Meet your prospective North America section

Dr. Brad Berron is the Research Director at The University of Kentucky's James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits, coordinating the university's research initiatives with over thirty distilleries, breweries, and otherindustry partners. Beyond his managerial responsibilities, Dr. Berron’s research team is at the forefront alcoholic beverage innovation, leading multiple projects aimed at advancing industry sustainability and supporting product quality. Dr. Berron cochairs the Research and Technical Committee for the Kentucky Distillers Association, where he coordinates technical meetups for the local distilling community to network and learn together. He is active with the American Society of Brewing Chemists, the American Distilling Institute, the American Society for Craft Spirits, and the Society of Spirit.  

 Dr. Berron previously served the CIBD through Technical Committee membership for the 2026 Worldwide Distilled Spirits Conference, where they established thematic topics, reviewed submissions, and coordinated the landmark event. He looks forward to continuing to serve the CIBD community. North America is home to countless technical experts, and Dr. Berron is passionate about building a vibrant North American community to support our collective needs. 

Shane holds a Master's degree in Brewing Science from the University of Nottingham and Post Graduate Certificate in Brewing Science from Federation University Australia. He has previously worked as a brewer and was formerly the Senior Technical Officer at the Institute of Brewing & Distilling (IBD). Shane now helps drive innovation and quality for AB InBev - the world's largest brewer as Global Director, Innovation Quality & Beyond Beer 

Sarah Billiu is the Vice President of Membership at the Brewers Association, a role she's held since 2025 after more than a decade with the organization. In this role, Sarah and her team focus on ensuring that BA member benefits stay relevant, valuable, and easy to access for the brewers they serve. Now a Certified Cicerone, Sarah began her beer journey as a cocktail waitress in the late aughts and has been a staunch supporter of the industry ever since. She joined the Brewers Association after earning a Master of Science in Information from the University of Michigan (Go Blue!). Her door is metaphorically open to anyone who wants to chat about their brewery's day-to-day, seek advice or assistance from their trade association, or just connect over a solid beer. 

Elena Fossati is Director of Research & Development for the Montreal R&D team at Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits (LBDS), where she leads the development and validation of innovative solutions for the distilling and fuel ethanol industries. Her team is responsible for advancing new yeast strains, nutrient technologies, and analytical tools that support process optimization, quality control, and product innovation. She is also an active member of the LBDS sensory panel. 

Originally from Modena, Italy, Elena's passion for fermentation and microbial processes began at an early age while observing her grandfather produce traditional balsamic vinegar and visiting local wineries. This early fascination with fermentation evolved into a career dedicated to applied microbiology and industrial biotechnology. 

Elena holds a Laurea (B.Sc.) in Industrial Biotechnology from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy, and a Master of Science in Biochemistry from the Université de Montréal, Canada. Before joining Lallemand in 2017, she spent two years at the Italian National Research Council in Milan, where she worked on the development of industrial enzymatic processes. She subsequently spent eight years at Concordia University in Montreal as a research scientist, focusing on metabolic engineering and the development of bioengineered yeast strains for the production of high-value compounds, including non-addictive opioid alkaloids and steviol glycosides, the natural sweetening compounds found in Stevia plants 

With multidisciplinary expertise spanning microbiology, enzymology, genetic engineering, and industrial biotechnology, Elena is passionate about fostering collaboration between academia and industry to advance fermentation science and support innovation across the distilled spirits and biofuels sectors. 

Professor Glen Fox was appointed the Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor of Malting and Brewing Science at the University of California in July 2019 after 30 years of research in Australian, South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia and China.  Dr Fox holds MSc, PhD and DSc degrees. He has over 150 publications consisting of books, book chapters and journal papers and over 200 conference presentations including the CIBD Australia Pacific section, American Society of Brewing Chemists, master Brewers Association of the Americas and the World Brewing Congress. He has recorded several podcast and webinars for MBAA and ASBC. In 2018, he was elected a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Brewing& Distilling.  

