Amanda Gunderson has seen firsthand the challenges faced by hospitality workers after spending more than two decades in the field herself. She now draws upon her inside knowledge of the industry daily in her role as CEO and Co-Founder of Another Round Another Rally. 

Amanda co-founded the nonprofit that provides financial resources and support for hospitality workers in 2018 alongside partner Travis Nass after becoming increasingly aware of the inequities and inequalities plaguing the industry. Recognizing that members of marginalized communities and individuals with intersectional identities have long been underpaid and under-represented in upper-management and other high-paying hospitality roles, she and Nass set about creating an organization that would help turn the tables.

Since launching, Another Round Another Rally has given out more than $3 million in aid and helped tens of thousands of hospitality professionals and their families find not only financial assistance, but also scholarship, mentorship and career-advancement opportunities. Because immigrants, people of color and LGBTQ populations represent a significant percentage of workers who’ve faced historical inclusion in hospitality, many of Another Round Another Rally’s efforts involve breaking down language barriers, developing diversity, equity and inclusion practices, and otherwise advocating for these communities.

Amanda’s advocacy efforts on behalf of bar and restaurant workers everywhere have earned her applause industrywide, including an induction into Tales of the Cocktail’s Dame Hall of Fame, which recognizes industry leaders who make lasting contributions within the food and beverage industry. She was also the 2022 recipient of the coveted Pioneer Award from Tales of the Cocktail, which recognizes an industry alum whose efforts enhance equality and inclusiveness in bars and restaurants with regard to gender identity, race, religion and socioeconomic status.

While Amanda oversees Another Round Another Rally’s emergency and educational assistance programs, she also serves as the primary face of the nonprofit, spearheading its efforts to create more innovative, dynamic workplaces where equity and inclusion allow marginalized populations the space and safety they need to advance and thrive. She also establishes and maintains relationships with donors and supporters while staying current on existing and emerging grant opportunities. 

Before diving headfirst into advocacy work, Amanda honed her hospitality skills holding virtually every role in the industry, from barback to regional brand ambassador and everything in between. She worked alongside James Beard Award-winning Chef and Humanitarian Jose Andrés and was part of the team nominated for Best American Restaurant Bar at Julian Cox’s bar at Rivera in 2012.

Most recently, Amanda served as West Coast American Whiskey Ambassador for Beam Suntory, a global leader in bourbon-making, after working at several small-batch distillers and spending a five-year stint at House of Tequila at Pernod Ricard. Prior to that, she was the Director of Product Development and Education for Congenial Spirits, where she helped introduce the United States to some of the finest craft spirits available around the globe.

Her bartending work has graced the pages of numerous industry authorities including Los Angeles Confidential and “Tequila Made Me Do It,” a tequila and mezcal cocktails recipe book.

An educator and regular at numerous industry events ranging from San Antonio Cocktail Conference and Sacramento Cocktail Week to Golden State of Cocktails and Portland Cocktail Week, Amanda also finds time to mentor up-and-coming industry talents who are hungry to make their marks in the field.  

A longtime industry insider, advocate and behind-the-bar talent, Travis Nass co-founded Another Round Another Rally alongside partner Amanda Gunderson in 2018 to aid and empower bar and restaurant workers and address the unique hardships so many of them face.  As COO and Co-Founder of the nonprofit that delivers professional development and financial help, health and mental health resources, and other forms of support for hospitality workers, Travis manages the logistical side of the organization’s programming and support services while helping develop and implement solutions that address ongoing and evolving industry needs. 

In addition to his work with Another Round Another Rally, Travis is a longtime member and one-time President of the Phoenix Chapter of the United States Bartenders’ Guild, a role in which he worked to raise the reputation of the craft and advocate for equal treatment and opportunities for bartenders from all backgrounds. 

Known arguably as much for his DIY approach to creating house-made bitters, tinctures, syrups and tonics as he is for his advocacy, Nass’s name has appeared regularly in top spirits industry publications. His craft cocktails have also floated atop every must-drink list in the nation.

Travis also moonlights as an independent beverage program consultant, helping bar, restaurant and brand clients across all ends of the spectrum inject energy, originality and balance into their beverage offerings.

