The Michael James Jackson Foundation Surpasses 50 Scholarship Recipients with Announcement of Latest Awardees 

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – October 2, 2024 – The Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing & Distilling (The MJF) is excited to announce the latest cohort of recipients for its technical education scholarships. These scholarships, awarded biannually, are designed to support Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in the brewing and distilling industries, empowering them with the education and skills needed to progress in their careers and eventually thrive as leaders within these fields.

With this recent cohort of seven awardees, The MJF surpasses 50 total technical education scholarships given over the lifetime of the organization.

Despite the increasing diversity of the American population, BIPOC representation within the brewing and distilling sectors remains disproportionately low. The MJF maintains its commitment to changing this by funding technical education scholarships that enable greater access to the highest levels of professional training, creating pathways to more diverse and inclusive industry workforce and leadership. Thanks to the technical education scholarships offered by The MJF, many recipients have been able to step into larger positions in their fields like head brewers, master distillers, board members of industry non-profits, and more. 

The newly announced recipients are:

Justin Gamboa 

Attending: UC Davis Master Brewers Program

Justin was born and raised in El Paso, Texas, and moved to Austin to attend college. His degree plans were STEM-focused, with engineering as the lead subject. By his third year in college, his love for craft beer grew, and he changed his course to biochemistry, hoping to combine a STEM education with brewing beer. After graduation, he started his brewing career path as a front-of-house employee at Pinthouse Pizza & Brewing and quickly moved on to bartending. Once a packaging position opened up, he immediately applied and eventually found his way into brewing operations. He has continued to brew and cellar for three years and now designs recipes for one of the company’s small-scale systems. Justin’s ultimate goal is to comfortably run his own brewery focused on community, diversity, inclusion, and sustainability. With the help from The MJF, he believes he is taking one big step toward achieving that goal.

Haidar Hachem

Attending: Brewing & Distilling Center Online Professional Distilling Course

Having had left his previous career in civil engineering behind, Haidar Hachem dove head first into his new profession of brewing. Brewing beer professionally for several years, Haidar decided to expand the business's portfolio and delved into brewing sake before opening Shōjō’s Dojo with his partner in business and in life, Marilyn Orozco. Both being Miami natives, Haidar & Mari intertwine their Lebanese & Nicaraguan cultures with a Japanese aesthetic for a unique vibe that they’ve put together for the dojo. Beyond opening Florida’s first sake brewery and bar, Haidar has also accomplished becoming a Certified Cicerone, Recognized BJCP, WSET Level 1 in sake, Certified Sake Professional as well as becoming the 6th Master of Sake in the world having had lived at Nishiyama Shuzo (established in 1849 in Tamba, Hyogo) for two months in an intensive brewing program where he expanded his knowledge in all things sake as well as distilling. 

Anthony Haynes

Attending: Siebel WBA Master Brewer Program

In 2011, Haynes started working in the Specialty Department at Whole Foods, where his love for craft beer started. Receiving amazing beer from local and international breweries, he loved all the different styles of beer. In 2016, he became a bartender at a local brewery and from there joined the production team where he cleaned kegs, cleaned floors, helped in packaging, and eventually became a cellar person, then an assistant brewer. Six years later he joined the production team as a brewer at one of Chicago's top breweries. There he learned immensely from the head brewer. His passion and knowledge for the industry and craft beer made Haynes’ passion grow even more and pushed him to be the best brewer he could be.

Galadriel Hernandez

Attending: WBA Advanced Brewing Theory Program

Gali, a Venezuelan American brewer, joined the brewing industry as a production intern in 2021 after a few years of homebrewing. She has always had a fascination and curiosity as to how things are made. Following her internship, she advanced quickly in the industry, holding production roles at Fifth Hammer and Bronx Brewery before joining Grimm Artisanal Ales, where she continues to refine her skills in brewing. Her resilience and drive are deeply rooted in the determination she witnessed from her parents, who moved to the U.S. from Caracas while pursuing graduate degrees in chemistry while raising a newborn and learning a new language. Their perseverance has been a source of inspiration throughout her career. Gali hopes to become a mentor to future BIPOC individuals who are looking to join the industry. When she is not brewing, she enjoys hiking, eating, and visiting breweries, cideries, and wineries. 

