The Pink Boots Society is an international professional association and USA 501(c)3 nonprofit. We inspire, encourage and empower women beer professionals to advance their careers through education. Our 1,000+ members are the female beer industry leaders of tomorrow, and they inspire women consumers to choose beer as their adult beverage of choice.

 

4600 miles is a long way to travel for a Pink Boots meeting but that's what UK brewery owner Michelle Kelsall does every time she can make it across the pond.  

 

As former PBS webmaster and an active part of the ongoing Project Venus UK brewing collab, Michelle has supported PBS since attending her first event at GABF in 2009. At home at her 6-bbl Offbeat Brewing Co. in Northwest England, Michelle and her two female employees work through collaborations and social media to interest more women in beer.

 

"Encouraging more women to enter the industry and more to drink beer is a huge focus," says the woman whose slogan is, "Great Beer Brewed by a Chick."

 

Catch her at GABF in September and be sure to ask about the collaboration she'll have just finished in San Diego, with a brewery also named Offbeat Brewing!

If it weren't for volunteers like Amanda Zameska, Pink Boots Society wouldn't be able to offer generous scholarships.  

 

Amanda has helped raise money in ways that make people enjoy taking part! As Portland, Oregon's Chapter Leader, she organized a PBS fundraiser at Saraveza's Bad Habit Room in Portland on February 13, 2013, raising $1,685 in one night.  

 

And that was just the beginning. Amanda set up a PBS Regional NW chapter meeting on July 28, took part in the Heater Allen Pink Boots Collaboration brew day on September 7, and hosted a fundraiser planning meeting the next day at Portland Brewing Company. After the meeting, Amanda personally led a tour of the brewery-after all, she is Portland Brewing's Lead Quality Assurance Analyst! "My background is in biology," she says, "and I never expected I would end up working at a brewery when I moved [to Portland], but I'm glad I found this career."  

 

You can link up with Amanda at http://www.linkedin.com/pub/amanda-zameska/74/4a5/36   

Each PBS Scholarship has three separate dates, and our ace Scholarship Administrator, Kris McDowell is the organizational powerhouse behind keeping it all straight. The schedules run like this:

Month A: Scholarship Application Window runs about the 5th to last day. Generally the deadline is the last day of the month at 11:59pm PST/PDT. Please don't wait till the last minute! (See next section for more on this.)

Month B: Scholarship Selection Committee (Team A or Team B, depending on the month) reviews and discusses all applications and resumes, and submits the name of their chosen Recipient on the last day of the month.

Month C: PBS leadership secures verbal commitment from Recipient that she will Pay It Forward (PIF), and receives their Scholarship Deposit. Non-recipients are notified via email.

Month C, 15th Day: Announcement of the Recipient is normally made via this E-Newsletter.

We now have one scholarship opportunity occurring each month, and two Scholarship Selection Teams operating. You can just imagine the volume of work happening behind the scenes. So please be patient with us! Thank you, and thank you for your help in fundraising for these scholarships.
 

July 5-31, 2014: Mikro Bar Cicerone Beer Savvy application window.
August 5-31, 2014: Portland State University Business of Craft Brewing application window.
September 5-30, 2014: TBD
October 5-31, 2014: TBD
November 5-30, 2014: TBD
December 5-31, 2014: Oregon State University's Craft Brewery Start-up Workshop II application window.

Please note that Recipients are not announced until 75 days after an application window opens! See above for How Scholarships Work.