With well over a decade in the drink biz under his belt buckle, Nass continues to offer a fresh, inventive take on the industry. He first honed his craft, not behind the bar, but rather, inside a professional Japanese kitchen, and later, under the tutelage of nationally known, award-winning Arizona chefs. The recipient of a coveted “Beverage Master” induction in the Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame, among multiple other accolades, Travis’ influence, innovation and leadership continue to stir things up in the hospitality industry.

As Director of Operations, Chianne Nass relies on her management, service-industry and administrative expertise to expand the reach of Another Round Another Rally and further its efforts and ambitions. With more than a decade in the service and hospitality industry under her belt and another 10+ years spent in project management, human resources, high-level administration and operations oversight, Chianne knows how to keep the wheels turning both at the front of the house and behind the line.

From managing applications for grant assistance programs to establishing and maintaining relationships with partners, donors, and board and advisory council members, Chianne helps facilitate virtually every aspect of the organization’s operations. She also helps coordinate awareness and marketing efforts that help ensure more hospitality professionals across the nation hear about and gain access to the grant, scholarship and other support and assistance programs available through Another Round Another Rally. 

Keenly focused and hyper-organized, Chianne possesses a valuable blend of administrative, marketing, project management and hospitality skills that help Another Round Another Rally increase its funding, the number of educational and assistance opportunities it offers, and, ultimately, the number of hospitality workers it serves. 

As Education Consultant for Another Round Another Rally, Misty Kalkofen draws from a broad background in bartending and branding to help develop and implement programs that enhance equity, diversity and educational opportunities industrywide.

From creating certification programs that enhance hospitality workers’ skills and marketability to establishing initiatives that help workers who speak Spanish and other languages overcome industry-related language barriers, Misty plays a key part of helping Another Round train, shape and advocate for today’s hospitality workers – and tomorrow’s.

Misty first stepped behind the bar while studying theology at Harvard Divinity School outside Boston. Upon graduating, she realized what most excited her about the Bible was the passage where Jesus turns water into wine. She soon helped launch Boston’s B-Side Lounge, the first bar in the city to focus on classic cocktails and vintage spirits, and continued making her mark on the city’s hospitality scene during stints at Green Street, Brick & Mortar and Barbara Lynch’s award-winning Drink.

In 2007, Kalkofen founded Boston’s chapter of Ladies United for the Preservation of the Endangered Cocktail, fulfilling her desire to “cocktail for a cause.”  Collectively, the ladies of LUPEC raised more than $40,000 for local Boston women’s charities by throwing the best parties in town.

In 2013, Misty signed on as a cultural liaison and brand representative for Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal.  There, she learned the ins and outs of not only the spirit, but the people, customs and cultural considerations that go into its production.

Featured in the likes of Bon Appetit, Imbibe, Wine Enthusiast, The Wall Street Journal and The Boston Globe, to name just a few, Misty also racked up American Bartender of the Year and International Bartender of the Year nominations and an American Brand Ambassador of the Year award from Tales of the Cocktail, among other industry accolades.

Sumi Sarkar is a seasoned professional in the Public Relations space. With over four years of agency experience under her belt she’s an expert communicator with a knack for storytelling, a passion for people and a proven talent. From innovating compelling original content, to planning and implementing effective media strategies, Sumi knows how to generate buzz with not only fierce marketability but fierce authenticity as well.

With a BA in Communications, double minor in Sports Management and Marketing, as well as an MA in Psychology, Sumi’s unwavering desire to learn and understand the world around her has given her an unique ability to dive deeper and create genuine connections with the people behind every project. She believes authenticity should be the driving force behind every story and campaign and believes there’s always a spark in the “ordinary”, you just have to find it.

In addition to her work at Another Round Another Rally, Sumi is also working as a freelance publicist for various restaurant concepts and nonprofit organizations. She is also moving towards the mental health industry with a hospital background working in behavioral health, and through continuing education with research in providing more inclusive and accessible mental health resources for children and families living with financial hardships.

Acclaimed author, seasoned public speaker, and serial entrepreneur, Jackie Summers is the founder of JackFromBrooklyn Inc. and the creator of the award-winning Sorel Liqueur. In 2012, Summers became the first known licensed Black Distiller in the United States. His flagship product, Sorel Liqueur, is based on a 500 year old Caribbean recipe, and is an inaugural recipient of the recently established $50M Uncle Nearest Fund.

