2023 Speakers

Crafted For Action

VIRTUAL CONFERENCE SPEAKERS

Angelina Tafoya

Bartender / Fitness Expert

Angi Thomas

Brand Ambassador for (10 years), President of Pink Boots NTX Chapter (2 years), Certified Beer Server, Certificate for Bourbon, Tequila, and Rum.

Corey Hinton

Corey Hinton is a passionate brewer and blockchain enthusiast. He understands the power of adapting to new tech and being able to monetize it. He has over twenty five years in the food and beverage industry, and has been partnered up with the number one blockchain company in the world over the last two years. Mr. Hinton will be educating others in the beer industry on the importance of blockchain technology and the power of its ability to more sustainability fund our future.

Panel: Blockchain Financing for the Beer Industry

Ed Williams

Panel: Blockchain Financing for the Beer Industry

Emily Wang

Fermly Co-Founder and Lead Scientist.

Fermly is proud to be a female owned and operated small business. Meet Emily Wang, the yin to Danny Wang’s yang around here who works as our Lead Scientist. She’s a TTB-certified chemist and craft beer writer, notably for the Five Star Chemicals blog.

Emily is a professional brewing chemist who in December of 2020 passed her TTB recertification. This exam is no joke— and Emily continues to take it seriously.

Emily’s journey towards the beer industry began at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, NY where she chose to pursue a degree in English and Biology. When not studying, working, or in the lab, she gradually developed an interest in microbrews at the local brewery, Empire Brewing, and her favorite brew at a bar was Magic Hat Brewing Company Circus Boy Hefeweizen.

Emily’s successful career in the medical industry lead her to Denver, CO. In seeking her next career, she somehow fell into the beer industry with help from Danny— and the rest becomes Fermly history!

In pursuit of making Fermly a well-respected independent laboratory in the craft beer industry , Emily attained her first TTB certification as a brewing chemist in 2018.

Izola Woods.jpeg

Certified Bourbon expert.

Jen Blair

Jen is an Advanced Cicerone and National BJCP beer judge. She is the Exam Manager for the Cicerone Certification Program and co-host of False Bottomed Girls, a podcast about beer and brewing. Jen is a co-collaborator for Brave Noise and an elected member of the American Homebrewers Association Governing Committee. Her work in training and empowering people historically excluded from beer judging and other beer spaces has earned her recognition as a Good Beer Hunting 2021 Signifier and well as inclusion on the 2022 VinePair 50, Wine Enthusiast Future 40, and Imbibe's Top 75 lists.

Panel: Turning the Beer Judging Tables: Strategies for an Inclusive Judging Environment

Julie Rhodes

With over 2 decades of experience in the food and beverage industry, Julie Rhodes is an authority on off site beverage sales, digital marketing, leadership, team management and distributor partnership management. She is the owner of Not Your Hobby Marketing Solutions, an educational services and strategic business consulting company built specifically for small to medium-sized craft beverage companies where she teaches owners and operators how to work smarter, not harder. In addition to being an educator and strategic advisor, she is also a beverage business journalist, active public speaker, is Cicerone Certified, a national committee chair and local chapter leader within Pink Boots Society, the North American Guild of Beer Writers, the American Cider Association, Women of the Vine & Spirits and multiple state brewery guilds. She is a Mentor for the Brewers Association and also sits on the BA DEI Marketing and Communications Subcommittee. Julie is also one of the founding members of the Safe Bars P.A.C.T. Initiative and the Safer Workspaces Initiative.When not working, you can find her spending time with her husband and two boys in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado or watching sci-fi movies.

Panel: Inclusivity without Pandering Digital Marketing Techniques Designed to Make Everyone Feel Welcome

Kenneth Sexton

The face and mastermind behind Pass My Cup, Craft Beer Brewer, Serial Entrepreneur.

