Speakers

Aaron Justus
Co-Founder, The East Village Brewing Company

Aaron Justus was born and raised in Kansas City where attended the University of Kansas and received a BS in Atmospheric Science. He was an avid homebrewer during his nearly thirteen years as a meteorologist and eventually decided to change careers. He packed his bags and moved to San Diego to pursue a career in brewing. Aaron started at Ballast Point in the summer of 2011. He started as a keg washer and eventually finished as the brewmaster. Aaron is a graduate of the American Brewers Guild and has passed the internationally recognized IBD Diploma in Brewing (Module 1 and 2). He is an active member of the Master Brewers Association. In addition, Aaron's research on beer bitterness was published in the brewing journal Technical Quarterly and was awarded best article in 2018. He also taught the Raw Materials course for the UCSD Brewing Certificate program for ten semesters. Aaron enjoys beer judging and has been fortunate to judge at the Great American Beer Festival for the last two years.

Aidan Kennedy
Marketing Director, Coronado Brewing Company

In the industry for about 9 years now. Grew up in San Diego. Graduated from Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA in 2014. First gig Marketing/Sales with NoLi Brewhouse in Spokane. Started with Coronado in 2015 as a Marketing coordinator, managing events and social. Since then, have had my hand in a bit of everything at CBC. Currently Director of Marketing leading the marketing and creative teams for the last few years.

Ashley Vevoda
Director or People and Culture, Karl Strauss Brewing Company

Ashley is a San Diego local who got her first taste of craft beer interning at Karl Strauss Brewing Company during college. She went on to complete a master’s degree in Organizational Psychology and worked as a Behavioral Researcher and Analyst. After some time working abroad the stars aligned, and she was offered a position to return to Karl Strauss and spent 8 years focused on building a values-driven inclusive culture where people feel pride in their company, can do their best work, and share that passion with fans of Karl.

Ashley Virtue
Director of External Relations, National Conflict Resolution Center (NCRC)

Ashley has been with NCRC since 2005. She is instrumental in the development of NCRC programs and has focused much of her career expanding the reach of NCRC’s work. As a facilitator, Ashley has traveled across the U.S. and internationally to deliver workshops to companies, non-profits, and universities. Ashley has received awards recognizing her commitment to the community, including being a finalist for San Diego Magazine’s Woman of the Year and was honored as a “KNX Hero” by Los Angeles’ KNX 1070 News Radio. Ashley is committed to making the world a better place through civil dialogue.

Barbara Stone
Western Region Key Account Sales Manager, John I. Haas

Barbara is in her fifth year at John I Haas. Before starting with Haas, she was at Ninkasi Brewing Co in Eugene, OR managing supply chain and production needs. Prior to the beer industry, she was managing food production and supply chain teams at a frozen dessert manufacturer. Barbara is currently serving on the MBAA national DEI taskforce, a member of the Pink Boots Society and member of the Global Sustainability Executive Team for the BarthHaas Group. Barbara’s favorite activities while drinking beer include mediocre golfing and yard work on her and her husband’s 20 acre property in Eugene, Oregon.

Brandon Richards
President, AleSmith Brewing Company

Brandon Richards is a beer industry Vet with 17 years of experience from Sales & Marketing positions to Executive Management. He is currently the President of AleSmith Brewing Company, after stints at Coronado Brewing Company and Craft Brew Alliance which owned many well-known brands like Kona Brewing Company, Redhook, Widmer Brothers and Omission. A native of San Diego and graduate of the San Diego State Business School, he resides in San Diego and is married to wife Brooke with two boys Carson and Bryce.

Chad Heath
Vice President Sales and Marketing, Karl Strauss Brewing Co.

Chad Heath has been the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Karl Strauss since 2018. Responsible for sales, marketing and logistics for Karl Strauss, he brings his decades worth of craft beer experience to Karl Strauss to help them grow both the brewpub division and beer division. Prior to that, Chad was the VP / GM of Kegstar US. Chad lead this division and brought Kegstar’s innovative keg tracking model to the US to provide the breweries, kombucha producers and wineries another choice when looking at keg rentals. Prior to Kegstar, Chad was the Sr. Director of Stone Distributing, a division of Stone Brewing Co. After joining the team in 2008, he helped create exponential growth for Stone and more than 30 supplier brands sold throughout Southern California, taking the amount distributed from 350,000 case equivalents to roughly 4+ million in 2016. In leading the efforts of Stone Distributing, Chad ensured the “go-to market strategy” was focused on delivering the right beer to the ideal account; opting out of incentives or pay-to-play; and following all ABC guidelines. Chad was an instructor at San Diego State University where he taught "The Business of Craft Beer" for over four years. Finally, Chad sits on the Board of Directors for Boochcraft, a high alcohol kombucha brewery located in San Diego.