Laura Louise Green, LPC is a licensed psychotherapist, organizational consultant, and founder of Healthy Pour. After working in the hospitality and drinks industry for two decades, Laura utilizes her knowledge and skills as a trained mental health professional to facilitate training, growth, and healing within the hospitality industry and other creative sectors. After receiving her license to practice as a psychotherapist, Laura turned her sights on the hospitality industry, providing free psychoeducation to the community at large. This psychoeducation eventually transformed and evolved into Healthy Pour, a consultancy that helps organizations and professional communities address issues of well-being in the workplace.

A self-described pracademic (a term used to describe a practitioner who utilizes and engages with rigorous research and academia), Laura’s work is rooted in employing evidence-based interventions and theory through a critical lens. Her research interests are socio-emotional stress at work and trauma’s influence on career decisions in precarious, creative industries. She studied at DePaul University, earning a Master of Education in community counseling, and is currently studying Organizational Psychology at Birkbeck, University of London in the School of Business, Economics, and Informatics with plans to continue her “pracademic” career in occupational health and well-being. Laura still provides free weekly seminars for the community.

Emmanuel began working in the hospitality industry since 2006, Born and race in

Mexico City with Oaxaca roots Emmanuel has been bartending in California for almost 11 years. Starting out as a dishwasher, Emmanuel worked his way to being behind the bar and eventually became a bar manager. Along the way, he gained valuable training under the mentorship of Jorge Vargas, Marsella Macias, and other industry leaders. His experience has ranged from working in a craft cocktail bar, an elegant wine bar, and a wide variety of restaurants, including a David Kinch establishment. His interest in hospitality, love for providing quality service and drinks to guests, and passion for sharing about his culture inspires him to continue expanding his knowledge and expertise. Through his work, Emmanuel hopes to give back to the community and encourage people from diverse backgrounds to be empowered and share their stories through their creativity and craft.

A bartender and a native of Detroit, John is a Hospitality Professional and Activist. His focus is on creating spaces in hospitality that are truly equal, and doing everything in his power to close the education gap for people of color in the hospitality world. Detroit is the focus of his work, along with spreading the gospel of Detroit across the land. Along with doing work  at number of different cocktail conferences and events across the country. Divergent Hospitality is all about taking the time to focus in on what others need of you, and targeting how you can be of service. With all things taking time is key, When it comes to art of servicing others.. it is truly Paramount.  This focus is taken into all areas of the work from pops-up, consultant, training, and beyond. John is now working with McCalin Camarota Hospitality, He has been working under Tony Abou Ganim (The Modern Mixologist) Running the Highbar at chef Shawn McClain’s Steakhouse, Highlands Detroit. 

Danielle Goldtooth is a Dinè Mother, Mixologist, Farmer, Rancher, Forager, and owner of Dii IINA (This Life) Food from Start to Finish. Currently her and her family’s journey of Food Sovereignty with her company Dii ÌINA- Food Start to Finish is a dream realized. They strive to better their community through acts of service as well as learning all they can to teach their children about self-sufficiency using Dinè philosophies of living.  Currently she is a slaughter woman at a small family-owned ranch who specialize in Arizona grass fed beef in part of their journey of food sovereignty. 

Professionally worked as a barwoman for 13 years she graduated through the ranks of barback to bartender at clubs, restaurants, and then fine dining establishments. During her time at a James Beard Nominated restaurant she cultivated a palate for fine rum, and a love of jerk chicken, but also the title Mixologist. She took part in many Bartending competitions, although always the bridesmaid never the bride loved the connections and community they created. She loves being invited to work POP Up Bartending events and accepts as many invitations as her schedule allows. She is known for pairing cocktails to compliment the food served for an enhanced well-rounded experience and her hyper local, foraged, farm fresh cocktails.

In her spare time she enjoys family time, hiking and playing with their dogs Bear and Thor. She is also an excellent archer, though her bow is looking pretty dusty these days. Overall she likes to think she is a Visionary that works hard to see those dreams lived out for herself as well as her friends and family. 