Panel: Beer Fit: Balancing Craft Beverages and Fitness

Latifah McMullin

Yoga Instructor

LaTreace Harris

LaTreace Harris, Clark Atlanta University alumnae, is the owner of The Beery Godmother LLC, a beer education consulting company that provides training services to beer-facing entities (e.g. keeping and serving beer, beer style exploration, and off flavor training), but also publicly facing education, beer 101 and style sessions, and any other beer-related programming that is of interest to breweries, brewpubs, and establishments that serve beer. She started the company in early 2022 after being an avid beer drinker and former in-home tutor of math and science for 15 years. The Beery Godmother was a perfect opportunity to marry her love for beer and education.

In the past year has been involved in a multitude of activities including training brewery staff in Atlanta and Charlotte, NC, hosting a Beer 101 education session for the public at Firemaker Brewing, participating in 2 beer collaborations (with Social Fox and Biggerstaff Brewing), moderating sessions during the “Crafted For Action Beer Conference” in Atlanta, and serving as a beer and malt judging participant. Most recently, she launched “Beer Fact Fridays” on Instagram, which is a weekly segment geared towards delivering simple, tangible facts about beer to the novice and the aficionado. LaTreace has also won several scholarships for women who are starting beer businesses, including the” Women of the Bevolution Grant.” LaTreace is a certified beer server and ALMOST a Certified Cicerone (she passed her tasting exam in February, the written test is up next in April). She wants everyone to love beer as much as she does!

Fun Fact: LaTreace is an Epidemiologist in her “Day Job”
Favorite Beer Styles: Belgians and IPAs

Panel: School is Always in Session: Actively Integrating Beer Education in the Taproom

Melissa Usatenko

Yoga Instructor CEO of Hops and Flow Yoga and Beer

Mikenzie Tavenner Hardman

Founder, Bitches n Brews

ATLANTA CONFERENCE SPEAKERS

Aaron Williams

A recovered TV and radio news anchor, reporter, and meteorologist, Aaron took his communication skills and turned it into a second career in content and brand marketing. Focused mainly in the craft beverage industry, Aaron worked in the marketing department for Monday Night Brewing until the COVID-19 pandemic hit. He then became the first marketing director for Hop City Craft Beer and Wine in Atlanta and Ironshield Brewing in Lawrenceville, GA.

He's darn good at creating compelling content, starting up marketing departments from scratch, brand strategy, building marketing decks, making bad websites great, Google suite, social media strategy (paid and organic), event planning, product launches, public & media relations, email campaigns, SEO, SEM, leadership, team building, Mario Kart, public speaking, Microsoft suite, podcast creation, fantasy football, e-commerce, photography, and graphic design.

Aaron's beliefs include: Great ideas can come from anywhere. Never use Comic Sans. Proper planning prevents disaster. Don’t be afraid to pivot. Write everything down. Work-life balance is vital. Hug your kids every day. IPAs should be clear and bitter. Use one space after periods. The best Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle is Donatello, but I will accept Leonardo as an answer. Em dashes are great, emojis are overrated, and you’re probably using too many exclamation points. I’m still not convinced about the Oxford comma.

Personal: Born in Maine, raised in Washington State, calls Georgia home. Lover of dogs, baseball, grilling, black coffee, and the occasional cocktail. Husband to the amazingly talented Eve Chen, dad to a college lacrosse goalie, a brilliant cheerleader, and a hilarious future comedian.

Member of the unofficial Coupeville High School sports hall of fame and House of Ravenclaw.

Panel: Digital Marketing without a Big Budget

Akilah Iyare

Akilah started in the food and beverage industry in 2012, and hasn’t left ever since. While attending the University of St. Thomas, in Houston, Texas, she worked her way up in the industry from a hostess, to a bartender and eventually a bar manager. Akilah’s love for the food and beverage industry and passion for Marketing was perfectly combined when she became the Marketing Director for the SAFE Bar Network. Now, she travels and teaches others in the food and beverage industry the importance of being an active bystander and how to promote having a SAFE Night Out.

