2012 BGA Elections: Southeast Regional Chapter Representative Nominees
Voting is now open for the 2012 BGA Elections! BGA members may vote until 19 February 2012.
We'll be filling one Southeast Regional Chapter Representative to represent BGA members in Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida from the list of nominees below (in alphabetical order): Michael Harwood ・ Dustin Mattson ・Maurice Moulton ・Dan Pabst
Voting is also open for Executive Council and Regional Chapter Representatives in for the Northwest, Western, South Central, and Mountain Regions. If you reside in these regions be sure to check out those nominees before you cast your vote!
Read the nominees' profiles below and vote!
How are you involved in coffee? How does this role fit into the BGA?
Although I cultivate other interests, my friends will tell you that coffee is my life. I work four bar shifts a week at the Open Eye Cafe & Caffe Driade in North Carolina. When I'm not cranking out tasty bevs, I spend time with Carrboro Coffee Roasters as a Customer Rep/Trainer/QC. My home is a borderline coffee lab. I would like a bigger kitchen. You can also find me going to monthly throwdowns, brewdowns when they happen, and for the past two years, the SERBC. It's all about community.
Whether or not I'm elected, the BGA is a great fit for any barista. Over the past two years of being a BGA member, I have met many interesting coffee minds, partied hard, and honed my chops. In October, I was asked to fill in as the Southeast Chapter Rep. The past three months, I have learned the ins and outs of the role and am embracing its potential for membership communication. This responsibility has been informed by my interactions and daily duties, whether on bar, in the training room, or with vendors.
Why might you be considered leadership material?
While I am not a loquacious speaker and never the person picked first for kickball teams, I currently play a leadership role at the cafes. I strive to lead by example, but am happy to provide support as needed. Other relevant experience might be when two other students and myself produced twelve productions and ran a theatre company during our senior year of college. We oversaw a board of about 15 of our peers. This experience reinforced the importance of listening and communicating effectively.
What are some accomplishments you would like to see happen in the future of the BGA and/or SCAA?
The BGA and SCAA are heading in a great direction. Every year brings more members, more events, and we all keep raising the bar with regard to craft and customer service. We can look forward to an East Coast barista camp this summer, not to mention the 8th Annual SERBC Barista Competition and the 2nd Annual SERBC Brewers Cup! In addition to these two events and the BGA party, I would like to see more events and learning opportunities at regionals.
How are you involved in coffee? How does this role fit into the BGA?
Dustin is currently Octane's director of training. Throughout his time at Octane, Dustin has consistently gone way above and beyond to learn, teach, and develop a community of coffee enthusiasts. Dustin is currently serving as an acting General Manager in addition to all of his training and education responsibilities. He serves as the liaison between the cafes and the roasting component to ensure feedback and create training opportunities. I feel that Dustin exemplifies what the BGA is about and lives it everyday. He sacrifices the bulk of his personal time to ensure that business and community coffee needs are met.
Why might you be considered leadership material?
Dustin has proven his leadership at Octane. He has managed two of our stores and has trained numerous baristas and developed them through our certification program. Dustin has a very common sense approach to things and makes good business decisions that keep the needs of the business, employee and customer in mind. He works hard and has a passion for what he does and his role in the industry. Dustin is a great motivator and can help accomplish things through his hard work and interpersonal skills.
What are some accomplishments you would like to see happen in the future of the BGA and/or SCAA?
Improving the image of the Barista
- eliminating the "snobbery" and improving the perception in the customer and the media
- promoting the Barista as a culinary professional
- stronger focus on service and quality in the cafe
More avenues to teach Baristas to impact the success of their cafe
- financial basics and education
- keeping customers
- educating and retaining good employees
How are you involved in coffee? How does this role fit into the BGA?
I am a roaster, owner of a cafe', and a barista. i have been a coffee geek since I started drinking about 12 years ago. I'm always striving to have the freshest cup of coffee possible in my cup and other people's cups! I would continue to strive for this freshness and quality through my leadership role as a representative. I have experience being on association boards and being there for people when they have questions.
Why might you be considered leadership material?
As s mentioned in the previous question, I am very involved with the community and an experienced board member for other organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters. i would like to share my leadership with the rest of the coffee community in my area. I believe I could do a really good job recruiting new members and communicating the great things that the BGA is doing and SCAA, especially with my marketing background.
What are some accomplishments you would like to see happen in the future of the BGA and/or SCAA?
I would like to see more communication from BGA and SCAA, not only about the organizations themselves, but about the coffee industry. i would also like to see more education opportunities that are more convenient for the hard working baristas out there. If elected, i would be heavily involved with communicating with my area about new coffee trends, association news, education opportunities, and industry news. Help create new events and platforms for education. the only way we can get that "better cup of coffee" in our mugs is by educating our community on how to do it. We need to let everybody know that BGA and SCAA IS the resource for that information, being involved and being a member.
How are you involved in coffee? How does this role fit into the BGA?
I am currently the Director of Operations for Mudhouse Coffee, in which I am responsible for the skills and development of 35 baristas.
The strength of any business is in the people. I consider the Barista the front line of specialty coffee and our greatest asset. At the end of the day, their success - as coffee professionals and individuals - is is what is most important to me.
I've always supported the BGA and its efforts to develop the Barista craft. I would see this as an opportunity to work with, and assist, an even larger group of Baristas.
Why might you be considered leadership material?
I believe I am a strong leader because I am a listener. I understand the different viewpoints in a given situation and then work towards a solution that allows us to achieve the most important goals. In this way, I am able to lead a group of diverse interests towards a common goal.
We will never be able to get everything done for everyone. But if we listen to Baristas and understand the situation or challenges we face, we stand a much better chance of reaching our shared goals and furthering the craft of the Barista.
What are some accomplishments you would like to see happen in the future of the BGA and/or SCAA?
Looking ahead, I would identify core areas of focus for the Barista Guild, as follows:
Barista Skill Development - in particular, continue with the BGA certification program to establish industry standards; work to make achieving these certifications more accessible to all baristas. Camp Pull-a-Shot is a great start towards driving down the cost and accessibility of getting certified.
Barista Community Development - I remember my first BGA jam (Charlotte, 2009) - the chance to meet other Baristas and share knowledge and stories was hugely influential. I would like to continue to find ways to bring the Barista community together, beyond the big, annual events. The local TNTs are a great example of this and I would like to see the BGA continue supporting events that develop a Barista community.
Promoting Specialty Coffee and the Barista as a Craft - I've always been impressed by the level of dedication that exists among the Barista community. To have so many people care so much about what they do for a living is impressive and inspiring. I would like the general public to see the Barista community in the same way I do -- a skilled profession that is full of smart, dedicated people who care about quality and community.
...and of course, more cowbell.