A New York native, Alli Torres began her journey in hospitality behind the stick at 18. From bartending to managing, her quest for knowledge had only just begun, and Alli ventured to the west coast 7 years later to train with some of the best. Partnering with Top Chef contestant, Rich Sweeney, the food and beverage program at Florent won several awards, including Best New Venue. Afterwards she went to Vegas to open a cocktail bar, and later found herself  back in NYC with the InGoodCo family. She won Bartender of the Year for the Refinery Hotel, home of USA Today’s #1 Rooftop Bar. Next up, Alli organized the cocktail program at Jams in the 1Hotel for culinary icon, Jonathan Waxman.  With executive chef Ginger Pierce at the helm, the fearless female team was praised with a year of accomplishments from winning Cochon, to hosting a dinner at the James Beard House. This past round Alli competed, and placed Top 8 for Speed Rack; an international, all female, bartending competition for Breast Cancer Awareness. She additionally competed in the Branca Games, The Great Bar Race, named by  Slow & Low: Top 10 Women in Whiskey and Cocktail Portal’s Top 10 Bartenders in America. She is currently the GM and Operating Partner for Freehold Miami  (an off-shoot of Freehold Brooklyn) with a few more on the horizon! 

Chris Cabrera (they/them) is the National LGBTQ+ Ambassador for Bacardi; a role that had not previously existed within the company. Formally the Grey Goose Ambassador of New York City, they’ve worked closely with the Multicultural and LGBTQ+ community and are helping to change the conversation and how Bacardi gets involved. They have been working tirelessly within the cocktail industry at large to promote a message of inclusivity, specifically for the POC and Queer community. As a recipient of Bar World’s Top 100, Imbibe 75, and Tales of the Cocktail 2021 Pioneer Award,  they continue to work more exclusively now to further a much overdue conversation and in doing so, they continue to be driven by one of their most inspired James Baldwin quotes: “The place in which I fit will not exist until I make it.” 

Cameron Shaw (She/They) is a hospitality industry professional with more than twelve years of experience working in bars and restaurants in Chicago and New York City. Her passion lies at the intersection of beverage and justice work. Cameron is dedicated to finding ways to use purchasing power and accountable systems to build sustainable incomes for people at all points across the industry, from those who work in the fields to those who staff our restaurants.

Daniel Djang is the founder of Thirsty in LA, a lifestyle blog focused on cocktail culture, spirits and travel. Since its launch in May 2009, Thirsty in LA has become a widely-read and respected industry resource, with accolades that include LA Weekly Best Cocktail Blog, Imbibe Magazine: Imbiber of the Week, and Guest Blogger: Portland Cocktail Week. Daniel was featured in the Los Angeles issue of Imbibe – the magazine’s first-ever city issue – and was a judge for the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards, as well as numerous LA cocktail competitions.

In November 2011, Daniel co-founded Art Beyond the Glass (ABTG), an acclaimed series of national events for bartenders to showcase their artistic talents when they’re not behind the stick. From cocktails to paintings, photography, live music, DJs, spoken word and more, ABTG is a celebration of bartender artistry inside and beyond the glass.

Proceeds from every ABTG event are donated to a local arts-based nonprofit – to date, ABTG has donated more than $210,000 to these vital community organizations. LA-based recipients include KCRW, Global Inheritance, Beautify Earth, and the Mural Conservancy. National donation recipients include Creative Growth Art Center (Oakland), ArtReach Chicago, Arts Council Oklahoma City, and The Moth (NYC).

In response to the devastating impact of COVID-19 on the hospitality industry, ABTG refocused its fundraising mission in order to support bartenders suffering financial hardship due to loss of employment or reduced work hours. The ABTG COVID-19 Relief Fund continues to accept applications and award microgrants to LA County bartenders in need.

Lindsey Johnson is Founder and Lead Creative of Lush Life Productions, which advocates for bar professionals through the legendary Portland Cocktail Week and Camp Runamok, enabling bartenders to take their careers to the highest levels. The unofficial “godmother” of the bartending world, Lindsey has devoted her entire professional life to improving the lives of bartenders.

Her groundbreaking educational and networking initiatives, Portland Cocktail Week and Camp Runamok, have touched the lives of 15,000 bartenders, providing the business and life skills necessary to advance their professional development, whether behind the bar, as bar managers or bar owners. Unprecedented in their depth and breadth, the initiatives are offered free of charge to ensure universal access and free of commercial influences to preserve objectivity.

Portland Cocktail Week: Giving Bartenders Vital Career-Boosting Tools
Together with her team, Lindsey founded Portland Cocktail Week in 2009 to focus on the “business of the bar,” rather than product tastings. To date, 12,675 bartenders from across the U.S. have attended. The week-long educational event is aimed at providing bartenders with the tools they need to take the next step in their careers through classroom work, with tracks like Bar Management and Bar Ownership, as well as networking and guided experiences. The program is free and by application only. Last year, there were 3,000 applicants for 384 full-time student spots, with 1,500 bartenders participating in ancillary events.