Panel: SAFE Bars Training

Ale Sharpton

Ale Sharpton is a world-renowned beer authority, award-winning journalist, photographer, host and gourmand.

Ashley Henry

Ashley has worked in the craft beer industry for over 8 years. Her passion for craft beer was sparked after devoting three years to the touring industry with Grammy award winning artist, Rhiannon Giddens. After having the opportunity to try craft beer from all over the world, she decided to return to her home state of Georgia and plant roots in Atlanta, Ga.

Since 2016 she has continued to fall in love with craft beer and the amazing community of craft beer drinkers. Currently she is the Director of Marketing at Pontoon Brewing where she strives to focus on building a more inclusive community in the craft beer scene.

Panel: WERK: Drag Performers in the Beer Community

Aubrey Perry

Aubrey M. Perry is the Founder and CEO of Crackem which recently developed and launched a mobile marketing platform for the craft beer industry. Prior to Crackem, Aubrey has held roles in development, database administration, marketing, sales, and customer support with firms ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500.

Aubrey has also founded a non-profit organization with a focus on education and is a certified drone pilot.

Aubrey holds and BS in Computer Information Systems from Florida A&M University.

Panel: Connecting with the Other Side of the Bar: Understanding Brewery Customers and Ways to Connect

Billie Harris

Billie Harris, Vinologist & Founder of The Vino Van, LLC, a wine tour company that takes passengers on an all inclusive journey to North Georgia’s Wine Country. Billie also hosts unique and informative WINE101 classes, public & private wine tastings and wine pairing dinners covering all aspects of wine, in a fun and un-intimidating environment. Both experiences give her the opportunity to share her knowledge and passion for wine with her community. Billie has studied wine for over 10yrs and holds a WSET Level2 Certification with Merit in Wine and Spirits. She has also received several awards and accolades in wine to include the McBride Sister’s SHE CAN 2019 Scholarship, the Comcast RISE Grant for Minority Businesses, and the USA Today’s 10Best 2020 Reader’s Choice in travel “Best Wine Tour Company”. Billie is a member and Vice President of The Sweet Auburn Chapter of The Hue Society, member of The Sommelier Guild of Atlanta, and member of The Commerce Club. She is also an avid philanthropist, newsletter editor, and member of The Atlanta Woman’s Club where she supports and volunteers with various 501(c)3 non-profits in Atlanta, many with missions that encourage the advancement of women in our society. Billie is also a wife and mother of 4 amazing children!

Panel: Red & White: A Wine 101 Miniclass

Branden Peters

Veteran creative Branden J. Peters has been a champion of Black culture for over two decades. As a journalist his byline has appeared in multiple outlets including XXL, Playboy, SLAM Magazine, Hoop, Vibe and Complex.

The Clark Atlanta University alum currently serves as the Director of Publishing for Red Bull Media House. He is also the co-founder of the award-winning Facts Only Trivia event and co-founder of the craft beer inspired Draught Season lifestyle brand.

Panel: The AUC and Craft Beer: Alumni-Owned Companies; ...Now What? Transitioning from Collabs to Partnerships

Cathy Del Monte

Lead, Multicultural Marketing Manager · New Belgium Brewing

Chef Leslie Gordon

Atlanta based culinary expert and alchemist.

Darren Armstrong

Deuce And A Quarter was born from the belief that Black and Brown folks deserve a place in spaces where they are typically underrepresented, unheard, unseen, and not celebrated. And craft beer doesn’t need any more blinders. Founded by Darren W. Armstrong in 2022, Deuce And A Quarter is inspired by Darren’s grandfather, James Armstrong, a Birmingham, AL civil rights leader, entrepreneur, and personal barber to Dr. King, who believed in leveraging business ownership as a means of power, creating community, accurate storytelling, and actualizing social impact. James Armstrong’s second “office”, where Darren’s understanding of these principles was further echoed, was an Electra 225 aka “Deuce and a Quarter.” Continuing this legacy in Darren’s own way, Deuce And A Quarter has set its sights on bringing craft beer, community, education, and representation to Atlanta, GA. Deuce and A Quarter has participated in beer festivals, brewed beer brought to market (includes brewing with other BIPOC breweries), organized BIPOC beer business owner showcase and beer share events, and participated in startup accelerator programs. Darren W. Armstrong is a Louisville, KY native and ‘05 Morehouse College alum whose career has spanned across strategic consulting, commercial real estate asset management, youth development, and K-12 education leadership.

