Scholarship Review Committee

Hannah Becker, Associate Attorney, GrayRobinson, P.A.
Béatrice Cointreau, President & Chief Executive Officer, byBC Wines
Renata Franzia Price, National Chain Manager, Bronco Wine Company
Cindy Haas, Vine President, External Communications & Corporate Social Responsibility, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits
Natalie Henderson, Principal, Corporate Communications & PR, E. & J. Gallo Winery
Dr. Kathryn LaTour, Associate Professor, Wine Services Marketing, Cornell University
David Rudman, Executive Director- USA, Wine & Spirit Education Trust
Dr. Liz Thach, MW, Distinguished Professor of Wine, Professor of Management, Sonoma State University
Judy Viera, Vice President, Human Resources, Breakthru Beverage Group
Jan Barnes, Principal, Jan Barnes Consulting, LLC
Elizabeth DeConti, Shareholder, GrayRobinson PA
Rachael Ellas, Consultant, Ellas & Associates, LLC
Michelle Mittelstaedt, Director of Business Development, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits
Susan Kostrzewa, Executive Editor, Wine Enthusiast Media
Lyn Nguyen, CEO, Liquid Analytics

Scholarship received: professional development conference attendees

Kyle Burke’s journey began 20 years ago as an artist and educator in Baltimore County, Maryland.

Art was her foundation; however, educating high school students in Baltimore City, about Career Exploration fed her passion as a wine connoisseur. In 2015, Kyle launched ‘Yoshisart’, an art and wine based business leading small groups through painting experiences paired with introductory wine tastings. As business grew, so did her love for understanding and sharing the world of enology. Last year, she and her husband had a conversation about diversity within the wine industry, when the idea of producing her own label originated. Without formal training, just love and yearn to understand great tasting wine, ‘Yoshiswine’ was born. To date, she has fermented, blended, and bottled 3 different varietals (Chardonnay Blend, Cabernet Sauvignon & Malbec). Her goal is to produce great wine worthy of any occasion. Being a recipient of the WOTVS / McBride Sisters SHE CAN Professional Development Conference Award extends the opportunity for Kyle to gain the professional development necessary turning a hobby into a business while gaining federal and state licensing for Yoshiswine Varietals. Kyle’s extremely humbled to receive such an award, especially coming from the McBride Sisters SHE CAN Foundation. She knows her duty to continue building diverse platforms the next generation of wine enthusiasts can participate within.

Scholarship received: Wine Business MBA

Hannah DeYoung never planned on falling in love with the wine industry.

While studying Communications at Northeastern University she began hosting Wine Wednesdays at her apartment and on a whim took the Introductory Sommelier Exam in 2015. After graduation, she traveled to Tuscany to work for a winery where she fell in love with everything about the winemaking process; from vine to bottle. She then proceeded to work three harvests—two in Napa and one in Australia. After seeing the production side of winemaking, she yearned to learn more about the business side of the industry and tie in her undergraduate studies. She began the Wine Business MBA Program at Sonoma State University in the fall of 2018. Currently she is the Marketing Coordinator at Bottle Barn and works part-time in the tasting room at Silver Oak Cellars. She hopes to eventually apply her knowledge to start a sustainable wine business of her own and to continue to mentor other women in the field.

Scholarship received: wine business management

Jessica is a sales professional located in Fayetteville, Arkansas for Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits Distributors.

Originally from New York City, Jessica began her career as a waitress and bartender in some of the most prominent restaurants in the city, including Morimoto, EMM Group, and the SoHo Grand Hotel. She then went on to supervise a team in The Madison Club at Madison Square Garden. She holds a WSET Level II Certification in Wine & Spirits. Her bartending experience and wine knowledge help her to sell through product knowledge and application.

Scholarship received: Business of Wine Certification

Billie Harris is the Founder of The Vino Van LLC, a wine tour company that takes passengers to North Georgia’s Vineyards.

The Vino Van’s tours are memorable experiences known for cultivating new friendships over wine, which Billie is most proud of. She also hosts educational wine tastings, covering all aspects of wine, in a fun and unintimidating environment. Both experiences give her the opportunity to share her knowledge and passion for wine with her community. Billie holds a WSET Level2 Certification in Wine and Spirits with Merit. She plans to complete the WSET Certifications and ultimately become a Winemaker. Billie is also a philanthropist and the Arts Chair of The Atlanta Woman’s Club. She volunteers with various 501(c)3 non-profits in Atlanta, many with missions that encourage the advancement of women in our society.

Scholarship received: Business of Wine Certification

Shanika Hillocks brings her passion for hospitality and experience leading influencer marketing campaigns in the wine & spirits spaces, to the bread & Butter digital team as an Influencer Marketing Manager.

A successful freelance journalist, Shanika has covered the philosophies behind a restaurant's cuisine, a beverage director's sales strategy, and regularly profiles luminaries—specifically people of color—within food & beverage. Her work has been published in ChefsFeed, VinePair, SevenFifty Daily, Fathom and Bon Appétit's Healthyish. In addition to writing, Shanika consults on digital marketing strategy for food & beverage concepts and brands.

