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In accordance with the Guild Bylaw, a Nominating Committee has been established to develop a slate of nominees for the eleven Directors positions to be elected at the May 5 Annual General Meeting. An initial list of the following candidates has been developed.
 Rutha Astravas has been a Guild member since 2003 and Communications Director since 2006. She is not yet a sommelier, but she has taken courses with WSET, the LCBO, and other organizations, building her knowledge through tastings, reading, and travel through many wine regions. Rutha has been an active volunteer since 1994; this includes academic board experience, community service, public service recruitment, and she currently heads two alumni groups. She would love to continue working for the Guild, especially toj offer new kinds of events for members. |
 Martin Carrière has been a member of the Guild since 1995 and has served on the Board of Directors since 1997. During this time his interests and efforts have been directed especially to organizing ‘Dining Events’. More importantly, he has participated in organizing the Guild’s signature event of the year, the Holiday Gala for the last seven years. Martin would be pleased to remain as a Director and VP to continue in the same direction as previous years.
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 Bill Ellis has been interested in wine since his first visit to the Napa Valley in 1988. At that time, what started as a hobby became a passion and part of his lifestyle.
Bubble wrap is typically the first thing Bill packs when heading to international destinations! He has completed the Sommelier Certificate Program at Algonquin College and the Wine Spirit Education Trust Advanced Certificate Program. He is a member in good standing of the Guild and active in the wine community in Ottawa.
Having had the good fortune to travel worldwide and visit many different New and Old World wine regions, Bill feels that he can bring different experiences to the Guild and use it in organizing and leading tastings and dinners. His business background will also be an asset to the Guild’s governance. His other interests include involvement with junior golf as well as travelling and gourmet cooking.
He looks forward to the opportunity to help serve the Guild membership.
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 Pierre Fournier An accredited Sommelier since 1999, Pierre has been a Board Member for of the past five years. In 2007/2008 his Guild responsibilities have included Event Scheduling/Coordination and the organization of the judging teams for the Algonquin Sommelier Program examinations. If re-elected to the Board, he would like to focus on running more events and forging a link between the Guild and the fledgling Eastern Ontario cottage wine industry.
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 Joe Hatz has enjoyed serving on the Board for a number of years and seeks the support of the membership for another year as Director. In the past year, he has contributed to the Guild by coordinating scholarships and by organizing a number of events, including VPRs and theme events like the Wines of Austria and a tasting of Verticals that focused on understanding bottle development. In the coming year, Joe would like to continue to contribute to the calendar of events, as well as working with all Board members and Guild volunteers to address the new challenges that lie ahead. |  Jay Hunt is the current President of the National Capital Sommelier Guild having filled this role since November 2007. Previously, he had served as Vice-President and Secretary from May 2006. He graduated from the Algonquin College Sommelier Certificate Program in 2005 and has been a Guild member since 2004. He recently completed the WSET Advanced Certificate program.
Jay brings a wealth of management experience to the Guild having previously served on the boards and in executive positions of a number of non-profit organizations.
Jay's goals for the Guild include continuing its successful program of events, evolving its role as a contributing partner to the Ottawa community and seeking recognition of the National Capital Sommelier Guild as one of the finest organizations of wine enthusiasts in Canada. He looks forward to serving the Guild throughout the coming term of office.
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 Mark Kilpatrick is currently serving as a Vice-President, as well as Secretary of the National Capital Sommelier Guild. Over the past four years of service, Mark has organized a number of tasting events, on both the ongoing event calendar, as well as theme tastings offered by the NCSG at the Ottawa Wine and Food show. Mark has also served in a number of different roles on the board, as NCSG Secretary his first two years, as well as the Director responsible for the Wine Person of the Year (WPOY).
Mark’s goals for the coming year, are to listen to and continue to serve the members to the best of his ability, organize and contribute to the program of events, and continue to work to vary and improve the programs offered to members
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 Antonio Mauriello developed a strong passion for Italian cuisine and for its inseparable companion, wine, while in his native Rome, Italy. He is a graduate of the Associazione Italiana Sommelier in Rome. Now living in Canada’s National Capital since 1997, Antonio is the founder and owner of DiVino Wine Studio, and a gregarious and enthusiastic wine and food authority.
He is a sommelier consultant to the Italian Trade Commission and the Italian Embassy. He is an instructor with several wine and culinary associations and schools in Canada and Italy, such as the Algonquin College sommelier program in Ottawa and La Mia Pasta in Tuscany, Italy. Antonio also serves as a restaurant consultant, a wine columnist and a broadcaster, while traveling extensively researching grape varietals, wine producers and regional cuisine.
|  Maureen Murphy, a graduate of the Algonquin College Sommelier program in January 2005, and a member of NCSG since 2004, has been involved with the start-up and ongoing operation of the Ottawa Australian Wine Society over the past four years. As president for the past two years, she has had a chance to demonstrate her passion and enthusiasm for wine.
Maureen especially enjoys the complex marriage of food and wine matching and over the past few years has had a chance to try out wine and food combos in North America and in some of Europe’s best wine regions. Maureen uses her knowledge of wine to organize and run wine events, volunteer at tutored tastings for NCSG and the Wine and Food show, work at wine shows and volunteer at fundraising for local charities. A keen photographer, she loves to take pictures of wine-related subjects and people and has submitted wine photographs for the Passing Scene and several websites.
Why I would like to serve on the Board: I want to keep involved in the Ottawa wine scene, learn more about wine (a life-long quest) and to give back to an organization that has provided me with many enjoyable experiences.
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 Bert Riverso has volunteered with the Guild for the past several years as Director and Treasurer. Although he doesn’t run events, he does the important work of keeping the books balanced. His work happens behind the scenes, after the events are over. During the Guild-run Tutored Tastings at the Wine and Food Show, Bert spends the entire weekend ensuring that all those who have registered get in to the tasting they signed up for.
Bert is looking forward to another year as volunteer with the Guild in the capacity of Treasurer.
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 Robert White is the current Membership Director for the National Capital Sommelier Guild and has acted in this role over the past two years. Robert has also led several tastings that were sold out events. He has been a member since 2000. Robert received his Sommelier Certficate with Honours from Algonquin College in 2005 and is a recipient of a Certificate of Merit awarded by the German Wine Academy following a week long seminar series near Frankfurt in 2000. An avid interest in wine tasting has taken him to Niagara, Prince Edward County and Nova Scotia in Canada, to the Napa and Temecula Valleys in California and through just about every German wine region. Robert works for a not-for profit organization and in this capacity works with many volunteer committees to achieve results. Robert has received his Certified Association Executive designation, along with graduate degrees in business and science. Robert looks forward to continuing as a Director of the National Capital Sommelier Guild and believes his skills and experiences can help the Guild continue to grow and offer member value.
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The National Capital Sommelier Guild strongly supports moderate and responsible consumption of wine and spirits. Guild dinner events allow a designated driver to attend at a reduced price. The designated driver will not be served alcohol. Guild tasting events provide and encourage the use of spit buckets.