The American Craft Spirits Association, founded in 2013, is a registered non-profit trade group representing the U.S. craft spirits industry. As a trade group, members vote each year for the fifteen democratically elected representatives who make up the Board of Directors. There are three Officer positions made up of the President, Vice President and Secretary/Treasurer. The board of directors are elected annually for a one year term.
2018 ACSA Election Results
The Association has announced the appointment of Chris Montana, Owner of Du Nord Craft Spirits, Minnesota, as the newly elected President of the Board of Directors, replacing Mark Shilling of Treaty Oak Brewing and Distilling, Texas, who has served as the organization’s president since April 2017. Maggie Campbell, President of Privateer Rum, Massachusetts, has been named as the organization’s Vice President and Colin Keegan of Santa Fe Spirits, New Mexico, has been appointed as Secretary/Treasurer.
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Together, Montana, Campbell, and Keegan, who have served as key members of ACSA’s Board of Directors over the last year, and the newly-elected and re-elected Board of Directors will work with Executive Director Margie A.S. Lehrman to address the key issues, such as the renewal of the reduced Federal Excise Tax and other issues facing the craft distilling industry.
“Chris is a thoughtful, deliberate, and engaging leader, and I look forward to continuing to work with him over the next year as he leads our organization into this new and exciting chapter,” said Mark Shilling, who will help transition Montana as he takes on this new role. “It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the members of ACSA, the only national trade association led by distillers to serve distillers, and I know Chris will do a fantastic job carrying on the great work we have accomplished over the last year.”
“I am humbled by this opportunity to serve our members at ACSA. I’d like to thank Mark and our retiring board members for their mentorship, support, and their tireless efforts that have set us on the path to continued success,” added Chris. “There are big shoes to fill this year as many of ACSA’s founding members leave our Board of Directors, having completed full terms. These industry leaders set the bar high with their clear vision and goal-oriented leadership, and I look forward to following their legacy as we lead ACSA into a new chapter. As the industry continues to grow at a record pace, I am excited to work with the tremendously talented team at ACSA as we continue the excellent work already in progress to elevate and advocate for our craft distilling community.”
The Board of Directors will also be appointing ex officio members and leadership to its governing committees within the next few weeks. Those committees include Membership, Ethics, Convention, Education, Judging, Legislative Affairs, State Guilds, Technology, and Development.
The 2018 Board of Directors is comprised of the following individuals:
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**Term covers 2018-2019 (completing a term in which there is a vacant seat.)
The Association says board elections were supervised and certified by Renee Bemis, Driftless Glen Distillery and Jeff Wuslich of Cardinal Spirits. Elections were held last month with close to 50% of voting members casting ballots, while officers were chosen by the full board.
Membership in American Craft Spirits Association is open to anyone. 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 based on the amount on which a Federal Excise Tax is paid.
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