Board of Directors
Dennis Butterworth
President
Born and raised in Crosby Texas. Veteran of the United States Army and graduate of Sam Houston State University. I got into competition BBQ after college and have been cooking competitively since 2009. My team, WarPig BBQ is comprised of lifelong friends that really enjoy getting together to cook and hang out for the weekend. We’ve cooked all across the country in multiple sanctioning bodies. I love to travel and see how events are run in different parts of the country compared to how we do it in the great state of Texas. My favorite BBQ comp meat is always ribs. This is probably because that’s what I love to eat the most at a comp! I’ve been blessed to turn my love for BBQ into a business with WarPig BBQ Elite BBQ Products. There is no greater feeling than seeing your customers beat you at the awards! I love this sport and will do all I can to help it grow while maintaining integrity, honesty and fairness.
president@ibcabbq.org
979-220-2717
Oscar Garcia
Vice-President
My name Is Oscar Garcia, I am the Vice President of our organization. I have been involved in competition cooking for about 7 years. The BBQ family that makes up IBCA and my passion for competition cooking is why I chose to be an IBCA member. I became a director to join a great team on preserving the greatness of IBCA.
Good food, good friends, folks is a good life. –Clint Swindall
vicepresident@ibcabbq.org
956-491-8148
Rose Simola
Secretary
My husband and I started cooking in 2009 (Smokin’ Roses BBQ Team) and joined IBCA in 2010. We have both been head judges since 2014. In addition to cooking and judging we also promote several cook offs here in Beeville. And if that’s not enough BBQ involvement, we also work with the Junior Pitmasters of America Organization helping to mold our next generation of cookers! I welcome this opportunity to serve as Secretary for IBCA. Please feel free to reach out if I can ever help any of you in any way!
secretary@ibcabbq.org
832-788-6974
Robin Myers
Treasurer
I have been a BBQ Cook since 2009 and a Head Judge since 2010. I love the sport of BBQ cooking and all the wonderful people I have met doing it. BBQ is a big family that supports each other when the times get rough. I wanted to do what I could do to help IBCA continue to grow and be the premier BBQ Organization in Texas.
713-906-6284
Bill Manning
Director-at-Large
Some of my best memories are sitting around a BBQ pit with my dad cooking BBQ for friends and family. I started learning how to BBQ as a teenager from him and in 2016 after many years of cooking BBQ for friends and family I started to get interested in doing BBQ competitions. In 2017 I took the plunge and cooked my first competition which was an IBCA event. The best thing about the event was the great people I met and I was hooked. I have been cooking competitions ever since and making new friends along the way. Supporting IBCA and the great people that cook, promote, sponsor and support these events is my goal and the reason I became a Director at Large.
directoratlarge@ibcabbq.org
713-299-6099
Jamie Robey
Director-at-Large
First… I am not from Texas, but I got here as quick as possible. Living in Texas for more than half of my life on this planet thus far has offered me many opportunities. The one that I am most thankful for is competition BBQ! We came across this great past time over 10 years ago and I am thrilled to see where we are with it today!
My wife, Tammie, (aka, Wine A Bit) and I are two separate competition BBQ teams and even thought we live in the same house, we keep our BBQ secrets locked up. When it is cookoff week, we both are mixing concoctions with the hopes of out doing one another. It’s a hoot! We’re both competitive but we share the same passion for this sport! This is the one thing that we can do together, but separately!
Our very first cookoff was an IBCA event. We fell in love with the people and the thrill of the competition and over time wanted to learn more about the process. We both took a year off from competing and volunteered to work with the Head Judges. This was a great experience for us both to see how the process worked and what it takes to get to the point where your name is announced at awards! Our hats are off to all of the Head Judges and volunteers that help make a cookoff successful.
Outside of competition BBQ, I work full-time as a Safety Professional. Being part of a management team for over 30 years has helped me develop organizational and leadership skills that I will use as a member of the IBCA Board of Directors. I decided to run for the position of Director at Large to bring ideas and processes that the members talk about each week at the cookoffs. I feel strongly that members are the core of the organization, and I am proud to be selected as someone that can bring their ideas and solutions to the Board. I will conduct business with professionalism and respect for everyone involved.
936-242-7753
Region 1
Mike Gomez
I was born and raised in Texas, surrounded by family members who were in the food industry. As the fourth generation of cooks in the Gomez and Guzman families, playing with fire and meat comes instinctively to me. Jenni and I live in the Austin area and compete in cook offs year round – my appreciation and dedication to IBCA can be attributed to my experience competing across sanctioning bodies. IBCA is dedicated to their cooks and the community – and I find our scoring techniques and quick turnaround of detailed results to be top notch.
region1directors@ibcabbq.org
512-466-6952
Syrissa Dominguez
Born and raised in Taylor, TX by two competition BBQ cooks, it was only natural I would follow in their footsteps and hit the BBQ circuit as soon as I could. I remember travelling a lot when I was a kid in the back of an RV like a band of gypsies going from competition to competition and I also remember loving it! The smoke, the BBQ, the family, the friends, the awards and the FUN! Fast forward decades later and we are still competing. My team, Serious Smoke, is comprised of my husband Anthony, my kids (Colby and Hayden), a few close family friends and myself. My mom has since passed away, but my dad now comes to support me and my team. The BBQ family is like no other and I think that’s why it’s easy to fall in love with the sport once you get a taste of it. Trust me, I’ve been drinking that sweet BBQ tea all my life!