Bartender Education, Without Cocktails
Portland Cocktail Week broke all precedents by removing beverage alcohol from the classroom and brand sponsorships of classes, which immediately set it apart from other bartender conferences. In addition to ensuring that all educational content is free of any brand biases or agendas, it was a bold statement advocating for the bartending community’s health and wellness, both mental and physical. Portland Cocktail Week also directly addresses social justice issues affecting the hospitality industry, including geographic, gender and racial equity. Looking ahead, there are plans to digitize much of the content delivered at Portland Cocktail Week to eliminate the travel aspect and bring skills and insights directly into the homes of bartenders.

Creating Bonds for Bartenders That Last a Lifetime at Camp Runamok
In 2012, Lindsey and her team launched Camp Runamok, a bartender “summer camp” located in the heart of Kentucky’s Bourbon Trail. The mission is two-fold: first, offer a private setting for bartender networking, free from big city distractions, which encourages attendees to actually get to know one another and, second, help promote American whiskey.

What sets Camp Runamok apart is the sheer insularity of it and the fact that it creates contexts for meeting other bartenders and creating lasting relationships. Attendees also get to sample whiskey with Wild Turkey’s Jimmy Russell, test yeast with Four Roses’ Al Young and Brent Elliott, rub shoulders with Woodford Reserve’s Chris Morris and have American whiskey experiences that cannot be had anywhere else.

While the program is free to ensure universal access, Camp Runamok pioneered an application process for attendees. Applicants are selected based on the quality of their essays, geography, gender and racial equity. Last year, there were 3,500 applicants for 300 spots. To date, 2,125 bartenders have participated in Camp Runamok. In 2020, there are plans to take it international with a camp in Ireland.

Lush Life Productions: From Media Production to Bartender Advocacy
Lush Life Productions began as a media production company to help the nascent craft bartending community build media content around their work, mostly through photography and videography. It has evolved over time to be the only singularly-focused bartender advocacy agency in the U.S. Lindsey had long recognized that bartenders needed support with personal finance, health & wellness and career training, but the first priority was getting them paid well enough to think beyond survival mode.

Connecting Spirits Brands to Bartenders
For spirits brands, Lush Life brings a deep understanding of the spirits, cocktail, wine and luxury space. Over the last decade, Lush Life has advised clients on brand strategy and new market planning, developed and executed cocktail competitions, provided photography and videography services and activated on-trade programs that tap into and electrify its unparalleled network of bartenders from coast to coast.

Lush Life has produced activations for clients ranging from opulent affairs that celebrate the relaunch of a luxury spirits brand to month-long wine-fueled road trips in a shiny Airstream trailer. Each of these events is developed to specifically reflect the brand’s values, while connecting to the ever-growing and influential Millennial consumer. In addition, Lush Life also provides appropriate sponsorship opportunities for brands at Portland Cocktail Week and Camp Runamok.

When Dale DeGroff Called and the Birth of Lush Life Productions
While working as a bartender, Lindsey was also creating videos for Delish.com and MSN.com. She came to see that she enjoyed making content that highlighted bartenders and the work they do. By chance, she learned that Dale DeGroff, the legendary father of today’s Cocktail Renaissance, was seeking a video crew at the last minute for a Woodford Reserve project at the Belmont Stakes. Lindsey jumped at the opportunity and Lush Life Productions was born.

A Stint in Video Production at Delish.com
Lindsey got her start in video production at Delish.com. At age 23, she was in charge of the entire video department, where she could make and post any food or beverage video she saw fit. She was expected to create four videos a month and eventually turned in five to 10 videos a week. Having the resources to create as much content as she wanted allowed Lindsey to hone in on what she was interested in and helped her find her path.

Creating “Man-on-the-Street” Videos at Snippies
Following graduation, Lindsey worked at a small company called Snippies. Given a laptop and no training, she was sent out to shoot, edit and deliver “man on the street” videos to clients at top brands. With no real boss or oversight, Lindsey’s self-sufficiency thrived and she learned that her successes and failures were hers and hers alone. She also “graduated” to drinking at Pegu Club, an iconic New York City bar at the forefront of the Cocktail Renaissance.

