Committee Members

Current Members

Kevin Norris

Kevin Norris is a graduate of the Wine Judge Certification Program (2018) and holds the WSET Level 2 Award in Wine. He has judged at numerous competitions throughout the United States and regularly leads tastings for wine bars, craft beer shops, and other small businesses in Huntsville, Alabama, where he lives. In 2021, he served as a guide for the Crush Wine Fest in Huntsville, helping attendees navigate the event and discover new favorites.

Kevin’s professional career has taken him around the world, and wine has become an essential lens through which he experiences new places and cultures. Whether traveling for business or pleasure, he seeks out the local glass and the story behind it. He brings that same curiosity and enthusiasm to his work with the National Tasting Project.

Leann Stacey

Leann Stacey is a graduate of the AWS Wine Judge Certification Program (2018) and holds the WSET Level 2 Award in Wine. She has judged wine competitions across the country and serves as a founding member and chapter chair of the Puget Sound AWS Chapter in Washington State, where she has led the chapter’s National Tasting Project tastings since 2017. Leann and her husband Michael own Chorus Frog Winery, a small commercial winery in Washington State.

Michael Stacey

Michael Stacey is a graduate of the AWS Wine Judge Certification Program (2019) and has judged wine competitions across the country. He serves as co-owner and winemaker for Chorus Frog Winery, a small commercial winery in Washington State that he operates with his wife Leann. When not making wine, Michael cultivates carnivorous plants on his property, proving that his interests run toward things that require patience, careful feeding, and an occasional bite.

Gary Lum

Gary Lum holds the WSET Diploma, earned in May 2024, and is an AWS Certified Wine Judge, having completed the three-year Wine Judge Certification Program in 2022. His formal wine education also includes coursework in Small Vineyard Management, Wine Analysis, and Winemaking through UC Davis Extension.

Gary founded the AOC East Bay Chapter of the American Wine Society in 2018 and continues to lead monthly tasting workshops with a focus on wine evaluation and education. He served as Regional Vice President for Northern California from 2021 to 2024, providing leadership to local chapters and successfully launching a new Napa/Solano County Chapter during his tenure.

His judging experience is extensive, including the California State Fair Home Wine Making Competition, the American Wine Society Amateur and Commercial Wine Competitions, and the WineMaker International Amateur Wine Competition, among numerous others. He has served as Head Judge for the Contra Costa Wine Group’s Annual Professional Wine Judging and has judged the Washington State Fair Amateur Wine Competition for five consecutive years.

Heidi Mulholland

Heidi Mulholland brings a unique perspective to the National Tasting Project, combining professional project management expertise with a passion for the underexplored wines of Eastern Europe. Her career in international development has taken her to Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kyiv, Ukraine, where she supported security sector projects and developed a deep appreciation for the region’s wine cultures.

Heidi holds the WSET Level 2 Award in Wine and through her consultancy, Wines of the Times Consulting, she collaborates with wineries, importers, and distributors to educate the United States market on Eastern European wines and their rich histories. She lives in Northern Virginia with her family and is a member of the American Wine Society’s John Marshall Chapter.

Michelle Schreck

Michelle Schreck is Vice President of Sales for Atlanta Improvement Company, a family-owned importing firm based in Atlanta, Georgia. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and the WSET Level 2 Award in Wine, earned with Merit. Her twenty-eight years in the beverage industry have spanned retail, distribution, and hospitality, including roles as general manager of Platinum Package, a ten-thousand-square-foot retail operation, marketing and sales work for Georgia distributor Hemispheres, and ownership of Grapes and Hops, a restaurant specializing in wine events and food pairings.

Since joining Atlanta Improvement Company in 2011, Michelle has managed sales and compliance throughout the Southeast and regularly travels to Europe and South America to source new wineries.

Michelle’s judging career began in 2011 at the Northwest Wine Summit under the mentorship of Parks Redwine, who founded the competition in 1996. She served as head of the Backroom from 2012 until his passing in 2018, and later stepped into a Board Member role for the Georgia Trustee Wine and Spirits Competition, where she became head of the Backroom in 2023. She has also served as head judge for the Vino Challenge International and has judged for the Tennessee Viticultural and Oenological Society and the Winemakers Magazine Amateur Wine Competition. Michelle joined the American Wine Society in 2022 and became an AWS Certified Wine Judge in 2024.

Dennis Fraley

Dennis Fraley is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) based in Florence, South Carolina, where he has lived for the past 25 years. His passion for wine led him through the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, culminating in the WSET Diploma, along with certifications as a Certified Specialist of Wine, French Wine Scholar, and Certified Sherry Wine Specialist. He is an AWS Certified Wine Judge and has judged multiple competitions including the International Wine Challenge in London and the International Amateur Wine Competition through Winemaker Magazine. Dennis currently serves as Chair of the American Wine Society National Tasting Project Committee.

His wine column, The Bottle Talk, has been published for over a decade in The Florence Morning News and for over three years in The Post and Courier. He has also contributed to Vinum and Food and Wine Magazine. The Bottle Talk brand has expanded to include a dedicated website at www.thebottletalk.com and an active social media presence. Dennis teaches wine classes and leads food and wine pairing events with the belief that education, like a good recipe, is meant to be shared. His mantra, “Think How You Drink,” reflects his commitment to empowering consumers to trust their own senses rather than be intimidated by industry gatekeepers.

Susan Whisenhunt, PhD

Susan Whisenhunt’s path to wine wound through two distinguished careers: twenty years in information technology and fifteen years in higher education. Wine remained a constant interest throughout, but retirement opened the door to pursue it seriously. She completed the AWS Wine Judge Certification in 2023, followed by her Certified Specialist in Wine in 2024. Susan has since judged at local, state, and international competitions, and as a board member of the French Broad Vignerons, she organized their annual competition. Never one to stop learning, she is currently pursuing certification as a Certified Pommelier through the American Cider Association. Susan brings analytical rigor, organizational expertise, and a genuine curiosity that keeps expanding into new territory.

Allison May

Allison May serves as the AWS Regional Ambassador for Southern Virginia and is a member of the Northern Neck Uncorked chapter. In just three and a half years with AWS, she has amassed an impressive collection of credentials: WSET Level 2, American Wine Expert, Certified Sherry Wine Specialist, Certified Cider Professional, and Champagne Master, with WSET Level 3 on the horizon. By day, Allison works as a data analyst with the Virginia Department of Education, but her passion for wine continues to grow toward a future in the industry. She has led her chapter’s National Tasting Project presentations for the past two years and brings both analytical precision and creative enthusiasm to the committee. When she’s not studying or presenting, you’ll likely find her exploring Virginia’s wineries, always curious about what’s in the next glass.