Charlie Arnold
Water Operations Supervisor, Stone Brewing

Charlie Arnold is a Water and Wastewater Treatment professional, certified through the State of California Water Resource Control Board. He has been working at Stone Brewery for 8 years, overseeing water and wastewater treatment operations at brewing facilities located in San Diego CA and Richmond VA. He also sits on the sustainability subcommittee with the Brewers Association and works very closely with the San Diego Brewers Guild on matters relating to Water and Wastewater.

Chris Leguizamon (he/him)
Education Program Manager, Pure Project

Chris Leguizamon has been working in the San Diego beer industry since 2014. As an Advanced Cicerone and Education Program Manager at Pure Project, he currently oversees all of the internal education done at the company. This role includes on boarding with an emphasis on company ethos, sensory training, ingredients classes, and brew day events. Helping the team be more well rounded employees and create confidence on all the company's releases is the main goal. He is also a contributor for SD Beer News as the Education Columnist.

Doug Constantiner
Co-Founder & CEO, Societe Brewing Company

After college, Doug began his career in investment banking, but after a couple of years decided to pursue his dream of becoming a professional brewer. Doug moved to San Diego in 2009 and landed his first industry jobs at Pizza Port Carlsbad, Green Flash Brewing, and Oggi’s. He then began a full-time job at The Bruery in Placentia, CA as a cellarman and worked his way up to brewer. While at The Bruery, Doug became close friends with Travis Smith and they decided to start a brewery together based on shared values, passion, and vision of beer. Societe Brewing Company opened its doors in May 2012. Currently, Doug serves as the CEO of Societe and oversees the general operations and ensures the execution of the brewery’s philosophy.

Erik Fowler
Head of Education and Craft Hospitality, White Labs, Inc.

Erik has been with White Labs since 2014. Before coming to White Labs, he worked for: a prominent regional brewery, a nano-brewery, and several beer and wine-focused retail outlets. He has led education classes on yeast handling, sensory techniques, beer history, and pairings. Erik holds his Cicerone® certification as well as a certificate in the Business of Craft Beer from San Diego State University. His objective is to use his knowledge and experience to make fermentation education informative, accessible, and interesting.

Gene Fielden
Beer/Wine/Spirits Buyer, Bottlecraft North Park

A native of Berkeley, Gene Fielden lived for stints in Washington DC, Leipzig, Budapest and Boston before settling in San Diego. As the longtime buyer and manager at Bottlecraft North Park, he curates a vast selection of beers, wines, ciders, meads and spirits from around the world. He is the head of staff education for the firm and leads monthly beer & cheese classes in conjunction with storefront partners Venissimo. Fielden furthermore writes a weekly column for San Diego Beer News and has made media appearances on the Indie Beer Show as well as broadcasts by Chris "The Beer Educator" Leguizamon and Beth Demmon.

Gwen Conley
Director, Quality & Innovation, Cutwater Spirits

Gwen started her path with a bachelor’s in biology, a minor in chemistry and graduate work in botany. At the start of her gypsy career, Gwen was a biology teacher, an environmental chemist, and a microbiologist. After adding 18 months of sensory training specialized in food, beverage, beer, wine, and spirits, Gwen was the flavor panel leader for Ball Corporation in Colorado for 9 years. She has also been Quality Assurance & Sensory Director at Flying Dog Brewery in Maryland, Director of Brewery Production, Quality and Barrel Program at Port Brewing /The Lost Abbey in San Marcos, CA, and is currently the Director of Quality, Innovation, and International Expansion for Cutwater Spirits in San Diego. She is a veteran judge at the World Beer Cup and the Great American Beer Festival. In addition to all this fun, she is an Instructor for Quality Lab/Microbiology and Barrel Program Specialist for the American Brewer’s Guild; she teaches Sensory Science/Beer Styles, Flavor Attributes of Beer/Food/Spirits, as well as Beer & Food Pairings at The University of California, San Diego, Brewer’s Certificate Program. Gwen is also co-author of the book Beer Pairing: The Essential Guide from the Pairing Pros.