Experiencing Bartending First-Hand While Honing Her Journalism Creds
Lindsey worked her way through college through various bartending jobs that included Meehan’s Pub (Huntington, N.Y.), Savino’s Hideaway (Mount Sinai, N.Y.) and Saints & Sinners (Smithtown, N.Y.), as well as waiting tables. She saw first-hand that so many bartenders needed fairer pay and wages, as well as more meaningful attention from spirits brands. She graduated from Stony Brook University on Long Island with a B.A. in English. However, her broadcast journalism career began in high school, when she interned at WFAA-TV in Dallas. She was hired as a full-time producer at age 17.

A Punk Rocker at Age 15
Lindsey’s first immersion into business and social activism was as a 15-year-old punk rocker. She always felt connected to the ideas behind the music, particularly by groups like Riot GRRRL. Everything from equality to fighting the patriarchy, body positivity to labor issues were addressed and she can now bring this aesthetic into her work with the bartending community.

Long Island Born, Louisville Residing, Voracious Reader and Avid Traveler
Born in West Islip on Long Island, Lindsey resides in Louisville, Ky. with her partner, Nickle, a bartender. Their circa 1898 house, a fixer-upper, is in Old Louisville, the largest brick Victorian neighborhood in the world, which was built as part of the Southern Exposition that set architectural trends nationwide and also debuted the electric light bulb for the home. It is also the inspiration for Lindsey’s new bar, Expo.

Growing up, Lindsey also lived in St. Louis, Denver and Dallas, and was fortunate to visit 47 U.S. states, the Caribbean and Mexico, and learned she could have a great time basically anywhere. She later lived in New York City, San Francisco and Portland. Even today, Lindsey travels about 200 days a year, both domestically and abroad.

At home, since she lives with a talented bartender, her drink of choice is a cocktail, but left to her own devices, she sips wine. Her literary tastes embrace Roberto Bolano, Tom Robbins, William Faulkner and James Joyce. As for favorite bar-related books, they include “Cocktail Codex” by Alex Day and Dave Kaplan, “Beta Cocktails” by Kirk Estopinal and Maksym Pazuniak and “The Bar Book” by Jeffrey Morgenthaler. Music-wise, Lindsey still loves punk and hardcore rock ‘n roll, especially music created by women.

Hanae Suk Bragg (she/her), CEO and founder of Hospitality Confidential, pairs ethical, inclusive and community conscious recruitment practices with process driven hiring processes in order to create impact, value and progress for the hospitality industry and F&B community.

Hanae began her journey in hospitality with professional culinary training from Escuela de Cocina Luis Irizar, a renowned school in San Sebastian, Spain. She accepted both culinary and operational opportunities in fine dining and Michelin star restaurants, such as: Innovative Dining Group’s BOA Steakhouse, Dominick’s est. 1948, Spago Beverly Hills, Michael Voltaggio’s Ink.,  and Akelarre by Pedro Subijana.

Throughout her recruitment career working at prestigious boutique agencies, Hanae has expertly matched job seekers with employers nationwide and even overseas. She currently serves on the board of advisors to Another Round Another Rally, where she completed a years term volunteering as their mental health and wellness director. She has also previously served on the Program Advisory Committee for the Institute of Culinary Education in Pasadena.

A Korean-American woman with an entrepreneurial spirit, Hanae is committed to building visionary workplaces and championing representation of diverse talent. Certified in both Unconscious Bias and Optimizing Diversity in Teams, she continues her education in DE&I in order to help create belonging, accessibility and visibility for everyone that shares her lifelong passion for all things hospitality, food and beverage.

James Beard nominated Chef Casey started her culinary degree post majoring with an Art History and English degree from Pitzer College. Her first kitchen job was working at Providence restaurant, where she fell in love with the elegance and sophistication of French and Japanese cuisine. After Providence, she furthered her culinary education at Red Medicine, honing her understanding for aesthetic plate up and locally sourced ingredients. Casey travelled to Sydney, Australia cooking and continually discovering the flavor profiles she loves most. Two and a half years ago, Casey self-funded her first brick and mortar, Banh Oui, in the heart of Hollywood. Banh Oui has made a splash with coverage in popular publications like the LA Times, Eater, LA Weekly and LA Magazine. Casey hopes to open several Banh Oui locations within the next five years.