Richard Koilor

Attending: UC Davis Online Master Brewers Certificate Program with Bootcamp

Richard Koilor, born and raised in West Philadelphia, PA, draws immense pride from his rich cultural heritage. Raised by his Liberian father and mother of half-Jamaican descent, Richard’s diverse background has been a driving force behind his mission to help diversify the brewing and distilling industry. As co-owner and head brewer of Two Locals Brewing, Pennsylvania’s first Black-owned brewery, Richard’s journey into the craft began in 2016 with a simple homebrew kit. His passion quickly grew, leading him to countless hours of research, brewing experiments, and networking with fellow brewers and brewery owners. In 2017, he joined the Philly Homebrew Club, and by 2018, Two Locals Brewing, LLC was born. Over weekends, he tirelessly brewed batch after batch for tastings and samplings, steadily building a local following. His dedication paid off in 2021 with a contract brewing deal that helped propel the brand into the market. With growing awareness and support, Two Locals Brewing officially opened its doors in January 2024, marking a significant milestone for both the company and the industry. 

Erica Paul

Attending: Institute for Brewing and Distilling

Born and raised in Macon, Georgia, Erica Christina Paul is a recent graduate of the 2024 Spirits Training Entrepreneurship Program. She has spent the past eight months gaining insight into the craft spirit industry, learning about manufacturing, sales, and distribution. At the completion of her internship, she crafted a pink gin, a sweet and spicy combination of botanicals like cardamom, cinnamon, navel oranges and peaches that balance the capsaicin of the habanero peppers. Each note complements the herbaceous notes of Jamaican hibiscus, Sorrel, which creates its pinkish red hue. She plans to build a distillery that utilizes alternative agriculture methods, like hydroponics and aquaponics to craft sustainable spirits. Erica also hopes to create a distillery that uplifts and promotes women and women of the BIPOC community within the craft spirits industry. With the help of the Nearest Green Scholarship Award, She can further her education and one day become a Master Distiller, inducted into the Gin Guild with a distillery built on three principles: passion, purpose and perseverance.

Jorge Santana

Attending: UC Davis Master Brewer Program

Jorge is the Head Brewer at Brix City Brewing in Little Ferry, NJ, with a passion for beer that began in Gurabo, Puerto Rico. After transitioning from a career in engineering, Jorge has worked his way up to overseeing brewing operations, with a long-term goal of opening his own brewery.

These scholarships are made possible by the ongoing support of The MJF’s funding partners that share the foundation’s mission of advancing diversity in the beer and spirits industries: Allagash, Athletic Brewing, Bell’s Brewing, Brooklyn Brewery, BSG Craftbrewing, Human Robot Brewing, John I. Haas, Lallemand, Lawson’s Finest Liquids, NC Rare & Vintage Beer Tasting, New Belgium Brewing, Pinhook Bourbon, ProBrewer, Rahr Malting Co., Red Wagon Calagione Family Foundation, Rhinegeist Brewery, Russian River Brewing, Siebel Institute of Technology, and Yakima Chief Hops. 

Through their contributions, these partners help fund the technical education that sets scholarship recipients on paths to success.

“The future of brewing and distilling must be inclusive and representative of the communities these industries serve,” said Garrett Oliver, founder of The MJF. “Thanks to the generosity of our partners and supporters, we’re able to invest in the next generation of BIPOC brewers and distillers, ensuring that they have access to world-class education that will help them lead and innovate.”

About The Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing & Distilling

The Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing & Distilling (The MJF), founded in 2020, is a grant-making organization that funds technical education scholarships for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color within the brewing and distilling trades. To learn more, visit www.themjf.org.