Ben Pitts elected as 2nd Vice President to SCAA Board

Ben Pitts has been voted in as the 2nd Vice President to the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) in the 2014/15 Board of Directors election, the organisation announced on 2 April.  Pitts was the candidate interviewed and vetted by the nominating committee. He won the position over Marty Curtis, who ran as a petition candidate in the election. A petition candidate must have a percentage of voting members sign a petition to be included on the ballot. Both candidates ran active campaigns, with direct mailouts to voting members.  Pitts has been involved with the SCAA since 1997, is a founder member and funder of World Coffee Research, and has previously served on the SCAA board as Secretary Treasurer. PItts is currently Vice President of FoodService & Hospitality at Royal Cup Coffee. The campaign also saw the election of new directors Aida Batlle, Juan Luis-Barrios, Rachel Peterson, and Chad Trewick.  “We are honored and grateful that these five coffee professionals have dedicated their volunteer time and talent to the leadership of the association,” said SCAA Executive Director Ric Rhinehart of the newly elected directors, in a statement. “We look forward to another great board year, filled with new challenges and achievements for the specialty coffee community.” According to SCAA Bylaws, when there is a petition candidate, as there was this year, the election results are certified by an independent Certified Public Accountant. The report is available for viewing on the SCAA web site.