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ACSA appoints Shilling as president
The American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA) has appointed Revolution Spirits Distilling co-founder Mark Shilling as president of its board of directors, succeeding Few Spirits’s Paul Hletko.
Mark Shilling is the new ACSA president
Shilling, who has served on the ACSA board for the past year, will work with executive director Margie A S Lehrman and the newly- and re-elected board of directors to address issues facing the country’s craft distilling market.
In addition to Shilling’s appointment, PT Wood, of Wood’s High Mountain Distillery is Colorado has been named as vice president, and Tom Jensen of New Liberty Distillery in Pennsylvania will serve as secretary and treasurer.
Both Wood and Jensen previously served as board members.
A number of founding members will step down having completed elected terms. Alongside Hletko, Thomas Mooney of House Spirits Distillery; Nicole Austin, formerly with Kings County Distillery; Steve Johnson of Vermont Spirits, who moves to an ex officio role; and Ted Huber of Starlight Distillery will all depart from the board.
“Mark Shilling is an exceptionally engaging leader, and it has been an honour to work with him on the ACSA board,” said Hletko, who assumed the role in 2016 and will provide support to Shilling during a transition period.
“As the only trade association for distillers, by distillers, and the only member-led group in the business, we at the ACSA work to better each other. Mark will do a fantastic job elevating craft spirits and advocating for all distillers.”
Shilling added: “I am humbled by and excited for the opportunity to serve our members at ACSA, and I’d like to thank Paul and our retiring board members for their mentorship, support and their tireless efforts and huge accomplishments in setting us on the path to continued success.
“There are big shoes to fill this year as many of ACSA’s founding members leave our board of directors, having completed full terms. These industry leaders have the set the bar high with their clear vision and goal-oriented leadership, and I look forward to following their legacy as we lead ACSA into this new chapter.
“As the industry continues to grow at a record pace, I am excited to work with the tremendously talented team at ACSA as we continue to elevate and advocate for our craft distilling community.”