Jaymee Mandeville is the National Director of Education – Bacardí.  She is a demonstrated trainer and awarded mixologist.  Mandeville has been a featured presenter and panelist at Tales of the Cocktail, San Antonio Cocktail Conference, Arizona Cocktail Week, Sacramento/Midtown Cocktail Week, Golden State of Cocktails and Life is Beautiful Festival. Combined with a decade of experience working behind the bar for notable hospitality groups SBE and One Group as well as awarded chefs Celestino Drago and Michelle Bernstein, she comes with a wealth of industry insights.  LA native and NY based, she has worked in both fashion and entertainment prior to making her name in the spirits industry.  As a proclaimed jet setter, science enthusiast, advocate of diversity and promotor of sustainability, Jaymee will continue to travel the globe and share her knowledge, experience and curiosity.  In addition, she curates all content for BacardiTeach at FIU.

Chris Patino is a drinks industry expert with an entrepreneurial mindset. He holds a firm belief that next to brand education, unconventional wisdom is the key to building brands and engaging the trade.​

During his career, Chris has created and managed Brand Education and Advocacy programs for some of the most iconic spirits brands in the world, including Absolut Vodka, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Beefeater Gin, Avion Tequila and The Glenlivet Scotch Whisky. From developing highly successful brand ambassador programs and overseeing BarSmarts (the industry’s leading bartender education program), to hosting internationally acclaimed events and cocktail competitions, his aim is to always increase advocacy by crafting authentic stories and creating emotional experiences that deliver lasting impressions.​

Chris Patino is a three time finalist for Brand Ambassador of the Year at the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards and a two time nominee for Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s “Mixologist” of the Year. He has successfully completed the prestigious B.A.R. 5 Day program, as well as the BOLS International Bartending Academy. He is a judge for the World’s 50 Best Bars and the host of Speed Rack, a nationwide, all female bartending competition that raises money and awareness for breast cancer research. Chris has been invited to share his experience and expertise at conferences, companies and universities worldwide, including Tales of the Cocktail, Pepsi Co, Crystal Cruise Lines and NYU Stern.​

If you know Geoffrey; you’d know that he’s a good friend and a staunch believer in equality, visibility, and diversity in the hospitality industry. He’s also a talented and creative bartender and Advisor at Turning Tables New Orleans. Geoffrey has spent more than a decade working at some of the best bars across the country, such as Ocotillo in Phoenix, and Multnomah Whiskey Library in Portland. He earned the title of Best Bartender in Chicago, IL in 2008 as well as Best Bartender in Phoenix, AZ in 2014.

Geoffrey keeps a tight knit group of supportive friends and community.

His favorite color is black and he has an extensive record collection. Be sure to follow his Instagram @revrobertsinewave and see what he’s up to!

With more than 15 years in the food and beverage industry, Ashtin Berry is a respected activist and educator on the frontlines of hospitality and humanity, creating safer, more inclusive spaces to have real, intersectional conversations. Also known for her work as sommelier, mixologist, and beverage consultant, Berry creates more than cocktails: She creates change.

Activism has played a large role in Berry’s life since she was a young girl who would regularly attend neighborhood meetings with her mother, a sexual educator and fellow community advocate. Following several roles in the restaurant, wine, and spirits worlds that took her to cities like New Orleans, Chicago, New York, and Seattle, Berry began creating customized curriculums for restaurants around equity and transformative justice mediation. In 2016, her creative content agency Radical XChange was born, and she launched the yearly multi-day symposium Resistance Served to celebrate and contextualize the contributions of the African Diaspora to the world of hospitality. 

Using her background in sociology, Berry’s framework for building spaces is intersectional (recognizing how power dynamics and privilege, or lack thereof, are compounded and constructing spaces to be more inclusive in the first place). Berry has also done transformative mediation for survivors, as well as trauma care. Her main focus today is consent-based communication and building open, honest spaces where all employees can do more than simply survive.

Berry has been recognized for her advocacy work as a member of the World’s 50 Next, as well as Observer’s 50 Most Influential People in Dining and Nightlife. Her consulting partners include brands like Bacardi, as well as hotel and restaurant groups. She’s spoken about issues relating to hospitality and inclusivity at numerous events and universities, including SUMMIT, Bar Convent, Spirit Forward Summit, UC Berkeley, Dillard University, and many more.

When she’s not working, you’ll find Berry reading, traveling, and searching for her new favorite shoes.