Presenting the Slate of Candidates for the 2024-2025 SCA Board of Directors Elections and Appointment of the 2nd Vice President
BY YANNIS APOSTOLOPOULOS, CEO of the Specialty Coffee Association
Dear members of the Specialty Coffee Association around the globe,
Today, it is my pleasure to present the slate of candidates for the 2024-2025 SCA Board of Directors elections. The Nominating Committee, chaired by SCA Board President Konstantinos Konstantinopoulos, has put forward the following professionals after an extensive interview process with the dozens of SCA members who responded to our call for nominations made in June 2023:
Giovanni Fucili, Sales Director EMEA for Simonelli Group S.p.A.
Jiyoon Han, Co-owner Bean & Bean Coffee, Q Arabica Grader
Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian, President, Owner, and Manager of JNP Coffee
Rob Stephen, Managing Director of Covoya Specialty Coffee
The SCA Board of Directors consists of 18 volunteer members that serve a 2-year term, supported by the CEO and SCA staff. There are 4 open seats in the 2023 election and members elected to serve on the SCA Board will serve a two-year term from January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2025. Scroll down to learn more about each candidate.
I want to say thank you to our 2023 Nominating Committee for the hours of work they have contributed to this process:
Konstantinos Konstantinopoulos, Board President
Pamela Chng, Board Vice President
Garfield Kerr, Board 2nd Vice President
Cosimo Libardo, Board Treasurer
Christina Meinl, Emeritus Director
Juan Luis Barrios, Emeritus Director
Each year, the Board of Directors elects a 2nd Vice President, who serves an additional term of three years to ensure presidential succession. Andrew Tolley, Director of Tolley Coffee & Tea, has been selected by the board to serve in the role of 2nd Vice President.
When asked about this position, Andrew Tolley stated; “It is an honour to have been elected to this position by the SCA Board. As a volunteer over the years I have seen first hand the impact of the work that SCA does for the community and I am both humbled and energized to be able to support in continuing this over the coming years."
Current President of the SCA Board of Directors, Konstantinos Konstantinopoulos, added; “As President of SCA, I am honored to have Andrew be a part of the leadership of the Board. His wide experience as a barista and trainer and his involvement as a part of the Guilds brings unique perspectives that helps the Association continue to grow and make coffee be. I have no doubt that Andrew will help guide the future of the SCA.”
In 2024, per the bylaws of the SCA, current 2nd Vice President Garfield Kerr moves into the role of Vice President, and current Vice President Pamela Chng moves into the role of President of the Board.
Learn more about Andrew Tolley by reading their biography at the bottom of this post. With the election of Andrew as 2nd Vice President, the SCA Board of Directors Officers group in 2024 will be as follows:
Pamela Chng of Bettr Group, President
Garfield Kerr of Mokha 1450, Vice President
Andrew Tolley of Tolley Coffee & Tea, 2nd Vice President
Cosimo Libardo of Nomad Coffee Consulting, Treasurer
What Happens Next in the 2023 Election?
The next step in the 2023 SCA Board of Directors election is for nominations by petition to open on September 1. Applicants who were not selected for the slate through the nominations and interview process and wish to collect signatures for a petition candidacy may do so starting Wednesday, September 1. More information on the petition candidacy process can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions section at the bottom of the elections page on the SCA website. The deadline for nominations by petition is Thursday, September 30.
The final 2023 ballot will be announced on October 13. In the event that the number of candidates exceeds the number of open seats, SCA members will take part in a voting process from November 1-30. SCA members will receive their ballots from eBallot, the third-party company that runs our voting process, via email from elections@sca.coffee. Add elections@sca.coffee to your contacts so that the ballot is not marked as spam by your email client. Please help us ensure your ballot is sent to the correct email address by logging in to your account at sca.coffee/member-login to verify your email address or by contacting us via the contact form at the bottom of our elections page. Prefer a paper ballot? Request it by September 30 by contacting us at sca.coffee/board/elections.
As always, thank you for supporting the work of the Specialty Coffee Association and for taking part in this process to elect our leadership. Let’s continue to #makecoffeebetter, together.
YANNIS APOSTOLOPOULOS is the Chief Executive Officer at the Specialty Coffee Association
Meet the Slate of Candidates Proposed by the Nominating Committee
Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian
Owner of JNP Coffee
Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian, licensed Q Grader, owner, and manager of JNP Coffee, advances the global specialty coffee industry and farmers in her native Burundi, East Africa, by producing, promoting, and trading the specialty coffee grown there. With an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School and a 20-plus-year international career, she entered the coffee industry in 2012.
A strong advocate for women coffee farmers in Burundi, Jeanine supports high-quality production through premium incentives for high-scoring coffee, lessons in financial literacy, and leadership skills. Founder of the nonprofit Burundi Friends International, Jeanine is committed to educating Burundi’s people for the economic empowerment of self-sustaining coffee communities.
Previously Northeast Regional Coordinator, she currently serves as Community Coordinator for the SCA U.S. Chapter, hosting frequent online Business Chats with a wide range of experts on the coffee industry.