Panel: The AUC and Craft Beer: Alumni-Owned Companies

Douglas and Dewey McGeoch

Douglas and Dewey McGeoch own Douglas Dewey Creative, an Atlanta based event and entertainment company. Before relocating to Atlanta, Douglas and Dewey lived in New York City and presented their popular drag show “The Screw You Revue” at The Duplex in Greenwich Village. Their live stage shows have been seen at theater festivals across the United States, Canada and in Dublin, Ireland. The duo enjoyed a six week extended run in Provincetown, MA. Today, Douglas and Dewey perform regularly in the Atlanta brewery scene as their drag personas, Olive d’Nightlife and Agatha Boogie.

Panel: WERK: Drag Performers in the Beer Community

Dr. J. Nikol Jackson-Beckham

Founder Crafted for All; Craft X EDU

Jay Looney aka Venus D’Lust

Jay Looney aka Venus D’Lust is a drag performer from Athens, GA. In April of 2022 they developed and produced the first installment of Venus’s Baddie Brunch at Pontoon Brewing. The show continues to have sold out success, recently resulting in the addition of Venus’s Midnight Snack. They also frequently perform at Athens, GA staples such as Sister Louisa’s Church.

Panel: WERK: Drag Performers in the Beer Community

Jen Blair

Jen Price

Jen’s appreciation for beer grew from experiencing it with her Dad. From first sip, she was hooked. She is a beer educator, a Cicerone Certified Beer Server and author of “The Chick’s Guide to Beer: 7 Simple Rules for the Beer Novice.” Her mission has always been to create opportunities for genuine connection in spaces that feel safe, open, and secure for all who love and appreciate beer. Jen is also co-founder of Craft Women Connect, an organization created to educate, empower, and promote unity among beer professionals and women within the craft beer community. Jen launched Crafted for Action in in 2020 after closing her beer business. At the same time, the beer industry was forced to take an introspective look and seriously consider ways to address issues of systemic racism, sexism, and gender inequalities. Jen leveraged this momentum and launched Crafted for Action and its signature event - an annual craft beer conference.

Panel: Opening Keynote Address

Joe Edelin (far left) & Lance Templeton (far right)

Hip Hop Heads Brewery was founded when 3 close friends decided to dream.
Dwight Ho-Sang, Joe Edelin (Morehouse College alum), and Lance Templeton (Morehouse College alum), who all worked in education, would find themselves winding down a tough week with a communal sharing of brews, beats, and lyrics. It became a competition, who could bring the newest beer, who could play the track that the others hadn’t heard, who knew all the lyrics to that one Busta Rhymes song, and inevitably who could freestyle the best.

The answer to that last question was: none of us! But it was fun! This natural progression led us to realize that the beer we hadn’t tried...was ours. So we decided to start brewing our own beer with our own hip-hop playlist driving not only the brewing session but the recipe creation as well.

Panel: The AUC and Craft Beer: Alumni-Owned Companies

Joseph Cortes

Joseph Cortes currently serves as the Executive Director of the Georgia Craft Brewers Guild. In this role, he leads the effort to serve as the voice for Georgia's Craft Breweries, and serve the industry through advocacy, education, and awareness.

A passionate strategist and communicator, his love for politics and policy has led him to work on various campaigns, advocacy efforts, and for several elected officials. He has also gained experience leading organizations, with an emphasis on building grassroots movements.

