Leadership
Douglas La Rose, Executive Director
Douglas La Rose is an international development leader, anthropologist, and trade advocate with more than 20 years of experience advancing agriculture, market systems, and global value chains across Africa, the Pacific, Europe, and the United States.
Since joining the Kava Coalition as Executive Director in 2025, Douglas has led efforts to advance the responsible growth of the kava industry through education, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement. He works closely with Pacific Island governments, industry leaders, researchers, and policymakers to strengthen quality standards, expand market opportunities, and promote greater recognition of kava's cultural, economic, and wellness value.
Thought Leaders
The Kava Coalition's Thought Leaders are respected voices from across the kava industry — growers, exporters, and entrepreneurs — who lend their expertise and perspective to help inform the Coalition's work and elevate the conversation around kava's future.
Dr. Simon Gellar
Director of UK Kava Coalition
Dr Simon Gellar is a criminologist, lecturer and qualitative researcher whose work focuses on kava, public policy, regulation and the social construction of risk. His doctoral research at the University of Kent examined the cross-cultural consumption of kava in the United Kingdom, United States and Vanuatu, with particular attention to cultural practice, health narratives, regulation and public perceptions of harm.
Simon heads the UK Kava Coalition, which is seeking to establish a lawful and proportionate regulatory pathway for the return of kava to the United Kingdom. The Coalition is pursuing this through scientific and regulatory research, policy engagement, collaboration with food-safety specialists, Pacific representatives and kava-producing countries, and the development of evidence-based standards for safe, high-quality kava products.
Drawing on his experience in academic research, university teaching and regulated scientific environments, Simon contributes to policy analysis, stakeholder engagement, briefing development, and public communication. His work also seeks to ensure that Pacific knowledge, cultural practice and the interests of diaspora communities are properly represented within UK regulatory debate.
Marina Castillo
Founder of The Modern Mocktail, and creator of Bula Boss
Marina Castillo is the founder of The Modern Mocktail and creator of Bula Boss: turnkey booze free bars and bottle shops, a proven operating system giving kava bar owners the SOPs, training, HR infrastructure, and hands-on guidance needed to build sustainable, well-run businesses. Her background spans over a decade in the beverage and bar industry, including helping dozens of bars open from scratch and guiding several to expand, franchise, or surpass $1M in annual revenue.
As founder of the Arizona Kava Coalition and a Fractional COO within the kava industry, Marina has built resources that help operators navigate health department issues and advocate for their businesses, work that now extends through her involvement with the Global Kava Coalition, connecting operators to a network of lawyers, scientists, and advocates for regulatory and compliance support.
Marina also hosts the podcast Mocktails with Marina, where she brings that same commitment to kava education, business operations, and industry advocacy to a wider audience.