Jake Nunes
The Arbor Manager, Burgeon Beer Company

Jake is a veteran of San Diego's food and beverage industry and has over 28 years of experience with a focus on management and beverage service. He developed his passion for craft beer in 2003 while working at Karl Strauss and has since held leadership positions at Ballast Point, Stone Brewing, Green Flash Brewing, Tiger! Tiger!, North Park Beer Co. and Societe. Since early 2021, Jake has been employed as the Manager for Burgeon Beer Company's Little Italy location. In 2011, he was awarded the title of Certified Cicerone®. Jake also serves on the Advisory Board for the Business of Craft Beer program at San Diego State University and is the instructor of the Beer Styles I and II courses. Lastly, Jake has joined the Board of Directors for the San Diego Brewers Guild in January of 2022. Jake's philosophy on beer service is pouring world-class beer into clean glassware through a well-maintained draft system by friendly and knowledgeable staff.

Jared Lane
Brand Manager and Co-Founder, Salty Crew

Born and raised in San Diego, Jared has spent most of his life in or around the ocean. An avid surfer, fisherman, and family man to his wife, Airiel, and his three kids, Margaux, Fisher, and Fin. Jared was raised working retail at his parent’s sailing and kayaking store on the water in Mission Bay, then spent a few years working as a sales rep for Reef Sandals before starting Salty Crew in 2013ish. Jared has worn every hat there is on the business side of Salty Crew, graphic designer, warehouse worker, product developer, art director, sales rep, and janitor. Settled in now as the brand manager, overseeing every aspect of the brand and keeping it on track.

Jill Olesh
Senior Sales & Brand Development Manager, Pizza Port Brewing Company

Jill discovered her passion for craft beer in 2003 while working for Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant in Newark, DE. She joined the Pizza Port family in 2010 and upon the completion of their production facility at Bressi Ranch in 2013, she became the first dedicated sales rep for their distributed brand. She has had a front row seat as they have grown into a regional brewery, including building a sales team, finding and developing distribution relationships, and adapting operationally to the daily challenges and opportunities that come with growth. She remains grateful every day to be in the business of drinking beer with her friends.

Jim Wiggins
BSG CrafttBrewing, Sales Support Service Manager

Jim Wiggins has been on the supplier side of the industry for over a decade. He has dedicated his career to supporting Craft beverage producers by helping them to make the best products possible through their sourcing of high quality ingredients.

John Goehring
Director of Finance, White Labs, Inc.

John Goehring holds a B.S. degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in strategic, general and international management from San Diego State University. Over his 35-year career in Accounting and Finance, he has served as Controller and CFO for manufacturing companies in the San Diego area. John joined White Labs in 2016 as Controller and now holds the title of Director of Finance.

Joshua Lance, CPA, CGMA
Managing Director, Lance CPA Group

Joshua Lance is the founder and Managing Director of Lance CPA Group, a virtual CPA firm that focuses on providing accounting and consulting services to craft breweries. Before venturing on his own with a mission to help craft breweries, Josh spent his early career at Crowe LLP before working as a controller at an ultra high net worth family office. Josh is also an adjunct professor at Northwestern University teaching accounting in the Farley Center for Entrepreneurship and McCormick School of Engineering and at University of Vermont teaching finance and accounting in the Business of Craft Beer Program. He enjoys making wine and beer at home, cooking, traveling, and cheering on his favorite football and soccer teams. Josh was honored by being selected to the 2017 class of the AICPA Leadership Academy and was named as one of the 40 under 40 in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 by CPA Practice Advisor.

Juliana Marques Brown
HR Manager, Pure Project

Juliana has been working in the Human Resources field for over 10 years. She has HR experience in Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Colombia, and Venezuela. She has her MBA in Organizational Behavior Studies at Unisinos in Brazil and MBA in Organizational Leadership at PLNU (San Diego).

