Originally from Columbia, South Carolina, Striker Reese has had a lifelong passion for wine and moved to Washington, DC to pursue a career in the wine industry. He holds a Master’s degree in management from The Catholic University of America. He has worked in wine retail and marketing, and is currently the marketing chair for The Bourgogne Board for The Roots Fund. He is also the founder of Anime & Wine, which combines his interest in wine with the unique world of anime and manga.

Em Sauter is an award winning cartoonist, international beer judge, Advanced Cicerone®, journalist, public speaker and founder of the website Pints and Panels which focuses on visual beer education and was started in 2010. She is the author of four books and also co-hosts the All About Beer podcast. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and two cats, Milbo and The Geen.

Serilda Summers-McGee is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Workplace Change, a people and culture firm created to guide, advise, and encourage the business world through internal as well as external growth and transition, while incorporating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion into HR systems. Serilda has been an HR/DEI innovator for over 17 years, honing her ability to identify challenges and opportunities while teaching the masses how to be better leaders. She has inspired thousands to create, embrace, and mobilize lasting organizational change.

Lester Jones serves as the Chief Economist and Vice President of Analytics for the National Beer Wholesalers Association. He has more than 20 years of experience in industry research, survey methodology and applied business economics. He most recently served as Chief Economist at the Beer Institute, where he developed and executed significant research initiatives that helped shape America’s beer industry. In addition to his decade of work at the Beer Institute, Jones previously worked for Arbitron Company (Nielsen) in Columbia, Maryland, and the Regional Economic Studies Institute at Towson State University in Maryland. Jones has a Master of Science in Economics from the University of Delaware and is a Certified Business Economist.

Ben Salisbury is a consultant, coach, content creator, public speaker, thought leader, subject matter expert, and entrepreneur for the wine and spirits industry. His expertise in sales and marketing strategy accumulated over four decades working with some of the largest adult beverage companies in the world including Ste Michelle Wine Estates and Constellation Brands. His approach is to disrupt the status quo of how wines and spirits are marketed and sold, to challenge outdated practices, and to provide innovative solutions to help wineries and distilleries sell more products. Ben is a frequent speaker at industry conferences, creates original content on his blog and YouTube channel, and has contributed articles to the Wine Business Monthly.

Amanda DeVries is the principal and creative director of Eye Candy Design, a boutique branding and packaging design firm that creates fresh, iconic work for food and beverage companies. She has nearly 20 years experience as a brand consultant, art director and graphic designer. Amanda spent the first 10 years of her career in Ottawa, where the public sector kept her busy but not terribly inspired. In 2010, her family moved to southwestern Ontario to start an organic vegetable farm and this presented her with the opportunity to work directly with business owners on branding, packaging and marketing collateral. She also enjoys sharing her knowledge through various teaching gigs and mentoring younger designers. She is the mother of 3 children who share her love of good food, vintage shopping and travel.

Aaron MJ Gore is the Director of Partnerships and Community for Arryved, helping to connect cideries with the tools and resources that they need to succeed. With a decade of sales, retail management, and business analytic experience in the craft beverage industry, he loves the opportunities that he has every day to make a difference for small business owners across the country. He is also a co-founder of the Court Shoes Only and Evergreen Brewing Initiative non-profits, and a board member for the American Craft Beer Hall of Fame. He is a Certified Pommelier, Advanced Cicerone, Certified Cheese Scholar, WSET Level 2 Spirits Certified, and is (AF)(NA) Beer Certified. Additionally, he is an active industry advocate, public speaker, beverage educator, and the father of two daughters who are the true passion of his life.

Fabian Lara Mercado is a fermentation generalist and sensory analyst dedicated to the drinks industry for over 10 years.  He is the first BJCP certified cider judge in Chile, was part of the first generation of cider judges in Latin America, and was the first Chilean to participate as a judge in GLINTCAP.  He is currently Policy Coordinator for INDAP, the most important financial arm of the Ministry of Agriculture, responsible for helping small-holder farmers and orchardists.

Gicella Thamar Saldivia González is a farmer and works on her family’s farm where they grow fruit, vegetables, breed sheep, and care for a heritage orchard of cider apples.

She is also the president of the Cooperative of Agroecological Producers of Chiloé, collectively owned by 16 farming families from the archipelago of Chiloé in the Patagonia region of Chile.  They have been working for the past 8 years on increasing appreciation for heritage apples from Chiloé. The cooperative has a processing plant where cider, distillate, juice and vinegar products are being developed while maintaining and respecting traditional knowledge, gradually incorporating technological improvements to add value, without losing sight of the ancestral culture that they seek to protect.

Eli Shanks is a Cidermaker from the North Eastern United States who has been making cider for over 10 years in the US and Chile.

He is a serial entrepreneur in the premium food industry, having founded an urban farm, restaurant, bar, and two cideries. His goal is to help rural communities in Chile find sustainable ways to increase their standard of living so they can maintain their way of life.

He is Co-Founder of Punta de Fierro Fine Cider from Patagonia.