women in beer
- 2021 SPEAKERS -

DR. J NIKOL JACKSON-BECKHAM

DIVERSITY AMBASSADOR | BREWERS ASSOCIATION 
FOUNDER | CRAFT BEER FOR ALL

​A professor of Communication Studies, Dr. J Jackson-Beckham has dedicated her career to the study of American beer. She has published social commentary, journal articles, and book chapters; delivered keynote addresses and guest lectures; and provided expertise as a guest on radio shows, podcasts, and in news and entertainment media on the culture of craft beer. Dr. J works to provide industry members with effective strategies for aligning inclusive organizational practices with overall organizational goals and tactics for diagnosing and removing barriers to access for populations that are underrepresented among craft beer drinkers and producers.

REN NAVARRO

FOUNDER | BEER DIVERSITY

You would be hard-pressed to find someone in the Ontario beer industry who doesn’t know and love Ren Navarro. For over six years she has been regarded as one of the most respected members in the industry, spending much of her 7+ years in the field as a sales representative for renowned and award-winning breweries. Working constantly as the face of breweries within her respective sales regions, Ren is no stranger to public speaking and has appeared frequently at workshops, conferences, and talks informing and entertaining people through her love of craft beer.
Alongside her fervent love of the craft beer world is her determination to bring it to a more diverse audience. Navarro is on the front-lines to initiate change both in and out of the industry. She is co-founder and former co-organizer of the Society of Beer Drinking Ladies, a Toronto-based monthly beer event that provides a safe and relaxing atmosphere for female-identified people. Additionally, using her perspective as a queer black woman within the industry, she has talked extensively about diversity in craft beer as a panelist at the 2019 Craft Brewers Conference in Denver, CO along with constant appearances in various forms of media, from podcasts, television and radio shows to newspapers.  
With her extensive knowledge in craft beer, passionate drive, and hilarious wit, Ren Navarro is here to educate, enlighten, and make craft beer approachable for a more diverse audience.

STEFANIE BENJAMIN

​PHD, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR IN THE RETAIL, HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE AND CO DIRECTOR FOR TOURISM RESET.

CARRIE STEPHENS

PROFESSOR & LEADERSHIP EDUCATOR IN THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL LEADERSHIP, EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE.

SARAH FRANKEL

PHD CANDIDATE IN RETAIL, HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM MANAGEMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE.