As Vice President of Nielsen’s Beverage Alcohol Practice, Danelle leads industry thought leadership and best practice solutions to beer, wine, and spirits clients, industry groups, and the media. She is committed to leveraging Nielsen’s breadth of resources to provide an integrated and holistic understanding of consumer behavior and retail trends across beer, wine, and spirits. Danelle has 20+ years of marketing experience, and has been with Nielsen for 16 years. She has experience working across various clients in the food, beverage, and consumer goods industries, with the past 9 years focused on alcohol.  Prior to joining the Beverage Alcohol Practice, Danelle led Nielsen’s business at Molson Coors in Chicago. Danelle received her MBA from the University of Pittsburgh, and her BA in International Studies and Economics from Allegheny College in Pennsylvania.

Felipe had the coolest job that ever existed in the beer industry. As the president of the premium and craft beer business unit for Anheuser-Busch Inbev, he built the best craft portfolio in the world that included breweries like Goose Island, Golden Road, Blue Point, 10 Barrel, Elysian, Four Peaks, Breckenridge Brewery, Karbach, Wicked Weed, Devils Backbone, Veza Sur and Virtue Cider. Under Felipe’s leadership Stella Artois received the Marketwatch Impact's "Hot Brand" award and he was named as one of "The 10 Most Influential Beer Drinkers in America” by Men’s Journal. In 2019, Inspired by the founders of the craft partners, Felipe left Anheuser-Busch Inbev, and the corporate world to pursue a new ambitious entrepreneurial challenge. Along with four other industry friends he founded F!VE DRINKS CO., the line of mixologist-developed, canned cocktails crafted only with high-quality natural ingredients. Felipe’s vision for F!VE DRINKS CO. was to bring canned cocktails back to what they should be – straightforward and delicious. One short year after launching, F!VE DRINKS CO., has been named one of the top 10 canned cocktails by USA Today, is available nationwide and recently launched a collaboration with the best bar in the world, Dante NYC. As a lifelong learner and explorer, Felipe’s other interests include reading, traveling, socializing, sports (as a triathlete) and music.

Aimy Steadman is a Co-Founder and COO at Future/Proof, creators of BeatBox Beverages - the World's Tastiest Portable Party Punch™. Future/Proof, recently awarded one of Inc. Magazine’s Top 5000 Fast-Growing Privately Owned Companies in America, is a disruptor in the beverage alcohol market that provides innovative solutions that drive incremental profit in high-growth categories, having also been named the fastest-selling and fastest-growing single serve wine product in the US via Nielsen. Aimy is a founding Board Member and 2021 Board President of the emerging CPG group Naturally Austin. She also serves as a CPG Strategic Advisor for Springdale Ventures, Congress Avenue Ventures, and We Grow Green funds. Steadman has also received a handful of notable national as well as global accolades, most recently Austin Chamber’s A-List 2020 in addition to being featured in a recent book entitled The Immigrant Hustle. Outside of work, Aimy spends time enjoying nature with her three dogs and boyfriend as well as playing video games. She is also passionate about mental health and meditation and practices regularly.

In 2011, Luke Anderson was a math teacher at a public high school, and having yet to step foot in a dispensary in his life, he never imagined a future where he would be the Co-Founder of a cannabis brand, disrupting the industry with the first sessionable thc drink. Fast forward eight years however, and in 2019, Luke joined his good friend and former Bain & Company colleague - Jake Bullock - to co-found Cann Social Tonics, a sessionable cannabis-infused beverage line that does just that! While attending Stanford University where he received his B.S., Luke’s true passion for the beverage space started to shine through; in between classes, Luke crafted smoothies as manager of the campus Jamba Juice. Luke would routinely create off-menu drinks pairing juices and frozen fruit that he found to be even more delicious than those consumers could order, making this side job something Luke constantly looked forward to. After graduating he spent two years teaching math as a part of the Teach For America program, he was thirsty for a change - and joined Bain & Company as an Associate Consultant. During those two years he became obsessed with data, consumer trends, and how to spot winners in different retail categories. His ongoing desire to be involved in the beverage industry space continued to grow, so much so that after receiving his M.B.A. at Harvard, Luke returned to the consumer packaged goods practice at Bain & Company, specializing in helping large and complex organizations behave more like startups, rapidly innovating their products and services. Although Luke had great interest in the beverage space, Cannabis had never been his thing - until this year! Luke co-created Cann to be showcased as the first cannabis product for someone new to the cannabis category, like Luke was, that is delicious and easy to digest, both physically and mentally. Residing in Venice, CA, Luke is making it his mission to share how Cann is the perfect option for a new wave of cannabis consumers looking for a guilt-free social buzz. Luke focuses on highlighting how Cann is not just for those exploring cannabis, but to anyone who is looking to moderate or reduce their alcohol consumption.

