DIRECTOR, GINA LANE
Gina moved to Virginia Beach from San Antonio, Texas 20 years ago. Growing up, Gina's experience with tea was sweet Texas sun tea. Although delicious she knew there had to be more to it. Sometime in the mid-1990's, Gina and a friend stumbled upon a tea room in downtown Norfolk, "Coffee, Tea & Sympathy". Feeling like they both needed a little "tea & sympathy" they wandered in and embarked on the Afternoon Tea experience. In August 2009 Gina participated in the “Tea 101 Masterclass The Art of Owning a Tea Business” presented by Bruce and Shelley Richardson in Lexington, Kentucky. In 2011, Gina began the process of studying the "Tea & Etiquette Tea Masterclass" manual presented in combination by Dorothea Johnson (formerly The Protocol School of Washington) and Benjamin Press. Gina is looking forward to serving the Virginia Tea Society and its members, as Director for the next two years.
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, DR. ANNE-TAYLOR CAHILL
Dr. Anne-Taylor Cahill is a professor of philosophy and religion at Old Dominion University. Like the Sage Okukara she agrees that "the philosophy of tea is like the religion of the art of life".
SECRETARY, TONYA JONES
TREASURER, GINNY GARCIA
A native of New York, Ginny has lived in Virginia since 1969 when she moved here to attend Roanoke College in Salem, VA. In 1990 she married an officer in the Navy and moved to Virginia Beach. Due to Navy orders, she lived in Yokohama, Japan from 1993 to 1995. As an avid tea drinker for as long as she could remember, she came to appreciate the Japanese culture of brewing fresh tea leaves. To this day, she continues to brew fresh leaves daily and loves to taste and enjoy a cup of hot tea each morning.
MEMBER-AT-LARGE, JERRIE BARRACO
Jerrie
was born in Norfolk, Virginia and was raised in Virginia Beach. She is
very interested in the Victorian Era including their mode of dress, antiques
and their tradition of afternoon tea. She has always enjoyed drinking tea
and collecting teapots, teacups and all things associated with the Victorian
tradition of serving afternoon tea. She has held several teas at her
house for friends and family. One night last summer, she attended a tea
tasting at Quintin’s Tea Emporium and met Ginny Garcia. Ginny told her about
“The Virginia Tea Society” and invited her to join. The Virginia Tea
Society has been a wonderful experience meeting fellow tea lovers, enjoying tea
at various places and, of course, the wearing of hats and proper tea attire.