Kara Taylor
Head of Operations, White Labs

Kara Taylor has been with White Labs since 2009. She became interested in fermentation science while homebrewing during her days at Loyola Marymount University. She received a B.S. in biology in 2009 and began employment at White Labs in San Diego as a yeast lab technician. Since January 2020, she functions as Head of Laboratory Innovation. She enjoys traveling the world judging beer and educating brewers about fermentation.

Kegan Grayson, CPA
Controller, Coronado Brewing Company

Kegan started his career working through various roles in accounting in the electrical supply distribution industry at a company with +$700M annual revenue prior to making the leap to Coronado Brewing after years of passion in the industry seen from the sidelines. Since starting at Coronado Brewing Company he’s been focused on process improvement for both operational efficiency within accounting and finance processes as well as leveraging data for improving transparency and ease of access of critical information and timely reporting on performance and profitability metrics.

Kelsey McNair
Head Brewer & Proprietor, North Park Beer Co.

Kelsey's love for cuisine, chemistry, and craft found an outlet in San Diego's fledgling independent brewing scene. That exciting new world teemed with bold-flavored beer and inspired talent, and when Kelsey’s homebrewing career began in 2004 its path was nothing short of meteoric. Soon his Hop-Fu! IPA had become the single most award-winning homebrew recipe in history and in the most competitive category -- the American IPA. Over the next decade, the awards accumulated. In June of 2016, North Park Beer Co. opened its doors and has since become a fitting tribute to its namesake neighborhood.

Kyle Wiskerchen
Program Manager, UCSD Division of Extended Studies

Kyle Wiskerchen is the program manager of the Professional Certificate in Brewing at UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies. He is also a graduate of the inaugural brewing certificate cohort in 2014. Prior, he graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.S. from the Marshall School of Business and spent much of his early career in hospital revenue cycle and finance. Kyle has worked as a brewer at several small breweries in San Diego while he simultaneously worked for Extended Studies as an internship coordinator and program assistant. He currently manages several certificate programs and science courses.

Lindsay Barr
Founding Partner & CSO, DraughtLab Sensory Software

Lindsay is the CSO and Founding Partner of DraughtLab Sensory Software where she helps companies run lean tasting programs. Lindsay got her start at New Belgium Brewing Company as the Sensory and Consumer Research Specialist and holds degrees in Biochemistry and Food Science from the University of New Mexico and UC Davis. She now focuses on developing rapid tasting techniques and is passionate about making sensory science accessible for all businesses.

Mackenzie Kline
Marketing Director, Burgeon Beer Company

I’m a serial entrepreneur & designer turned marketing director with a decade of experience leveraging an expansive design toolkit to develop authentic brand identities, guide clients & employers to effective communications solutions, and achieve lasting Direct to Consumer Marketing & Sales results. The gravitational pull of mission-driven brands has shaped my career immensely, drawing me into my first role with Burgeon in 2019 and fueling my passion for building and leading our team of creative & marketing powerhouses. Proud Feminist, dog mom, & camping buddy to my husband & better half, you can catch me outside of work drinking a Clever Kiwi Nelson Hopped Pils.

Marc Meyer
Director of Operations, National Conflict Resolution Center (NCRC)

Marc received his B.S. in International Security and Conflict Resolution. Marc has been involved with NCRC since 2006. Marc plays a pivotal role in the growth of NCRC’s training initiatives by being the primary driver of creating systems to manage the exponential growth. Marc has helped to lead the organization from conducting 25 trainings per year to now conducting over 600 trainings annually. He also spends considerable time delivering NCRC’s premier training courses. He has conducted over 200 training sessions both locally and internationally.

Matt Johnson
Manager of Technical Brewing and Key Accounts, John Fearless Co.
Matt Johnson has over 25 years in the brewing industry as a Brewer and Technical brewing expert. He is currently a member of the MBAA National Technical committee and the Hop Research Council. Matt has been a part of the Hop Quality group and the BA brewpub committee in the past. He currently sources and selects all of the raw materials for the John Fearless Co.

Michael Stevenson
Head Brewer at Culver Beer Company
Lead Instructor at MiraCosta BrewTech
Brn and raised in San Diego with over 10 years in the local industry including some international experience in Germany and Italy Mike has been at the helm of Culver Beer Company in Carlsbad for the last 6 years. Additionally, he has headed up the MBAA Recognized and award winning BrewTech program at MiraCosta College with over 80% job placement rates of graduates.

