ACIA 108th ANNUAL CONVENTION
SPEAKER SESSIONS
October 5 - 8, 2025
OUR SPEAKERS
DANA LEE COLE
Executive Director
Dana Lee Cole is the Executive Director of the Washington, D.C. based Hardwood Federation.
The Federation represents 29 local, regional and national trade associations that serve hardwood businesses in every state in the nation. They are the unified voice of U.S. hardwood interests, advocating the industry’s position on federal legislative and regulatory issues that impact the industry.
A native of Michigan, Dana spent 13 years in the state government of her home state, covering a number of issue areas including natural resources and economic development. She then spent 8 years at the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) as the Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Corporate Board Secretary before joining the Federation in June of 2012.
JASON MEYER
Executive Director
With a background in forestry and conservation, environmental education, and nonprofit management, Jason brings a diverse set of skills and experiences to the White Oak Initiative. Prior to leading two nonprofit nature centers in Michigan, he was a Registered Professional Forester in California, working with the California Dept. of Forestry & Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). Today, he leads the White Oak Initiative and its members toward achieving its mission of being advocates and catalysts of active upland oak forest management with a focus on white oak regeneration.
JEFF PEDEN
International Speaker, Workplace Culture Expert, and Author
Jeff works with leaders who want to build healthy workplace cultures and Great Places to Work that dramatically increase engagement and morale, communication, collaborative problem solving, and mutual support throughout the entire organization. Involved with a variety of clients over the past ten years, he has developed a proven process to help leaders define, design, and implement a healthy workplace culture built on values and observable behaviors that reflect each value in action and support the best interests of everyone in the organization.
AUSTIN YURT
HSE Manager
Austin is an experienced HSE Manager at ISTS Inc. with over 8 years of dedication to safety and health practices. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) from Western Kentucky University. Austin began his career at ISTS Inc. as a Safety Specialist, where he worked for 5 years before advancing to his current role as HSE Manager. He is a Board Certified CHMM, having earned his certification in 2024. Throughout his career, Austin has developed a diverse skill set, including training as a Portable Gas Instrument Technician at Honeywell and as an OSHA Outreach Instructor. Additionally, he is certified as an ASHI Medical Instructor at the EMR level and a Competent Person for Fall Protection and Trenching. Austin also serves as an NFPA 70E Arc Flash Instructor and a Confined Space Rescue Technician. His expertise is in high demand across Kentucky, where he provides safety support to 95% of the state’s distilleries, multiple cooperages, and over 15 craft distilleries in the region.
BRIAN "BK" KRUEGER
VP, Business Development & Portfolio Strategy
BK brings a wealth of experience, business insights and strong relationships across the brewing and distributor community to BWC. His wide range of 20+ years in the Beverage Alcohol arena covers leading teams and implementing projects in all aspects of supplier sales and sales support, including training, organization development, territory expansion, export management, budgeting, deliverable strategy, sales programming, and field quality assurance. BK’s experiences help BWC partner with clients to reinvent their sales team and approach.