Meet the 2023 Candidates
Slate of Nominees for the CAPS 2022 Board of Director Elections
The following is the names and bios of the three nominees for the 2023 CAPS Board of Directors that will be presented to the CAPS membership at the CAPS Annual General Meeting and their credentials.
There are 2 positions available for the Board.
Only 2022-23 ‘members in good standing’ holding the Sommelier membership category (certified Sommelier and non-certified and working professionally in the role of sommelier in the food and beverage alcohol industry), may vote.
The list of nominees and brief summaries of credentials, are provided below to assist members in making an informed decision.
The CAPS Ontario AGM will be on Tuesday March 21st, 2023 at 12:00pm.
All members who are eligible to vote will receive an email with their voting link 15 minutes before the meeting starts. Please watch for it in your inbox. Voting will be open for 1 hour. The results of the election will be announced at the end of the AGM.
Nominee: Connor Edward Gallagher
Title: Sommelier
Organization: Atelier Restaurant
Certified Sommelier? YES. Master Sommelier Candidate
Volunteer Experience: (please list CAPS volunteer experience first)
Volunteered in the set-up of BOSC 2019I created a scholarship program for young Sommelier in Ottawa, annual event which raised $10,000 in the first year of operation
Why do you wish to have your name stand for election to the CAPS Board of Directors?
I wish to be a catalyst for furthering the culture of wine service professionalism within the province of Ontario, with a focus on the eastern portion (Ottawa / Kingston). I thrive to raise the overall standard of expertise in our field with the hopes of raising the bar to a high level, while maintaining a strong level of inclusion and equality.
Identify three key areas the Board of Directors and the Association should focus on
for this coming year?
- Expanding Social Media Presence outside of Toronto
- Expanding the reach of CAPS Ontario to major regions outside of Toronto
- Educational programming, with a focus on VQA initiatives in Kingston and Ottawa
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Nominee: Jennifer Wood
Title: Partner
Organization: Corkscrew Imports
Certified Sommelier? YES, CMS 2018 and I am a current WSET Diploma student
Volunteer Experience: (please list CAPS volunteer experience first)
I volunteered at BOSC 2019 and had a great experience. It is always interesting to see how an event of this scope is put together from “behind the scenes”.
Prior to COVID, I volunteered as a crisis counselor and with Durham Children’s Aid Holiday Hope campaign.
Why do you wish to have your name stand for election to the CAPS Board of Directors?
I have been a member of CAPS for about 5 years now and feel that it is my duty to help create the community I want to be part of. With my business partner, I have created a boutique wine importing business (Corkscrew Imports) and I want to continue to meet and develop relationships with other members of the Ontario wine community.
Identify three key areas the Board of Directors and the Association should focus on for this coming year?
Increase membership numbers to broaden the reach of CAPS;
Increase continuing education events – masterclasses, tastings, meet and greets for newer members of the community; engage and encourage the membership in general;
Continue to promote Canadian wine professionals and wineries around the world.