Natasha Nace
Program Director, SDSU Global Campus
Natasha Nace has worked SDSU over the last 10 years. She along with Evon Yousif, Program Manager, currently run the SDSU Professional Certificate in Craft Beer. Natasha is passionate about serving students and getting students into their desired job role within the craft beer industry and providing opportunities for students.

Phillip MacNitt
VP Sales SD/OC, Scout Distribution

He began his craft beer career in 2008 at Stone Brewing and then Stone Distribution Company before joining a then start-up Modern Times Beer team in 2013. There he served as VP of Sales as the brewery scaled to 70,000-plus barrels of production and into the 40th spot on the Brewers Association’s largest craft breweries in America list.

Rawley Macias
Head Rouleur, Rouleur Brewing Company
Rawley was an avid homebrewer for 12 years before starting Rouleur Brewing Company in 2017. He is an active member of the BA and CCBA, is a Recognized Beer Judge (BJCP), and is currently serving on his third year as a Director for the San Diego Brewers Guild (SDBG). He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Rawley loves to geek-out in the science of brewing including water chemistry and methods for “building” brewing water profiles. His highly technical approach to brewing has earned Rouleur several beer-related accolades including a Gold at the 2021 Great American Beer Festival.

Stacey Oparnica
Social Media Manager, Dr. Bronner’s
- Stacey Oparnica is Dr. Bronner’s Social Media Manager, and loves coming up with ways to amplify Dr. Bronner's activism, and ecological body care & food products. She thrives when writing posts & supporting campaigns that make people feel something and respond — whether she's explaining the impact of fair trade or the potential of psychedelics to help treat PTSD, depression & end-of-life anxiety. All-One!

Tim Parker
Co-founder, Chula Vista Brewery
Tim is a Chicago Southside born and raised native who grew up in the projects. He moved to San Diego to pursue a career in the U.S. Navy. He met his lovely wife in 2002, and was introduced to Chula Vista by her. Since then, he fell in love with Chula Vista, and the small town feel it offers while in the big city, and has since then seeded his roots here. They have two beautiful boys, and two dogs they cherish their time with. As a retired United States Navy Chief after 20 years and 6 day’s and retiring in 2019, he operates the 2 brewery’s with the help of his wife, Dali Parker. Chula Vista Brewery opened 05May2017 and it’s second location opened in 21November2021.

Tom Kiely
General Manager, Thorn Brewing Co.

Director at San Diego Brewers Guild. Slow Beer Chair of Slow Food Urban San Diego. Co-Founded the San Diego Brewcycling Collaborative. Co-Developing the San Diego Estate Beer Project; creating new styles of beer based on crops which grow in SD County, coordinating harvests and processing with SD farmers, and distribution through SDBG Group Purchasing. Current stakeholders include San Diego Brewers Guild, Slow Food Urban San Diego, QUAFF, Community Health Improvement Partners, Admiral Malting, White Labs and more.

Virginia E. Morrison, Esq.
CEO/Co-Owner, Second Chance Beer Company

Previously a successful private-practicing attorney and owner of her own law firm, Virginia brings extensive employment law and business experience to Second Chance Beer Company. In her role, Virginia spearheads key company initiatives and business units, including the strategic vision, company culture, charitable giving, and community and political outreach. Virginia graduated summa cum laude with a degree in business pre-law from Bowling Green State University and earned her JD with Honors from the University of Michigan Law School. Virginia rejuvenates by meditating in India, playing with rescue pup, Citra, running in the rain, and drinking her namesake beer “Legally Red.”

Thank You To Our Sponsors

MiraCosta’s 280-hour BrewTech Program is designed to train students to become productive brewers while gaining confidence in the brewhouse, cellar or packaging line. As one of the premiere craft beer programs in the San Diego area with an on-site brewery, this class focuses on ‘grain-to-glass’ hands-on experience and trains students to become turnkey brewery technicians.

San Diego State University's Professional Certificate in the Business of Craft Beer program provides hands-on training for those looking to enter or are already working in the brewing industry on the business side, rather than the brewing side of operations. This includes creating passionately knowledgeable management and staff in the hospitality industry to give customers a first-class experience.