BGA Announces Slate of Candidates for 2014 Executive Council Elections
Updated March 3, 2014 The Barista Guild of America (BGA) has announced a slate of candidates, as recommended by the BGA Nominating Committee, for the 2014 Executive Council Elections. The candidates are Todd Mackey of InterAmerican Coffee and Colin Whitcomb of Madcap Coffee. These individuals were selected for their dedication, passion, and previous involvement with Guild activities. The membership will vote to confirm this slate, or propose alternative candidates, for the two open seats.
This year, the Barista Guild has moved towards the election model utilized by the SCAA Board of Directors, the governing body of the Guild. The BGA Nominating Committee, a panel led by the immediate Past Chair and made up of members of the Executive Council and the membership-at-large, evaluated the nominees put forth by the membership and has recommended these two candidates to fill the seats on the Executive Council for the 2014 election. The membership will vote to confirm this slate, or propose write-in candidates, when the elections open on March 10.
Any nominee who was not selected for the 2014 slate may be proposed through a petition process, excluding the position of Secretary, which is selected internally by the Executive Council based on qualifications of sitting members. If a member is proposed by petition, the petition must contain signatures from a minimum of 2% of the BGA membership. Petitions will be accepted from February 1 - March 1, 2014. All candidates will be given access to membership lists to promote their candidacy. Contact membership@scaa.org for more information about this petition process. The process is also outlined in the SCAA by-laws on page 6.
Voting is now open and will close March 31, 2014 at 5pm PST.
2014 Candidates
Todd Mackey is currently QC Coordinator & Trainer for InterAmerican Coffee's Northeast Office where he oversees the company's training division, Coffee Solutions. He is a Licensed Q-Grader, BGA Examiner / L1 & 2, SCAA Specialized Lead Instructor, and Co-Founder of Providence Coffee Society in Rhode Island where he lives with his wife Grace and daughter Ayla Mae. Todd has been a member of the BGA since 2009, volunteering to serve the vision and mission of the Guild since 2011.
Colin Whitcomb works in Washington, D.C. with Madcap Coffee as Head of Training. He began working in coffee in 2006, and started as a barista trainer in 2008. Since then, he has trained hundreds of baristas, worked tens of thousands of hours in cafes, and competed in many competitions. Colin has been part of the BGA Executive Council since April 2012, serving on the Education Committee, refining classes, organizing and volunteering at Barista Camp, and coordinating the BGA cafe. Currently, Colin serves as head the the Membership Committee, and as Secretary for the BGA. He is an organizer of DC area TNTs, and contributes to Barista Magazine and the Specialty Coffee Chronicle. He enjoys poetry, Spring weather, and orchids. Colin welcomes any feedback and ideas for connecting baristas together.
Petition Candidate
Todd Goldsworthy is the coffee guru at Klatch Coffee where he oversees all wholesale accounts. Todd was always fascinated with the coffee house experience which has shaped his future. At first, he was drawn in by the environment and the atmosphere, but later learned that it was the coffee that would inspire his career path. Todd got his first job in coffee in 2001 with Starbucks. First learning about SCAA and BGA in 2009 Todd was instantly intrigued, wanted to be involved, and became a member. Having attended every SCAA yearly Event since and every Western Barista Camp, Todd took every opportunity to learn, grow, and develop. After receiving his BGA Level 2 Certification he became a credentialed examiner and SCAA lead instructor so that he could start giving back to the community that taught him so much. In 2013 Todd took over the Los Angeles Coffee Community's TNTs which have grown exponentially. Wanting to learn and develop as much as he could Todd competed in Brewers Cup 3 years cumulatively and recently achieved First Place in SouthWest Regional Brewers Cup Competition 2014. Todd would like to take the next few years as a BGA Council Member to continue giving back to the community that has helped develop him. Todd believes that by focusing back into our local communities we can help the entire coffee community to learn, grow, and develop. Together.