Webinar: Meet the Members of the 2024-2025 SCA Board of Directors
By YANNIS APOSTOLOPOULOS
Dear members of the Specialty Coffee Association around the globe,
As presented to SCA members on August 31, the SCA Board of Directors, led by President Konstantinos Konstantinopoulos, nominated a group of four professionals from a pool of dozens who responded to our annual call for nominations made in June. As the number of candidates this year is equal to the number of open seats, there is no need to proceed with a voting process, and the SCA Board has confirmed the four professionals listed below as members of the SCA Board of Directors, in accordance with Section 7.4(h) of the SCA Bylaws.
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
SCA hosted a special webinar on October 25 with this year’s group of new directors. Please register to join us and learn more about the new directors and the work of the board:
Meet the Members of the 2024-2025 SCA Board of Directors
Wednesday, October 25th
6:30 am PDT / 2:30 pm BST
Were there any petition candidates on the ballot this year?
As outlined in the SCA Bylaws, anyone not selected for the slate had the opportunity to seek 100 member signatures during the month of September and petition to be added to the ballot.
What happens next in the 2023 elections?
The next step in the board election is usually for SCA members to take part in a voting process, which would usually open on November 1. However, given that the number of candidates this year is equal to the number of open seats, the SCA Board will move forward in confirming the eight professionals listed above as members of the SCA Board of Directors, in accordance with Section 7.4(h) of the SCA Bylaws:
“If after the close of the nominating period on September 30 the number of people nominated for the Board is not more than the number of directors to be elected, the Corporation may without further action declare that those nominated and qualified to be elected have been elected, in which case there shall be no election.”
This year’s group of directors will serve a two-year term from January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2025.
Who are the board members whose terms are ending this year?
We send a warm thank you to the six dedicated members of the board whose terms end on December 31, 2023. These coffee professionals have provided invaluable leadership to the association and have dedicated countless volunteer hours to make the work of the SCA a success:
Konstantinos Konstantinopoulos, CEO of Coffee Island
Sarina Prabasi, Co-Founder of Buunni Coffee
New roles on the SCA Board of Directors in 2024
As we close the 2023 election cycle, we also see a few additional changes to its composition. Per the association’s bylaws, the following members of the board will take on new roles on January 1st, 2024:
Pamela Chng, Co-founder of Bettr Group, will become President
Garfield Kerr, CEO of Mokha 1450, will become Vice President
Andrew Tolley, Director of Tolley Coffee & Tea, will become Second Vice President
Thank You
Finally, I want to say thank you to all SCA members who engage in this important process every year. Thank you for supporting the mission of the SCA. I encourage you to visit our SCA Elections page to learn more about the elections process, to find all announcements published in this election cycle, and for answers to frequently asked questions. If you have any questions or comments, please contact us via email at elections@sca.coffee or via the contact form at the bottom of the page.
Thank you,
Yannis Apostolopoulos
Chief Executive Officer
Specialty Coffee Association