The American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA) is a national registered non-profit trade association, founded in 2013, representing the U.S. craft spirits industry. The Association is guided by 15 democratically elected representatives who make up the Board of Directors. This year’s elections just wrapped up with a re-election of its President and the addition of two other women to leadership roles in the organization.
ACSA has announced the re-election of Becky Harris of Catoctin Creek Distilling Co. as the President of the Board of Directors. She has served as a member of the organization’s Board of Directors since 2019, and as President since 2020. The group has also elected Gina Holman of J. Carver Distillery and Jessica Lemmon of Cart/Horse Distilling as the organization’s Vice President and Secretary/Treasurer, respectively.
The trio and the current and newly appointed Board of Directors will work with CEO Margie A.S. Lehrman to address the key issues facing the craft distilling industry, including the organization’s continued push for direct-to-consumer shipping (DTC). ACSA says this election mark a first in drinks industry history, as an 100% women-led board will steer a national trade association. Additionally, women currently comprise 40 percent of the elected Board of Directors. ACSA is also proud to announce the results of our national election for Board of Director members, adding three new members with another two returning.
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“I am honored to be selected again by my fellow board members, a group of incredible leaders within our craft distilling community, as president, and I am excited to continue the incredible momentum behind our industry on the heels of our Federal Excise Tax (FET) victory and the slow, but changing direct shipping ecosystem,” said Harris, as she begins her second term as president.
Lehrman added, “As a woman in drinks, particularly at a trade association level, today marks an important milestone as we announce the election of our first-ever women-led Board. Though ACSA remains focused on critical industry issues such as parity, tax reform, trade, and direct shipping, we continue to pour our hearts and efforts into the STEPUP Foundation, the 501(c)3 non-profit immersive internship program we helped create late last year. Through STEPUP, our work is narrowly focused on an important mission: to change the face of the drinks industry, one intern at a time. While we still have so much work to do – particularly within the communities that have been most marginalized historically – we are beginning to see a shift in drinks.”
Departing the board after the completion of their terms are Ryan Christiansen of Caledonia Spirits in Montpelier, Vermont and Molly Troupe of Freeland Spirits in Portland, Oregon. Lehrman said, “We’d like to extend our thanks to Ryan and Molly for their years of service to the board and their ongoing contributions to ACSA.”
Following these elections, the ACSA Board of Directors will also be appointing leadership to its governing committees. Those committees include Membership, Ethics, Convention, Education, Elections, Safety, ACSA PAC, Mentorship, Judging, Government Affairs, State Guilds, Technology, Finance, DTC and Development.
2022 American Craft Spirits Association Board of Directors
The 2022 Board of Directors, representing the craft spirits industry nationwide, is comprised of the following individuals.
| Region | Member | Distiller | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| East | Becky Harris | Catoctin Creek Distillery | Virginia |
| East | Jessica Lemmon | Cart/Horse Distilling | Pennsylvania |
| East | Tom Potter | New York Distilling | New York |
| Central & Mtn. | Amber Pollock | Backwards Distilling Co. | Wyoming |
| Central & Mtn. | Mark A. Vierthaler | Whiskey Del Bac | Arizona |
| Central & Mtn. | Colin Keegan | Santa Fe Spirits | New Mexico |
| Central & Mtn. | P.T. Wood | Wood’s High Mountain Distillery | Colorado |
| Central & Mtn. | Colton Weinstein | Corsair Artisan Distillery | Tennessee |
| Central & Mtn. | Thomas Mote | Balcones Distilling | Texas |
| Central & Mtn. | Gina Holman | J.Carver Distillery | Minnesota |
| Pacific | Jeff Kanof | Copperworks Distillery | Washington |
| Pacific | Kelly Woodcock | Westward Whiskey | Oregon |
| Pacific | Lucy Farber | St. George Spirits | California |
| Pacific | Dan Farber | Osocalis Distillery | California |
| Pacific | Jake Holshue | Rogue Ales & Spirits | Oregon |
| Ex Officio | Thomas Jensen | New Liberty Distillery | Pennsylvania |
ACSA is governed by a Board of Directors elected by the eligible voting members of the Association. Voting members must be independent licensed distillers (DSPs) annually removing fewer than 750,000 proof gallons from bond (the amount on which a Federal Excise Tax is paid.)
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