Alaina Swope

Senior Associate, Grant Services

Here at CAF America, I work on the Process and Development team where we collaborate with our talented colleagues to create and refine our many internal processes for granting funds to domestic and international charities.

Before joining CAF America, I served as the Director of Research and Development for a medium-sized coffee company, where I sourced and roasted specialty Arabica coffee, created and led thorough training programs, and oversaw the development of over 80 employees across six cafes. During my time working in specialty coffee, I earned a Q-Arabica Grader certification, which is something of a sommelier in the specialty coffee industry.

My BA in Psychology comes from Miami University of Ohio, where I spent four rewarding years studying and researching in a lab dedicated to family relationships and mood. This lab helped me write and publish my manuscript about a cluster of inattentive symptoms in adolescents called Sluggish Cognitive Tempo. I also graduated with minors in English Literature and German.

Now I live and work in the historical and sunny city of Saint Augustine, Florida, where I spend as much time as I can on our beautiful beaches and grade specialty coffee samples for importers in my spare time.