Leah Cheston, owner of Washington, D.C.-based Right Proper Brewing, has been named chairwoman of the Brewers Association (BA) board of directors for 2024.
Cheston is the second woman to hold the title, following New Belgium co-founder Kim Jordan’s 2005-2007 term, according to a press release. She is the first representative of the BA’s brewpub class to lead the board.
“I’m honored to embark on my first term as chair,” Cheston said in the release. “Our industry is facing challenging times, but I look forward to working alongside my colleagues whose passion, expertise, and dedication will lead us towards a path where small and independent breweries can thrive.”
In addition to Cheston as chairwoman, the board made the following appointments to its executive committee:
- Vice chair/treasurer Chris Herron, CEO of Creature Comforts in Athens, Georgia;
- Secretary Melissa Romano, co-owner of Lake Anne Brewhouse, in Reston, Virginia.
Past chairman Garrett Marrero, CEO of Kihei, Hawaii-based Craft ‘Ohana (Maui Brewing and Modern Times), and BA president and CEO Bob Pease round out the executive committee.
The board named four at-large members to its ranks:
- Tim Brady, Whetstone Beer Co., Brattleboro, Vermont;
- Shawna Cormier, Seattle Beer School, Burien, Washington;
- Colby Cox, Pure Madness Brewery Group, Jackson, Wyoming;
- Audra Gaiziunas, DSSOLVR, Asheville, North Carolina.
All but Gaiziunas are returning board members. At-large board members – referred to as “non-designated directors” in the BA’s bylaws – are nominated by elected board members and must win a majority vote. They serve two-year terms, and are limited to two consecutive terms. The bylaws stipulate that the board may contain between zero and six at-large members.
The board approved several changes to BA bylaws, including the reduction of its size to 18 in 2024 and to 17 in 2025. Two seats previously held by the American Homebrewers Association’s (AHA) were eliminated.
“This reduction puts the number of board members closer to (but still larger than) not-for-profit board size and will streamline decision-making,” read an update on the AHA’s website.
The former AHA Governing Committee has become the AHA Committee and is now in line with the BA’s other 12 committees with Cormier as its chair.
These changes to the AHA’s presence in BA governance follow the BA’s decision to downgrade the organization’s annual gathering, Homebrew Con, from a standalone multi-day event to a smaller one woven into the Great American Beer Festival.
Other changes to the bylaws include the reduction of packaging brewer class representatives from seven to six and at-large directors from five to four beginning in 2025.
The board also updated the bylaws’ definition of voting BA members to include outfits that “control the intellectual property for one or more brands of beer, have that brand or brands brewed for it in the United States, and have as its primary business purpose the resale of the brand or brands it controls,” meaning contract-brewed beer companies are now among the ranks of voting members.
Non-voting BA members include AHA members, supplier members and brewer members who are ineligible to vote, which includes those who fall outside the BA’s definition of an independent craft brewer (brewers producing more than 6 million barrels annually or are more than 25% owned by a beverage-alcohol producer that is not also a craft brewer).
“The existing bylaws were drafted last century, had undergone many amendments over the decades, and needed modernization to comply with current best practices,” the AHA wrote about the changes.
Other directors include five packaging brewer representatives, in addition to Herron and Marrero:
- Tomme Arthur, The Lost Abbey, San Marcos, California;
- Pamela Brulotte, Icicle Brewing, Leavenworth, Washington;
- Fred Matt, Saranac Brewery/Matt Brewing Co., Utica, New York;
- Jason Perkins, Allagash Brewing, Portland, Maine;
- Mitch Steele, New Realm Brewing, Atlanta, Georgia.
In addition to Cheston, the pub brewer class has three representatives:
- Jess Griego, Bosque Brewing, Albuquerque, New Mexico;
- Jason Lavery, Lavery Brewing, Erie, Pennsylvania;
- Kris Spaulding, Brewery Vivant, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
In addition to Romano, there are two taproom brewer representatives:
- Holly Redding, Winchester Brew Works, Winchester, Virginia;
- Nicole Smith, South Lake Brewing, South Lake Tahoe, California.
This is the first board term for Griego and Smith.
Chairs for the BA’s 11 other committees in addition to the AHA and executive committees, chaired by Cormier and Cheston, respectively, are:
- Brewpubs – Griego and Lavery;
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion – Brulotte and AHA representative Amy Martin;
- Events – Brady;
- Finance – Gaiziunas and Herron;
- Governance – Romano;
- Government Affairs – Marrero;
- Human Resources – Spaulding;
- Market Development – Matt;
- Public Relations and Marketing – Cox and Matt;
- Taprooms – Redding;
- Technical – Perkins and Steele.
“The brewing industry is navigating a landscape that demands resilience, innovation, and collaboration. I look forward to working alongside the 2024 board to tackle these challenges and emerge stronger together,” Pease said in the release. “We thank the board members for committing their time, knowledge, and experience to serve our membership.”