Meet the People Behind the Bar
Our instructors have a combined 50 to 70 years of bartending and bar management experience. Every one of them is a working professional.
Your Instructors
Every instructor at PBS is a working professional with years of real-world bartending and bar management experience. They teach what they know because they have done it.
Tommy Hanavan
School Director
Tommy brings roughly 40 years of bartending and bar management experience to PBS. He is one of only three Master Trainers for the Techniques of Alcohol Management (TAM) program worldwide. Tommy started bartending in New York to pay for college at SUNY, and his career grew from head bartender to general manager and staff trainer. His international experience includes work on the Italian Riviera and Caribbean consulting through the S.T.E.P. government tourism organization, where he led bartending and hospitality training for the Commonwealth of Dominica.
Brian
Instructor
Brian has over 15 years in the service industry, starting at age 15 as a busboy. His career has taken him from Ocean City, MD to San Francisco, working in top-tier restaurants, Irish pubs, and dueling piano clubs. Brian holds a BA in Secondary English and a TESOL Certificate, which gives him a student-centered classroom approach that translates naturally to teaching bartending.
Gabrielle
Instructor
Gabrielle is a DC native who started in hospitality at age 16 at the Washington Zoo Food Service. She studied business and worked in finance before finding her true calling behind the bar. A PBS graduate from the class of 2004, Gabrielle went on to work at Avenue Night Club, Posh Supper Club, and Lace Restaurant. In 2015 she founded DC Block Girl LLC, a beverage catering company providing professional bar services for private events throughout the DC area.
Tyeshia
Instructor
Tyeshia is a PBS graduate from the class of 2002 who was placed within one week of completing the program. Her career includes bartending at Timheri's in Adams Morgan and Fish Market in Alexandria, followed by a role as Bar Manager at U Street Lounge Bar Nun and Pure Lounge. Tyeshia's experience extends internationally - she helped establish The Vault nightclub in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
JD Klipper
Placement Assistance Director
JD serves as the full-time, dedicated Placement Assistance Director at PBS. His sole focus is connecting graduates with bartending opportunities that match their goals. JD maintains ongoing contact with employers across DC, Maryland, Virginia, and Baltimore, building relationships that benefit every student who comes through the program.
Ready to Learn from the Best?
Come meet our instructors in person. Book a free trial class and experience what makes PBS different.