The group of women will further develop their leadership skills through SCA-funded memberships and professional mentoring.
BY KATRINA YENTCH
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE
The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) has announced the scholars of its LEAD program for the 2019-2021 years, and they are an accomplished group of young women from around the world. The scholars are:
- Sunghee Tark: Cofounder and director of Bean Voyage in Costa Rica
- Karla María Boza Carbonell: Marketing, innovation, and business relations for Finca San Antonio Amatepec in El Salvador
- Emi-Beth Quantson: CEO & founder of Kawa Moka Limited in Ghana
- MJ Engel: Teaching fellow at Phillips Academy Andover in the United States
- Amara Sao: Founder and coffee roaster at Homecoming Coffee Company in Cambodia
The Leadership Equity and Diversity (LEAD) Scholarship Program began in 2018 as a way to help increase the diversity of leadership within the global coffee community by offering resources for career development and mentorship for members of marginalized communities. Initially announced at the 2018 Re:co Symposium, the first set of scholar recipients for the 2018-2020 years included Karla Ly Quinones, Lisette Barbera, Smayah Uwajeneza, Stephanie Alcala, and Taya Brown.
“We were pleased to work with SCA to develop the LEAD program in 2018. Our unified goal of providing access to resources otherwise beyond the reach to many in our coffee community is being fulfilled!” says Helen Griffith on the SCA News announcement; Helen serves as V.P. of Marketing at S&D Coffee & Tea, a major sponsor of the program. “The first year of this two-year inaugural cohort has exceeded our expectations, and we are so pleased that we decided to sponsor another (five) scholars for 2019-2020. These scholars have the proven ability to create real change in the industry and we want to make sure they get off to an excellent start.”
LEAD’s program benefits currently include:
- Two-year complimentary individual SCA membership
- Year 1: Registration, travel, and lodging to annual SCA meetings during the scholarship term
- Year 1: Travel and lodging to cohort meeting with program sponsor
- Year 2: Registration, travel, and lodging to one global SCA conference as selected by the scholar (i.e., Re:co Symposium, Specialty Coffee Expo, World of Coffee)
- Year 2: Registration, travel, and lodging to selected SCA education program as selected by the scholar (AST Live, Roaster Retreat/Camp, Sensory Summit, CTG Summit, or Barista Camp)
- Inclusion of AST examination fee (provided the exam is taken within three years of scholar participation) and study guide materials
- Career development and expansion of professional networks
- Connection to an industry leader to serve as a mentor
- Group coaching to enhance the connection of the scholar cohort
- Service experience opportunity
- Support from SCA senior staff and volunteer leadership
You can learn more about each scholar at the SCA’s website, or read a profile of each member on the SCA’s Instagram.