I wanted to get involved with IBCA because of its history and dedication to the cooks and the sport itself. I feel this organization is driven by great members who each have their own BBQ story to tell.
When I’m not competing, I am the Broker and Owner of a full-service real estate brokerage. With over 15 years of management and leadership skills, I hope to assist this organization through dedicated service and unwavering professionalism.
Fun fact about me: I’m extremely passionate about promoting our BBQ youth programs and will continue to mentor the future of our BBQ industry.
region1directors@ibcabbq.org
512-269-9272
Region 2
Kevin Miller
My wife Debbie and I started getting interested in competition cooking in 2010. I was building a cooker for my son-in-law for their team and while visiting BBQ forums before Facebook we met up with some forum members who were cooking an event. From that day forward we were hooked, and I started plans on building our cooker. We started competing in 2012 under my team name Tequila Sunrise BBQ Team.
In 2016 I ran for region 2 director in hopes that I could help make our sport more enjoyable by helping promoters with their events and being a voice for members. At the same time becoming a director Debbie and I were training to become head judges so that we could help further our knowledge of IBCA and what we as an organization are about, in February 2017 we were certified as head judges. This opportunity allows us to visit with fellow cooks when we were not competing. I have served the membership as director for close to four years and have seen many changes to better our sport. I am a lifetime member of IBCA and proud to be a part of this organization. Being very busy with promoters and the BOD I have somewhat taken a back seat to cooking helping my wife with her team Tequila Sunrise Part 2.
I am proud to be serving my third term as region 2 Director. I look forward to once again working with the promoters in building successful events for them as well as the cooks that participate.
region2directors@ibcabbq.org
409-673-3884
Cindy Niles
I got into BBQ judging as I volunteered at several cook offs, and fell in love with it. I’ve been a promoter and know what it takes to run a successful cook off. I enjoy working with promoters as well as the cooks.
region2directors@ibcabbq.org
832-334-3986
Region 3
Michael Gibson
My name is Michael Gibson and currently reside in Odem, Tx. I have been retired from the Army for 6 years now, after 21 years of service. Upon retiring, I started cooking competition BBQ in the IBCA and have loved every second of it! I have met many people along the way in my journey of BBQing and have had some great cookers guide me along the way! I look forward to helping the members of Region 3 and hope that I can help this great organization grow!
region3directors@ibcabbq.org
361-563-4144
Lee Hickel
Raised in DeQueen Arkansas. I am currently living in Portland, Texas. A 22 year Veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard.
I started competing in BBQ Competitions in the middle of 2018. Going to competitions and meeting new competitors is what drives me to compete.
I have competed in over 7 different sanctioning bodies and over 200 BBQ Competitions all over the Nation and Mexico. I am the 2023 World Food Live Fire World Champion.
I work with Mission Zero Hundred Hours “MZHH” out of Yorkville, Illinois. We help veterans who suffer from Suicidal Tendencies by introducing them to BBQ and culinary arts. BBQ Saves Lives.
I am here for the “Good of BBQ”
region3directors@ibcabbq.org
361-815-0667
Region 4
Liz Shamlian
For the past ten years my husband Steve and I have been part of the BBQ competition circuit. Just like many competition cookers we started out at a home town cook off and got that first walk and we were hooked. We soon learned about IBCA and realized there are a lot of people just like us; people that love to cook, meet new friends and enjoy friendly competition. We have also enjoyed being part of the IBCA family and how it has grown through the years. Like everything else the organization has had its ups and downs but because of our members and leaders having so much passion and drive, it has continued to thrive.
This was the reason I wanted to be part of the IBCA board. I wanted to represent people that want to be the best they can be and have respect for their fellow members of men and women that love this sport.
region4directors@ibcabbq.org
956-245-2069
Region 5
Ryan Hernandez
Hello Everybody! My name is Daniel Ryan Hernandez. I go by Ryan. I was born in Midland, Texas in 1987. I graduated from Midland Christian High School in 2005. After High School I moved to Lubbock where I got my Associates at Texas Tech. I then moved to Chicago and worked for Miller Coors for 4 years. I moved back to Midland in 2016 and went to work for Frost Bank. I enrolled back in school at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin where I earned my Bachelors and Masters Degree in Business Administration. During my stint at UTPB I took a job with RTS Financial, where I’ve been employed for the last 3 years. My team and I specialize in oilfield service company financing. I am married to my beautiful bride Rebekkah and have 2 amazing children! Phil who is 4 and Zoe who just turned 2. I have always had a passion for cooking and BBQ. When I returned to Texas in 2016 my dad introduced me to IBCA and ever since then, I have been hooked. We went to as many cooks as we could in the area and in 2019 I decided to start traveling to find events. For the past 3 years I have tried to fit as many cooks as I can into my schedule. I have a love for cooking and through IBCA I have made lifelong friends that have blessed my life in so many ways. I have been fortunate to win a few events and I have been humbled more than a few times by getting my butt kicked. It was an honor to receive the nomination for Region 5 director and I aim to represent Region 5 to the best of my abilities!
region5directors@ibcabbq.org
432-556-8156