Brewers Association Welcomes New Technical Subcommittee Members

Welcome New Technical Subcommittee Members

Written By Kaylyn Kirkpatrick , Director of Education

Director of Education

Kaylyn Kirkpatrick is the director of education for the Brewers Association where she works diligently to ensure members are equipped with the educational resources they need to thrive and survive. Previously, Kaylyn managed the Cornell University Brewing Extension program where she worked to develop and facilitate resources for the craft beer community in New York state. She got her start in beer working in quality assurance at New Belgium Brewing Company. Kaylyn has an academic background in brewing science, having completed an M.S. at Oregon State University where she led the first investigations into "hop creep" as well as earning the prestigious Diploma in Brewing from the Institute of Brewing & Distilling in London.

Kaylyn is an active competition beer judge, having participated in regional, national, and international beer competitions such as the National Homebrew Competition (NHC), Great American Beer Festival® (GABF®), and World Beer Cup® (WBC). She proudly serves on the Master Brewers Association of the Americas (MBAA) National Technical Committee and the American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC) Webinar Subcommittee. She is the author of the eCornell Craft Brewing course, a crash course in beer ingredients and commercial brewing for hobbyists and professional brewers alike.

January 24, 2022

In the later part of 2021, the Brewers Association (BA) Technical Committee was successful in onboarding 16 new members across all six of its subcommittees. This recent round of recruitment was driven in part by the biannual Technical Summit where committee members and BA staff coalesced around the initiative of improving recruitment and onboarding practices across subcommittees. The intent of this ongoing effort is to better align with the overall association’s diversity, equity, and inclusion work led by J Jackson-Beckham.

To forward this new recruitment initiative, a cross-subcommittee working group was organized to review and develop new guidelines for subcommittee expectations, outreach and communications, and standard onboarding procedures. The outcomes desired by this working group are to deliver a more inclusive recruitment message, develop tactics to successfully recruit new members, and to improve the onboarding process for all.

Recruitment & Onboarding Working Group

J Jackson-Beckham, BA Equity and Inclusion Partner
Jason Perkins, Chair, Technical Committee
Ryan Wagner, Member, Draught Beer Quality Subcommittee
Eric Ritchson, Member, Engineering Subcommittee
Chris Bogdanoff, Co-Chair, Safety Subcommittee
Rachel Bell, Co-Chair, Safety Subcommittee
Walker Modic, Chair, Sustainability Subcommittee
Jaime Floyd, Member, Quality Subcommittee
Lauren Torres, Chair, Quality Subcommittee

“The first meeting is such a critical time for new members. Making sure they are set up to succeed and also set up to feel like they are a contributing member of the group right off the bat is important.“

Ryan Wagner, Draught Beer Quality Subcommittee

As a result of the input and direction of this working group, new recruiting and onboarding processes have been put into practice including candidate interviews with a subcommittee chair and BA staff, detailed information on accessing the tools and resources required to collaborate, arranged mentorship opportunities with existing members, and more. The working group will meet annually to formally review and update these practices, with the thought that this will be an ongoing effort that is informed by the perspectives of new subcommittee members.

The Technical Committee welcomes the diverse expertise, perspectives, and experiences from this new cohort, and will continue to work to support and invite new members to contribute. Visit the BA Committees Page for more information and to learn more about volunteering on a committee or subcommittee.

Draught Beer Quality Subcommittee

Jack Hansell, Mad Jacks Mountain Brewery, Bailey, Colo.
Keith Lemcke, Consultant and former Vice President of the Siebel Institute of Technology
Nathan Gustafson, Little Thistle Brewing, Rochester, Minn.
Matthew Davis, Allagash Brewing Company, Portland, Maine.

Engineering Subcommittee

Jimmy Walsh, The Veil Brewing Co., Richmond, Va.
Megan Slater, Ignite Brewing Company, Barberton, Ohio
Robert Eichenlaub, Eureka Heights Brewery, Houston, Texas

Quality Subcommittee

Kimberly Bacigalupo, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, Calif.
Matt Linske, BDAS LLC, Denver, Colo.
Tammy Nicholson, Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co., Lexington, Ky.

Safety Subcommittee

Jennifer Sedillo, USFSP Brewing Arts Program, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Matt Rachor, Meadowlark Brewing, Sidney, Mont.
Tommy Cimino, Brewery Thirty-Three, Riverton, N.J.

Supply Chain Subcommittee

Andy Joynt, Big Grove Brewery, Iowa City, Iowa
Teddy Gowan, Societe Brewing Co., San Diego, California

Sustainability Subcommittee

Sarah Fraser, New Belgium Brewing Company, Asheville, N.C.