommittee is an amazing team working to elevate sustainability in craft breweries and across the industry. I’m excited to continue this group’s important work and look forward to bringing some rejuvenation to the team with my co-chair and newest beer buddy, Christian Ettinger.”

Christian, one of the founding members of the Sustainability Subcommittee with 11 years of service, is the brewmaster and co-founder of Hopworks Brewery and has 30 years of industry experience. His fascination with green building, organics, and sustainable brewing practices culminated in Hopworks’ B Corp certification in 2015. A couple of Ettinger’s other accolades include serving on the Salmon-Safe Board and leading a collaboration with maltsters to pilot a recycling program for malt bags—recently featured in the updated Solid Waste Management Manual.

Outside of work, Christian enjoys cycling, snowboarding, motorcycling, hiking, and traveling with his wife of 27 years and business partner Brandie, son Julian, and daughter Evelyn. Ettinger, whose passion for sustainability is always palpable in subcommittee calls, brings a wealth of energy and experience to the co-chair role.

“I am stoked to be co-chairing the Sustainability Subcommittee with Hal. We have some big shoes to fill, and I am grateful for the opportunity. The subcommittee has produced a lot of great resources, but times have changed and there is a need to modernize our approach and make sustainability even more fun, accessible, and affordable. It’s up to us as an industry to be the change we seek in the world. Cheers to using beer as a force for good!”

–Christian Ettinger

Sustainability Subcommittee Co-Chair

And finally, taking on the role of Safety Subcommittee co-chair is Dr. Nikki Lavery, OTD. She is an occupational therapist, researcher, and industry leader dedicated to safety and ergonomics in brewing. As co-owner and vice president of Lavery Brewing Company, she combines her expertise with real-world brewing industry experience to promote worker safety and best practices.

Nikki has conducted research on brewery ergonomics and injury prevention, co-authoring studies on reducing workplace hazards using digital human modeling technology. She has also presented at CBC, most recently in 2024 in the Ergonomics and Stretching: Crafting Safety, One Move at a Time seminar.

Nikki is also a tenured associate professor at Gannon University, where she educates future occupational therapists with a focus on emerging models of practice and community-based interventions. With an impressive background in not just health and well-being but also brewery operations and workplace stressors, Nikki’s a perfect fit for the Safety Subcommittee co-chair role.

“As an advocate for safety, I am excited to get more involved with the Safety Subcommittee and focus on improving the culture of safety for everyone in the brewing world.”

–Nikki Lavery

Safety Subcommittee Co-Chair

The BA is excited to now be working with these new co-chairs and seeks to continue curating and creating safety- and sustainability-focused resources into the future.