Scholarship received: Wine Business MBA

Alicia Kidd is the owner and founder of The Wine Noire based in Berkeley California.

The Wine Noire is a company that provides supply chain and logistics services to women winemakers and minority winemakers in the United States and Internationally. After spending 18 years in Corporate America working in Healthcare IT and Training Development for major companies, Alicia decided to launch her own wine business. Her love of wine goes back to 2009 when she attended the African American Vintners Association Tasting event and was exposed to amazing wines by African American Winemakers. From 2009 to present day, Alicia has immersed herself in the wine community and has been a champion for wine diversity in the Bay Area. Her passion for wine and diversity /inclusion led her to launch The Wine Noire LLC.

Scholarship received: Wine Business MBA

Caitlyn Krug’s journey into the world of spirits began in San Sebastian, Spain, where she learned to celebrate the art of hospitality while working as a bartender at a seaside locale in 2013.

This is where she cut her teeth mixing the perfect Spanish gin and tonic and learned how to expertly prepare ginebra, Spanish for ‘gin’ and the inspiration for her future gin brand’s name. After her time abroad, Caitlyn began a corporate career in operations and management consulting, spending the next five years dreaming of the day she could leave her safe desk job to pursue her true passion. This year, she finally took the plunge and acted on her goal to craft a gin that would enhance and elevate the botanical flavors of the Spanish-style gin & tonic. She hopes her gin will make a big splash, leading to the next cocktail trend in the United States. Caitlyn is currently finalizing logistics for an early 2020 product launch in New Orleans, the birthplace of the American cocktail, while simultaneously finishing her MBA from Tulane University where she is specializing in Entrepreneurial Hospitality.

Note: She incorporates wine grapes into her gin recipe!

Scholarship received: Wine Business MBA

Born and raised in a small farm community in Northern California, Ann-Marie always knew she wanted to be a part of the wine industry in some facet.

Working all through college and after in the restaurant industry in many different roles, she fell deeply in love with wine. When she finally decided to leap sales and marketing, she chose to apply to Southern Glazers Wine and Spirits (SGWS) and has never looked back. For years she has been collecting wine and spirits certifications supported by SGWS. Most recently, beginning her next adventure with Sonoma State in the Executive Wine MBA Cohort seven.

Scholarship received: professional development conference attendees

Cassandra Schaeg is the Founder and CEO of SIP Wine & Beer, a tasting room and retail store located in Escondido, CA.

Cassandra empowers novice and veteran wine and beer lovers to SIP | CONNECT | SHARE. In its fourth year of business, Cassandra succeeded in its growth by curating a selection of local brands and women-owned producers. Infusing community, culture, and conversation, Cassandra launched WineVersations, a web series dedicated to elevating stories of influencers in wine, spirits, entrepreneurship, politics, and social justice. Cassandra is certified as an Airport Concessions Business Enterprise and aspires to expand SIP Wine & Beer in the San Diego Airport.

Scholarship received: professional development conference attendees

Sarah Timbrook-Nugent is an account manager with Elliott Bay Distributing in Seattle.

She holds a WSET Level Three Certification in Wine and Spirits, two certifications in business German and a Master’s Degree from the University of Washington. She was bitten by the wine bug in the 1990s while working as a publishing rep in Europe and finally made the leap to the beverage industry seven years ago. She takes pride in connecting wine and spirits producers from all over the world with savvy trade buyers and consumers in the Pacific Northwest.

Scholarship received: professional development conference attendees

Racquel Valbrun is a WSET 2 certified wine educator and wine event curator.

Her wine journey started in 2018 as a wine guide with the Traveling Vineyard, where she taught hundreds of wine novices the basics of wine tasting. Based out of Atlanta, Ga, Racquel primarily works with Millennial and Gen-Z socialites to introduce them to wine and transition them to becoming avid wine drinkers. She works tirelessly to create fun and unique events to teach the fundamentals of wine tasting to her clients and how they can apply these basics in a social setting. Guests of her events classes walk away feeling confident and proud of their new level of knowledge about wine. One of Racquel’s many goals is to create an affordable way for wine lovers of all socioeconomic backgrounds to travel around the world and visit the vineyards and wineries their favorite wines.

SCHOLARSHIP RECEIVED: WINE BUSINESS MBA

Martha graduated with honors from James Madison University in 2007 with a B.S. degree; majoring in Business Management and minoring in Nonprofit Studies.

As a member of the Empson USA Inc. team, she has been afforded the incredible opportunity to learn from a family owned importer with an extensive history as a pioneer in the import wine & spirits industry. Her interest and passion for facilitating the sale and appreciation of wine and spirits has been perpetuated by continuous education. She is both a Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers and a Certified Specialist of Wine through the Society of Wine Educators. In the Fall of 2019, she will begin the inaugural Global Wine Executive MBA Program in the Wine Business at Sonoma State University. She is excited to continue learning and growing as beverage innovation built on a foundation of rich agricultural history and artistry is what makes this industry so exciting and fascinating.