Cortes is also a lifelong musician, having started in college as a music major and trumpet player, and is currently a tenor in the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus. Born in New Mexico, raised in Texas, Joseph returned to "The Land of Enchantment" to attend New Mexico State University, obtaining a degree in History and Linguistics. He now resides with his wife, three small children, and two dogs in Dallas, GA.

Kevin Downing (far right)

Before moving to GA to attend Morehouse College, Kevin grew up in Germany, Ohio, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. These places all provided unique experiences which contributed to his appreciation of varied cultures, cuisines and good beer. After exploring different craft brews with the other founders, Kevin was seduced by the home brewing bug. His unique contribution to the group is his passion for experimentation with flavors, exotic spices, and aromas. This imaginative approach to brewing allows The Alchemist to create all types of beer without an allegiance to a specific or particular style.

Panel: The AUC and Craft Beer: Alumni-Owned Companies

LaTreace Harris

Leslie Fisher AKA Mona Lott

Mona has been doing drag for 6 years. She is a co-owner of a drag events business called A Lott to Love Events with her business partner Kitty. Mona has been the show director for Shooting Stars Cabaret for 3 years now. Shooting Stars Cabaret is the newcomer show for Atlanta drag during Atlanta Pride. Mona is always giving back to her community every chance she can, every brunch show she gives back to local charities by doing raffles. She is also the current reigning Miss Joining Hearts for 2023. Joining Hearts is a non-profit that raises money for HIV/AIDS charities.

Panel: WERK: Drag Performers in the Beer Community

Maurice Daniel

Maurice Daniel is a seasoned beer nerd, sales professional, and creative with more than seven years in the beer industry. Involved in everything from podcasting and launching the Beats Brews & Life show, to photography, videography, beat making, and mixology, Maurice has focused intently on blending the worlds of craft beer and creativity for a living and enjoyment.

Michael Sands AKA Kitty Love Antoinette

Kitty Love Antoinette is the drag daughter of Jasmine Antoinette. She got her start at Lebuzz in Marietta, GA and is a former Miss Marietta Mess (2011), as well as the Season 4 winner of Drag Star. She was born and raised in the city of Johns Creek, and has been doing drag for twelve years. In 2014, she joined the opening cast at Lips Atlanta, famous for its drag dining, as well as became a member of the Armorettes, the largest camp drag troupe of the Southeast, a 501c3 that raises money for those living with and affected by HIV and AIDS as one of their main causes. In 2021, she joined the Crown of Magnolia Court of Georgia and became a Countess within the court at their Georgia Investiture. Recently, Kitty was elected as the Empress 2 of the Court and will be Crowned on October 29th, 2022. Additionally, Kitty is the co-founder of "A Lott to Love Events", along with her business partner, Mona Lott, and the two work together to bring drag outside of the bar scene in various breweries, universities, and event spaces. As a former Gay Straight Alliance President at the University of West Georgia, Kitty has overseen many panels, leadership retreats, and outreach programs both in and out of drag, two of them being dear to her heart is that of the Georgia Ovarian Cancer Alliance (GOCA) and Miracle League, a softball league for kid with aspergers, autism, and physical disabilities. Kitty is hoping to become a professor of Film and Literature, and to publish a few fantasy and romance novels on the side.

Panel: WERK: Drag Performers in the Beer Community

Mike Shipp

Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Manager at Athletic Brewing.

Neil Callaghan

Neil Callaghan is the Beer Director at Brick Store Pub in Decatur, Georgia, one of the premier beer venues in the US. An Advanced Cicerone since 2017 and a BJCP Certified Beer Judge since 2010, Neil has over 15 years of experience in the craft beer industry.

Nia Andrews-Eagle

Native Atlantan with a passion for the science of how to make beer great. Your go to home brewer and favorite drinking buddy!

Panel: Tasting 101: An Interactive Class for Beer Virgins