MEET THE TEAM

Hastings has held several leadership roles at MillerCoors the past 15 years. He served most recently as Vice President of National Affairs for MillerCoors. Prior to that he served as Head of Regulatory & Tax Affairs for SABMiller. He also represented Miller Brewing Company and MillerCoors in Sacramento as Director of State Government Affairs, where he served on CMTA's Board of Directors.

Before his long career as a manufacturing executive Hastings was the Vice President and Director of Government Relations from 1998 to 2003 at the California Grocers Association.

Hastings also worked in the California State Legislature for almost a decade as a chief consultant, starting in 1989.

Hastings has a Bachelors of Arts in Economics and a Minor in Government from California State University at Sacramento.

Rochita's passion for telling the real-life stories of everyday Californians working to create the innovations that keep the state on the cutting-edge of possibility, can be traced back to hearing stories from her father-in-law, who has spent more than 40 years working as an engineer for various manufacturing companies.

"Manufacturing is part of our past, present, and our future, which is proven by the industry's keen and consistent focus on innovation," said Rochita. "This industry is part of my family's history. I've seen, first-hand, the agility and compassion of manufacturers, like my father-in-law, who are able to create a better life for their family, thanks to the economic mobility this industry creates. It's that generational story of exploration and resilience that I cannot wait to tell as a part of CMTA, and, hopefully, inspire the next generation of innovators and doers along the way."

Rochita brings more than a decade of communications expertise to the role. Prior to joining CMTA, Rochita served as an award-winning investigative reporter and weekend evening news anchor for ABC 10, which is where she shed light on issues that impact Californians across the state. Prior to that, Rochita worked as an investigative reporter for WSLS 10 NBC News in Roanoke, Virginia. She received a national Edward R. Murrow award in hard news for her investigation on Virginia's sterilization practices in the 1900s.

Raised in San Francisco, Rochita has a Master's in Journalism from Georgetown University. Rochita will start at CMTA on June 13 and will be based in Sacramento.

Sarah comes to CMTA from the California Fashion Association (CFA) where she grew the organization by more than 30 percent in three years and ensured more than 99 percent member retention. She brings a distinct understanding and knowledge of the manufacturing community through her many interactions with the apparel manufacturers in southern California.

"Sarah is one of the more impressive personalities I have seen and we are thrilled to have her on board," said CMTA President Lance Hastings. "She will bring a fresh new perspective on member recruitment along with a thorough understanding of the challenges facing California manufacturers. She can articulate CMTA’s opportunities and the importance of our efforts in Sacramento to help grow the organization and our influence in ways we haven’t seen before."

California manufacturing is at a critical juncture and CMTA has grown stronger as it became an important piece of the State’s reaction to the pandemic and the primary organization for policy solutions for economic recovery for hard working families. With this hire and other efforts, CMTA is doubling down to ensure the State’s entire manufacturing community is aligned and participating in important initiatives and policy campaigns to make the next decade another inspiring and dynamic chapter for California manufacturing investment.

"It's all hands on deck for California manufacturing and we are so excited to have Sarah onboard at CMTA," concluded Hastings. "Reaching out to the more than 30,000 California manufacturers requires tenacity, articulation, institutional knowledge and passion. Sarah brings that and more to these exciting times."

Johnson will start at CMTA on February 16th and she will be based in Los Angeles, coming to Sacramento frequently.