Giovanni Fucili
Sales Director EMEA for Simonelli Group S.p.A.
Born and raised in Ancona from a dedicated volunteering family, Giovanni has committed himself since 1989 to the non-profit association Ce. I.S Onlus Ancona engaged in supporting minors. He has been professionally active for 22 years in business activities. These years brought him profound sales and business knowledge specializing in developing intricate sales networks of international brands and products. Working in the coffee industry since 2005 allowed him to follow the progression and evolution of this industry. As Senior Manager of Simonelli Group, he overcame many challenges in different international markets such as Europe, Middle East, and Africa. He assisted in creating new educational setups such as the Barista League and the novel Youth Academy, dedicated to coffee entrepreneurs under 30. The Youth Academy is a one-of-a-kind platform that follows the SCA's Coffee Skills Program, and today is a massive hit in many countries worldwide. As a volunteer member of the SCA, Giovanni raised awareness among his partners to drive SCA activities by supporting trade fair events and spreading knowledge about the entire coffee supply chain from bean to cup, thus, creating an extensive international partner network. He is an exceptional supporter of the Coffee System, which considers that the whole supply chain and its operators must be correctly educated and waged to offer a quality cup of coffee to the consumer.
Jiyoon Han
Co-owner Bean & Bean Coffee, Q Arabica Grader
Jiyoon Han is co-owner of Bean & Bean Coffee in NYC, an omnichannel coffee business with retail cafes, ecommerce, subscriptions, and a wholesale program. Jiyoon is a Licensed Q Arabica Grader and has served on the international jury for Cup of Excellence in Peru, Bolivia, Mexico, Hawaii, and Honduras. Jiyoon and her mother Rachel, together the Mother Daughter Q Grader Duo, have appeared in Forbes, Huffington Post, Business Insider, CNN, and NBC. Jiyoon is also a coffee writer who explores the intersection between coffee, gender equity, and technology for publications. Jiyoon has a BA in Economics-Philosophy from Columbia University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Rob Stephen
Managing Director of Covoya Specialty Coffee
Rob Stephen is the Managing Director at Covoya Specialty Coffee in Providence, RI. With a more than 30 year history in specialty coffee, he has had the opportunity to experience many different parts of the industry, starting as a barista and moving to store manager, roaster, QC manager, green buyer and coffee trader. These varied experiences have given him a deep perspective on how the specialty coffee industry works, what makes it special and how to safeguard it for the next generation. In the early 2000’s he led the coffee department at Dunkin Donuts, traveling the world to re-invent their coffee supply chain and standards. After traveling and working extensively in Latin America, he became an early advocate and buyer of organic coffees, long before there were US certification standards or established supply chains. After acting in a consulting capacity for some of the world’s top coffee organizations, he moved to trading and was a Senior Trader at InterAmerican Coffee before assuming the MD role at Olam Specialty Coffee (now Covoya). Rob was a board member of the SCAA for 8 years, serving as President in 2006. He also served as board member and President of Coffee Kids, and represented the USA on the ISO Coffee Standards council for many years. Although now lapsed, his time as a Q Grader Instructor were some of the most rewarding years of his career, as he was able to find and encourage new specialty coffee talent around the world. He looks forward to bringing his deep experience in areas of finance, governance, policy and coffee market dynamics to bear on behalf of the membership of the SCA.
Meet the 2nd Vice President Appointed by the SCA Board of Directors
Andrew Tolley
Director of Tolley Coffee & Tea
Andrew has worked as a barista, trainer, cafe manager, multi-site cafe owner, green buyer, and head of coffee. He was a co-founder of 2 of London's early specialty cafe businesses - Taylor St Baristas and Harris+Hoole, with 55+ sites between them at their height. Andrew oversaw the training program for both businesses where over 1000 baristas were trained to professional standards. He was also a part of the leadership team in each business, responsible for strategy and business development in all the areas relating to coffee. In 2015, he won the UK cup tasting championship, and placed 2nd in the world tea brewing championships. Andrew has trained his own curriculum in foundation and intermediate barista skills at the London School of Coffee. As a founding member of the SCA Barista Guild, he was Chair during 2018 and on the SCA Board of Directors representing the Guild. Since 2020 he has worked with the team at the Simonelli Group to develop the Coffee Knowledge Hub. He supported the development and teaching of courses, platform development, content development and communications. Starting January 2021, Andrew has joined the Board of the SCA for a 2 year term. He has been elected as 2nd VP of the Board and will President in 2026. In 2023, Andrew became an Authorised Tea Certifier with the European Specialty Tea Association. Outside of coffee and tea, Andrew does a bit of running.
Learn More About the 2023 SCA Elections
Learn More About the 2023 SCA Elections
Visit our SCA Elections page to learn more about the elections process, find out who on the board is cycling off this year, and for answers to frequently asked questions. Can’t find what you’re looking for? Contact us via email at elections@sca.coffee or via the contact form at the bottom of the page.