Guest speaker in the Asheville March Class.

Ash discovered her love for beer when bartending her way through a University of Wisconsin-Madison. Soon after graduation, decided to pursue Siebel's brewing diploma in lieu of the originally intended college direction. She spent the first 9 years of her career as brewer and then brewmaster of Capital Brewery, one of Wisconsin's oldest craft breweries. Looking for new challenges, she moved to the southeast to oversee construction and of a brewpub and startup brewery production facility. In early 2024, she moved to Asheville to take the Technical Brewer position at New Belgium b to focus on what she is truly passionate about, the science of brewing beer.

Guest speaker in the Asheville March Class.

Chris Lowe is a Brewer Technician III with more than 15 years of brewing experience, including over a decade at Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Mills River. During his time at Sierra Nevada, Chris has specialized in yeast management and cellaring best practices, playing a key role in advancing the brewery’s quality and efficiency standards.

He has optimized yeast propagation, harvesting, and handling processes, and has developed new procedures that improved both yeast performance and cellar operations. His expertise in fermentation science and hands‑on process improvement has made him a trusted resource for yeast handling techniques and cellaring best practices across the team. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, watching sports, and spending time with his wife and two kids.

Guest speaker in the Asheville March Class.

John is a certified Master Water Specialist (International Water Quality Association) with over 20 years experience in municipal and industrial water treatment and extensive experience in membrane purification processes. He is a speaker and teacher of high purity water system design, installation and maintenance for the life science industry. John is Certified by the International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineers as a Pharmaceutical Industry Professional and currently serves on the board of directors for ISPE.

Chris White lives in San Diego, Calif., USA, where he serves as CEO of White Labs Inc. Chris founded White Labs in 1995 to manufacture yeast cultures and provide fermentation services to the brewing, wine, and distilling industries. Chris has a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of California, San Diego and a B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of California, Davis. While at Davis, Chris interned at Genentech Inc., the world's first biotechnology company. White is coauthor of Yeast: The Practical Guide To Beer Fermentation, co-designer of BrewMaster: The Craft Beer Game, and has published numerous articles on yeast, beer, and fermentation.

Chris White was a lecturer in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department at U.C. San Diego from 1999-2007, and is currently teaching in the Brewing Certificate Program at U.C. San Diego Extension. Chris was awarded the 2013 Recognition Award from the American Homebrewers Association.

Devin Tani received a B.S. degree in chemistry from the University of California, Irvine, as well as a Professional Certificate in Brewing from the University of California, San Diego Extension. Devin has had various roles at White Labs previously working in both the R&D and Analytical Lab, now becoming the Education & Marketing Engagement Coordinator. He now hopes to spread his scientific knowledge to others. Devin loves teaching about the nuances and scientific importance of fermentation.

Mike White joined White Labs in 2006 after working as a reporter in California and Alaska. He helps run online orders and customer technology tools.

Pablo is the Technical Account Manager for the Southeast and Latin America at White Labs Inc., where he supports customers with expert guidance and solutions tailored to their fermentation and brewing needs. With a strong technical background and a passion for building relationships, Pablo serves as a trusted partner to breweries and producers across his region, helping them achieve consistent, high-quality results.

Kevin Sondey is the Operations Manager of White Labs in Asheville, overseeing Production, Shipping, Lab, and Brewing. He brings extensive leadership experience, having scaled production at Fed Up Foods from 4,400 to over 175,000 cases per month while leading a 60+ person team, and previously growing brewery operations across multiple cities with Catawba Brewing Company.