IWCA - BOARD MEMBERS

Margaret has a unique blend of leadership experience including 23 years working for the world’s largest consumer goods company (Procter & Gamble), and four years as the Executive Director of a small nonprofit organization (the Coffee Quality Institute). She is currently an independent consultant working in both the private and public sectors with a focus on leadership development.

Margaret worked forP&G from June 1979 to June 2002 and held positions of increasing responsibility in both US and international marketing roles. One of Margaret’s strengths is coaching individuals and teams to improved performance. Based on her strong record of developing others she was selected to manage P&G’s global marketing training program for 18 months. During this period she worked with senior management to develop the first training program targeted to individuals being groomed for general management positions. At the time of her retirement she was working in the Food & Beverage Global Business Unit. During this period she worked closely with the Coffee Leadership Team to develop P&G’s response to the crisis caused by depressed commodity prices in the global coffee industry. It was this experience that led her to the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI).

In her role as Executive Director of CQI, Margaret applied her business experience to develop innovative programs to help small-medium coffee farmers compete more successfully in the specialty coffee segment of the industry. As part of a large USAID funded program for seven Central American coffee-producing countries she developed the Women In Coffee Leadership Program (WCLP), the first leadership program targeted to women in the coffee industry. This program matched 12 women from the Central American countries with 12 women from the US and Canada in a year-long mentoring program. As part of this program, Margaret led the first all-women coffee commercial delegation to Japan in May 2006. The WCLP received the “Better Bean” award from the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe in May 2006 “for the product, company, person, concept or establishment which has contributed to a noticeable improvement in the quality of coffee worldwide.”

Margaret is a board member of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance and Grounds for Health (a nonprofit that brings women’s healthcare to coffee growing communities). In 2005 she was recognized as “Woman of the Year” at the Ramacafe conference in Managua, Nicaragua.

Based on all of her experiences to date, Margaret is a believer in the power of individuals to make the world a better place. Margaret has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in Sociology from the University of Maryland.

Joanna Bot, IWCA Co-Chair Mentorship & Training Committee Director of Sales, Latin America, Satake USA Inc. Johanna loves the coffee world, having visited coffee processors in Latin America for over 15 years. Johanna has been Director of Sales for Latin America with Satake USA Inc. for 9 years. Satake manufactures vision sorting equipment to upgrade the quality, uniformity, security and value of various types of seeds, nuts, grains and beans, including, of course, arabica and robusta coffee beans – either green or roasted. Johanna has been very involved in pushing Satake technology resources towards finding the very best solution for the optimum sorting coffee beans.

Before entering the vision system industry, Johanna was a retail stock broker, helping individuals with their personal investment choices. Johanna was born in England to Dutch parents, and has been living in Houston, Texas, for over 20 years. She has been married for 15 years, enjoying with her husband their companionship, travels around the world and their 2 Australian shepherds. They also enjoy their trips to Boquete, Panama, (where Johanna’s father chose to retire) and visiting with their coffee friends there.

Johanna ama el mundo cafetalero – visitando procesadores de café en América Latina por más de 15 años. Los últimos 9 años Johanna ha sido Directora de Ventas para América Latina con Satake USA Inc. Satake fabrica seleccionadores por visión para aumentar la calidad, uniformidad, seguridad y el valor de varios tipos de semillas, nueces, frijoles y granos, incluyendo, por supuesto, café arábica y robusta – de tipo verde o tostado. Johanna ha estado muy envuelta en impulsar a Satake a usar esta tecnología para buscar la mejor solución para la selección óptima de café.

Antes de entrar en este rubro de sistemas de visión, Johanna trabajaba en el mundo financiero ayudando a clientes a escoger sus planes de inversión. Johanna nació en Inglaterra de padres holandeses y ha estado viviendo en Houston, Texas, por más de 20 años. Ha estado casada por 15 años y disfruta en la compañía de su marido, sus viajes internacionales y de sus 2 perros de raza “Pastor Australiano”. También disfrutan de sus viajes a Boquete, Panamá, (donde se jubiló el padre de Johanna) y las visitas a los amigos cafeteros de allá.

Contact information:
Johanna Bot
Director of Sales, Latin America
Satake USA Inc.
10905 Cash Road
Stafford, Texas 77477
281.276.3637
jbot@satake-usa.com

Deborah holds a masters degree in education and counseling and her Ph.D. work is in clinical psychology.  She has more than 35 years experience in education, business and counseling settings helping people achieve their dreams and goals.  Her international business experience is extensive.  It was this experience that gave her the opportunity to witness many different cultures in many different countries – and witness the similarities among women.

Deborah is passionate about the work of the Foundation for Women (FFW).  Founded on service, the FFW is dedicated to eliminating global poverty by creating and funding microcredit programs globally and locally.  Providing funding for microcredit programs for the poorest of the poor helps those living on less than $1 day, reaching those women she has connected with in so many places.  Programs are currently in place in India, Zambia, Niger and Liberia.  Domestically the microcredit program in San Diego is reaching women and families living below the U.S. poverty line, giving them business capital, support and encouragement. 

Ms. Grace M. Mena founded and continues to serve as president of Deli-Café, S. A. Established in 1993, Deli-Café, green coffee exporter, is a Costa Rican company highly regarded for its continuing meticulous search for the best coffees in Central America. Ms. Mena also owns a processing plant, Cafetalera Lomas al Río, a processing plant notable in its accumulation of prestigious international awards in recognition for exceptional quality.

In 2006 Ms. Mena founded Nature’s Best Coffee, S. A. a green coffee exporter of only the finest quality beans to better service prestigious customers and is also now managing “La Florencia” a coffee mill in Nueva Segovia, Nicaragua.

With more than twenty years in the coffee business, Ms. Mena has served as founding member of the Specialty Coffee Association of Costa Rica and is the former president of SINTERCAFE.

Presently, Ms. Mena is a Director of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance and President of Women in Coffee Alliance, Costa Rica.

Amena was born in rural Wisconsin, was educated at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and Northeastern University where she studied Organizational and Interpersonal Communications.  She completed her MBA with the University of Phoenix.  For the past six years, Amena has worked with GMCR.  She began as the Senior Buyer for wholesale resalable goods and later incorporated retail buying into her job description. She was recently promoted to manage the Purchased Items segment of the GMCR purchasing portfolio.  Her greatest professional accomplishment to date was the co-development of the sustainably-sourced hot paper cup and it was this project that received the 2007 IWCA Sustainability Award.

Amena resides in Stowe, Vermont with her husband, Philip (Executive Chef for Brueggers, Inc.), and two children, Alison and Sam.  She is actively involved in many community endeavours including the Stowe Theatre Guild, T.R.I.P. Competitive Dance team and works in the local school system.