Carlin Barnes, M.D. is a double Board certified and licensed child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist. For the past eighteen years, she has practiced child, adolescent, and adult psychiatry while delivering quality, compassionate, and excellent clinical care in a variety of settings. She is the owner of and psychiatrist at a thriving, diverse boutique private practice located in Houston, Texas. Dr. Barnes has previous experience as a physician executive at a Fortune 100 managed care companies. She is most passionate about delivering culturally sensitive and quality mental health care to special populations. Dr. Barnes recently co-authored a groundbreaking book entitled “Understanding Mental Illness” which was released in September 2019 by Skyhorse Publishing. She is the co-founder and co-owner of Healthy Mind MDs, LLC. Dr. Barnes earned her medical degree from Texas A&M Health Sciences Center. She completed a residency in adult psychiatry at Harvard’s The Cambridge Health Alliance. She completed a child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at Emory University School of Medicine where she served as Chief Resident. She has received several accolades and awards which highlight her commitment to clinical excellence and dedication to the field of psychiatry. She is a member of several professional and civic organizations including The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, Zumba, and spending time with her son, Ryan.

Matthew Crompton is the Client Solutions Director for Nielsen CGA and is responsible for the implementation of Nielsen CGA’s on premise services in the US. Since joining CGA Strategy in January 2010, Matthew has risen through the CGA ranks becoming an expert in all things On Premise. Matthew has managed and provided consultancy for some of the largest Bev Al manufacturers across Europe including Diageo, Anheuser Busch and William Grant & Sons. In January 2014, Matthew became part of the joint venture between CGA and Nielsen which has helped bring the first ever truly robust on premise measurement service to the US. Matthew comes to the US, having also helped launch services in other territories such as France and Germany. Matthew now heads up the US On Premise Solutions team, providing first-class insight into an often perceived dark market. Matthew is originally from the north of England and has embraced American life at every opportunity since relocating to Chicago in August 2015.

Katie Beal Brown is a fourth-generation West Texan, born and raised in Midland, TX. Growing up, some of her fondest memories were from the time spent with her grandparents out on their family’s ranch in Far West Texas near Fort Davis. Katie attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX, where she met her future husband, Tyler Brown, a Houston native and seventh-generation Texan. Katie and Tyler Brown married in her hometown of Midland in 2013 and immediately moved to New York, NY where he had an opportunity in private equity real estate and she continued to grow her career in advertising. Now with years of experience at industry-leading agencies, she has set out on a new venture to build her own brand, Lone River Beverage Company, celebrating her roots in West Texas.

Kim Jenks is the Category Manager for Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco at Kwik Trip, Inc. of La Crosse, WI. Kwik Trip is a leader in the convenience store industry with over 700 stores throughout Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. Kim has worked for Kwik Trip for 27 years and has been the Category Manger for Alcohol and Tobacco for the past 7 years.

After graduating from Middlebury College with a major in Geology, Rob headed west. Following a couple years in Colorado, he suspected his track would eventually lead him either back to Geology or woodworking. Before heading down one of those paths, he took a detour to Vermont where he washed kegs at Otter Creek Brewery. While at Otter Creek, he happened upon the beers of Belgium. In these inventive and surprising brews, Rob saw an opportunity to give American beer drinkers an experience they’d never had before. So he left steady pay and founded Allagash Brewing Company in 1995. The brewery has since grown from a one-man operation into one of the Top 50 Craft Breweries in the U.S. (by sales volume) and has earned a spot on Maine’s Best Places to Work list for seven years running. Rob is the Past Chair of the Brewers Association trade group and received the James Beard Award for Outstanding Wine, Beer or Spirits Producer in 2019.