His areas of research are grains, malt and brewing quality. His current research focus is on starch and protein structure and their interactions and their impacts on wort and beer quality. Another research interest is using a number of ‘omics platforms to understand the complex biochemical changes during malting and brewing and the final compositional profile of beer. He also has research investigating infrared spectroscopy for rapid assessment of grain, malt and beer quality.  

Professor Fox is in charge of the undergraduate and graduate brewing programs at UC Davis,  and Sierra Nevada Brewing Company research laboratory. He is also on numerous industry committees.  

Jonathan Goldberg is the Master Distiller at Heaven Hill Distilling Canada, where he leads the distilling and blending operations for the Black Velvet Distillery in Lethbridge, Alberta. With more than two decades of experience in brewing, distilling, blending, and beverage alcohol production, Jonathan has held technical and leadership roles in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. 

Jonathan holds a BSc (Hons.) in Brewing and Distilling from Heriot-Watt University and an MS in Food Science from the University of California, Davis, where he also served as an instructor in Practical Malting and Brewing Science. He is currently pursuing an MBA at Simon Fraser University, reflecting his commitment to continuing developing as both a technical and business leader. 

Throughout his career, Jonathan has been passionate about applying science and innovation to improve manufacturing performance while preserving the traditions of brewing and distilling industries. He is interested in mentoring the next generation of industry professionals and fostering collaboration across the beverage alcohol community. Jonathan hopes to contribute to the Chartered Institute of Brewers & Distillers by sharing his broad experience and supporting initiatives that strengthen technical education, professional development, and engagement across the North American section. 

Trevor Cowley obtained BSc (Hons) degree in Natural Sciences and an MSc in Applied Biomolecular Technology before going on to defend his PhD in “Brewing Yeast Genetic Control” from the University of Nottingham, UK. 

He started his career in the brewing industry at the Molson Coors laboratory in Burton-on-Trent. He then joined the SABMiller Research Brewery at the University of Nottingham, where he worked on the development of novel processes for improving beer production, eventually managing the research brewery, innovation processes and teams. Following this he joined the AB-InBev Global Product and Material development team supporting the innovation of new products and processes. 

Trevor went on to lead the Brewing Services department at Campden BRI, as well as developing new processes for cold brew coffee, kombucha and tea production while he was Principal Scientist for Finlays, before joining Rahr as Senior Director Research & Innovation at their Technical Center in Minnesota. 

Trevor has several published papers and patents related to the brewing and beverage industry. 

Lucky Deutchoua is an experienced brewing and malting professional with more than 20 years of leadership across brewing, fermentation, packaging, and malt production. Throughout his career, he has combined technical expertise with a passion for quality, innovation, and continuous improvement. 

Lucky began his brewing career as a Technical Brewer and progressed through a series of leadership roles, including Manufacturing Manager, Packaging Manager, and Production Manager. During this time, he gained extensive hands-on experience in brewing operations, fermentation management, beer filtration, sensory evaluation, packaging technologies, and process optimization. 

One of his most significant accomplishments was leading the implementation of new brewing and fermentation processes that enhanced beer quality and contributed to substantial business growth. He also managed major brewery expansion projects, including the installation and commissioning of brewing equipment and packaging lines. 

In addition to brewing, Lucky brings valuable expertise in malting, including barley sourcing, processing, and malt quality management. His broad industry experience provides a unique perspective on the complete brewing value chain, from raw materials to finished product. 

Currently pursuing his CIBD Master Brewer qualification, Lucky remains committed to advancing brewing knowledge and supporting the development of the brewing community. As a candidate for the CIBD North American Section committee, he hopes to contribute his technical expertise, industry experience, and collaborative leadership style to help promote education, innovation, and excellence in brewing. 

Lucky looks forward to working with fellow members to strengthen the brewing community and support brewers at every stage of their journey.