SCA Names Board and Presidential Candidates for 2023 Election

SCA image showing four candidates selection by the group’s nominating committee, plus presidential succession appointee Andrew Tolley.

The Specialty Coffee Association has named a slate of candidates for its 2023 SCA Board of Directors elections. The announcement coincides with the opening of the nominations by petition period, which is open until Saturday, Sept. 30.

For nominations by petition, the SCA points members to the FAQ section at the bottom of its election news web page.

Selected by the SCA’s Nominating Committee, the new slate of candidates matches the number of board seats opening for the 2024-25 term, which starts Jan. 1, 2024. The board consists of 18 volunteer members overall.

The new slate of board candidates includes: Giovanni Fucili, sales director EMEA for Italy-based Simonelli Group; Jiyoon Han, co-owner of New York-based Bean & Bean Coffee Roasters; Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian, owner of Massachusetts and Burundi-based coffee importer JNP Coffee; and Rob Stephen, managing director of U.S. and UK-based importer Covoya Specialty Coffee.

An image from the SCA Expo in Portland, Oregon, in April. Daily Coffee News photo.

Additionally, the current SCA board has elected a 2nd vice president, Andrew Tolley, who is expected to serve a three-year term as part of the board’s presidential succession, becoming president in 2026.

Per the board’s bylaws, current board president Konstantinos Konstantinopoulos of Greece-based Coffee Island will be replaced in 2024 by Pamela Chng of Singapore-based Bettr Group. Dubai-based Mokha 1450 Vice President Garfield Kerr will assume the role of board vice president, while UK-based Tolly, of Tolley Coffee & Tea, will become 2nd vice president. Cosimo Libardo of Nomad Coffee Consulting has been named treasurer.

Following the nomination by petition period, a final ballot is expected on Oct. 13. If there are more candidates than seats available, an election among SCA members will take place throughout November.

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