Presenting the Slate of Candidates for the 2026-2028 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 2026-2028 SCA Board of Directors elections. The Nominating Committee, chaired by SCA Board President Garfield Kerr, has put forward the following professionals after an extensive interview process with SCA members who responded to our call for nominations made in June 2025.
Emi-Beth Aku Quantson, CEO and Chief Caffeination Officer at Kawa Moka Coffee Company
Rob Stephen, Managing Director of Covoya Specialty Coffee
Daryanto Witarsa, Co-Founder of Common Grounds Coffee and Catur Coffee Company
The SCA Board of Directors consists of 15 volunteer members that serve a 3-year term, supported by the CEO and SCA staff. For this 2025 election, there are 3 seats open, with the following role description: Board Director Qualifications – June 2025. I want to say thank you to our 2025 Nominating Committee for the hours of work they have contributed to this process:
Garfield Kerr, Board President
Andrew Tolley, Board Vice President
Nadine Rasch, Board 2nd Vice President
Cosimo Libardo, Board Treasurer
Konstantinos Konstantinopoulos, Emeritus Director
Pamela Chng, 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. Jiyoon Han, Co-Owner of Bean & Bean Coffee, has been selected by the board to serve in the role of 2nd Vice President.
In 2026, per the bylaws of the SCA, current 2nd Vice President Nadine Rasch moves into the role of Vice President, and current Vice President Andrew Tolley moves into the role of President of the Board.
Learn more about Jiyoon Han by reading their biography at the bottom of this post. With the election of Jiyoon as 2nd Vice President, the SCA Board of Directors Officers group in 2026 will be as follows:
Andrew Tolley of Tolley Coffee & Tea, President
Nadine Rasch of Primavera Coffee, Vice President
Jiyoon Han of Bean & Bean Coffee, 2nd Vice President
Cosimo Libardo of Nomad Coffee Consulting, Treasurer
What Happens Next in the 2025 Election?
The final 2025 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 member portal here to verify your email address or by contacting us via the contact form at the bottom of our elections page.
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
Emi-Beth Aku Quantson
CEO and Chief Caffeination Officer at Kawa Moka Coffee Company
Emi-Beth Aku Quantson, Founder and Chief Caffeination Officer of Kawa Moka, is redefining Africa’s coffee story by creating value at every stage of the supply chain. Through Kawa Moka, she sources premium Robusta coffee from rural Ghanaian farmers—primarily women—roasts it locally, and empowers communities across the value chain. Her commitment to sustainability extends beyond coffee production, with innovations such as transforming coffee waste into eco-friendly skincare products and operating a solar-powered roasting facility.
A Cum Laude graduate in Business Administration from Ashesi University, Emi-Beth began her entrepreneurial journey with a campus coffee business. She later built a successful six-year career at PwC in Ghana and Kenya, earning her ACCA qualification by 2010, just two years after beginning her professional career before founding Kawa Moka in 2015. Since then, she has introduced many to their first taste of locally produced Ghanaian coffee while inspiring farmers to expand production for both local and international markets.
Beyond entrepreneurship, Emi-Beth is a passionate advocate for education, mentorship, gender equality, and youth employment. She is dedicated to cultivating the next generation of African leaders by championing access to opportunities and skills development.
Her leadership and impact have earned global recognition and numerous awards including the Most Outstanding Female in Coffee Production, Feminine Ghana Achievement Awards
She has also served on the Board of the Specialty Coffee Association (2024), the GiZ Agribiz Steering Committee, is an alumna of the Fortune/US State Department Vital Voices Fellowship and the Tony Elumenu Entrepreneurship Foundation. In 2019, Emi-Beth was recognized by the President of Ghana for her contributions to agribusiness. She has been featured in Fortune Magazine and is celebrated for pioneering African entrepreneurship with a strong social mission.
Rob Stephen
Managing Director of Covoya Specialty Coffee
Rob Stephen is the Managing Director for Covoya Specialty Coffee in Providence, Rhode Island. Since entering the Specialty industry over 35 years ago, he’s worked at several nationally known coffee companies, and has had the opportunity to work in retail, roasting, quality, international development and coffee trading. In addition to being a Q Grader instructor for many years, he is also a Past President of the SCAA and of Coffee Kids, and represented the USA at the ISO council on international coffee standards (TC34:SC15) for several years. Specializing in quality standards development and supply chain optimization, he has lectured extensively at coffee events and trade shows around the world.
Daryanto Witarsa
Co-Founder of Common Grounds Coffee and Catur Coffee Company
Daryanto Witarsa is a coffee entrepreneur, mentor, and industry leader dedicated to advancing specialty coffee in Indonesia and beyond. He began his journey as the co-founder of Common Grounds Coffee and Catur Coffee Company, two ventures that helped shape Indonesia’s modern specialty coffee scene by bringing quality, innovation, and community to the forefront. Through these businesses, he built deep relationships with producers and consumers alike, gaining firsthand insight into the challenges and opportunities across the value chain.
Daryanto Witarsa currently serves as President of the Specialty Coffee Association of Indonesia (SCAI) and Advisor at the Coordinating Ministry of Food Affairs. With over 15 years of experience in the coffee industry, he has played a pivotal role in advancing Indonesia’s position on the global specialty coffee stage. In 2025, he proudly hosted World of Coffee Jakarta, which brought together international professionals to celebrate origin diversity and highlight Indonesia’s role in specialty coffee.
Beyond the industry, Daryanto is also an Advisor to the Coordinating Ministry of Food Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, where he contributes to policy development that supports coffee farmers and integrates coffee into national food strategies. His unique blend of entrepreneurial experience and public service allows him to bridge grassroots innovation with high-level strategy.
As a mentor, Daryanto has guided many young professionals, including World Barista Champion 2024 Mikael Jasin from Indonesia, whose success reflects the growing global recognition of Indonesian coffee talents. Supporting the next generation is central to his mission, and he continues to create pathways for young baristas, roasters, and producers to thrive.
His vision is to see coffee communities empowered through education, sustainability, and collaboration — ensuring that communities at origin are empowered, and that specialty coffee continues to inspire worldwide.
Meet the 2nd Vice President Appointed by the SCA Board of Directors
Jiyoon Han
Co-Owner of Bean & Bean Coffee
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.
Learn More About the 2025 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.