In 2004, Alex Brooks started as barista and has been a student of the specialty coffee supply chain ever since. Over the last 15 years, through employment he has received education in nearly every facet of the industry—from extraction theory, cafe design, equipment maintenance, customer service, roasting, roasted coffee sales, and importing/quality control to post-harvest processing focusing on fermentation. He completed CQI's Q Processing Level 2 - Professional certification in May of 2018. He looks forward to many more years working towards an equitable and sustainable coffee industry.

Marie Franklin has spent her career in coffee, holding experience in importing, roasting, retailing, sales and marketing. She now leads product development, innovation and education for Umbria Coffee Roasters. Her love of coffee was sparked by her Scandinavian mother’s ritual of buying and grinding fresh coffee, brewing with the pour-over method, and then drinking it black. Since landing her first job with the roaster in her hometown, Marie has not looked back. She stays in coffee because it is ever-evolving. She is fascinated by the new developments in science and innovation that make her cup of coffee taste better every day. Find Marie on Instagram at @itsnotyouitsmarie.

Katherine Hartline has worked in coffee since age 17. Past roles have included barista, barista trainer, green buyer and roaster, equipment sales and SCA certified educator, importing quality assurance and lab management, green coffee sales, and importing logistics coordinator. Katherine holds degrees in Natural Resource + Land Management and Soil Sciences from Trinity Western University and Northwestern University, and has previously worked at industry-leading companies such as Mercanta and Intelligentsia. Katherine is now happy to call Atlas her coffee home and provide support to roasters and buyers in her green coffee sales role. She is a self-described “coffee matchmaker” and appreciates the challenge of connecting her clients with coffees that fit each of their distinct needs.

Juliet Han is the head roaster for the UC Davis Coffee Center and manages the undergraduate coffee laboratory. Han has 15 years of experience in the coffee industry, including five years as the head roaster at specialty coffee roaster Blue Bottle Coffee. She has over seven years of roasting experience and is a certified Q Instructor by the Coffee Quality Institute.

Rob Hoos has a diverse range of experience within the specialty coffee industry, including training, roasting, green coffee purchasing and writing in a variety of publications including his own books. Rob holds the highest level certificates from the Roasters Guild of America and Specialty Coffee Association (SCA). He also works as a subject matter expert, content developer, and instructor for the SCA with a focus on roasting and roastery related topics. Rob is a coffee author and has published many articles in industry publications, as well as blog posts and recently the very successful book - Modulating the Flavor Profile of Coffee - One Roaster's Manifesto. Rob travels extensively both in and outside the United States where he presents, offers training and consults on all aspects of coffee and roasting. Rob is a sought after speaker at numerous coffee events. You can find him @robhoos on Twitter and Instagram. 

Dan McMenamin is native Oregonian who has been an active part of McMenamins since 1991. The journey within the company has led through gardens, breweries, pubs, and management as he has continued to contribute to the company in various ways. A current steward of the company as it celebrates its 36th year, he, with his family, look to continue to provide an intersection where people can relax and enjoy food, drink, music, art, history, the natural world and most of all, each other. Cheers! 

Mike Nelson has worked in the coffee industry as a barista, consultant, roaster, trainer, and company co-owner with various specialty coffee companies in the US and abroad. He combined his love of scientific research and coffee by focusing his graduate research on climate change and coffee, and holds an MSc in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science and an MSc in Geography. He is co-founder of Junior's Roasted Coffee, and oversees the company's green coffee buying, roasting, and wholesale training. In April 2017 Mike and his business partners opened Guilder, a cafe and bar in Northeast Portland that also serves as the roastery for Junior's Roasted Coffee. 

Hanna Neuschwander is the communications director for World Coffee Research, a research nonprofit that works to secure the future of coffee. Whether she's explaining the impact of climate change to a room full of coffee roasters, or coffee genetics to a hedge fund trader, or coffee brewing to her mom, the intersection of coffee and science is her passion. She writes regularly and speaks globally about the future of coffee and coffee agriculture. Her writing and commentary has appeared in the Art of Eating, Time Magazine, CNN, BCC, Portland Monthly, and many others. She is the author of over 50 magazine articles on coffee, and of Left Coast Roast, a guidebook to coffee roasters on the west coast.

Steph Backus works at Buckman Coffee Factory as the Director of Business Development and have been involved in the coffee industry for 15 years. Her previous experiences involve green buying, juror for Cup of Excellence and logistics and shipping. She is a Licensed Q Arabica Grader with the Coffee Quality Institute. Steph is an education/information giver, business consultant, party planner and all around lover of all things coffee. In her personal life, she is a wife and Mom and can oftentimes be found on the water somewhere.

Drew Billups runs the coffee lab at Seattle-based Atlas Coffee Importers. As Director of Education and Quality Control at Atlas, Drew oversees ongoing training and calibration of the cupping panel and leads the education programming, which includes Arabica Q grader courses and SCA Coffee Skills Program Modules. As Q Instructor, Drew enjoys working to contribute to the goal of increased calibration among coffee professionals around the world. In his free time, Drew geeks out about things other than coffee like craft bread and single malt scotch. 

Joey Gleason is an entrepreneur and coffee veteran based in Portland, Oregon. She's the founder and co-owner of Marigold Coffee, which includes a wholesale roastery and cafe. She's also co-owner and co-founder of Buckman Coffee Factory, a unique co-working space that  provides the following resources: rentable roasting equipment and workspace; rentable education space for public and private cupping events; and secure, climate-controlled storage, open to member-roasters. Joey studied science in college, at UC Davis, a discipline that informs her roasting and business philosophy today. She lives with her girlfriend in North Portland and when she's not knee-deep in the world of coffee you can find her watching or playing soccer (go Thorns!) working in her garden or foraging goodies from the Oregon woods and coastline.

Candice Madison has worked in specialty coffee for over a decade, as an accomplished barista, roaster, and trainer. She is a Q Arabica Instructor for the Coffee Quality Institute, an Authorized Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) Trainer, teaching on SCA certified campuses, as well as at the annual SCA Event, World of Coffee and Coffee Roasters Guild Retreat. A past World Coffee Events Head Judge, Candice is currently the Director of Roasting at The Crown; Royal Coffee Lab and Tasting Room. Candice focuses on working with those who look to ensure quality in specialty coffee throughout the supply chain. Most important to her work is that it supports sustainable livelihoods for all farmers, producers, and all of those along the value chain, with recognition of the invaluable role that women and people of color play throughout. She has previously been involved in several SCA committees and is currently part of the Equity Diversity and Inclusion Task Force working in an advisory capacity to the board and several committees as needed. Her vocation is the unceasing quest for the highest quality of coffee and the constant, sustainable improvement in the quality of the lives of those who produce it.

Scott Merle is the senior vice president of La Minita Coffee. He is a specialty coffee veteran with experience in every aspect of the coffee value chain, including green coffee sourcing, purchasing, roasting and sales, and is proficient in various types of coffee evaluation. Scott has a long and rich history of volunteering within the industry and has dedicated himself to pursuing excellence in coffee quality on all levels, from origin through roasting.