RISE
SPEAKERS
Keep checking back for updates to our exciting list of speakers, mentors and moderators for 2025.
In the world of journalism, Mark Arax stands out as a rarity. On one hand, he is a skilled investigative reporter who unearths secrets from the depths of shadow governments. On the other hand, he is a gifted writer whose feature stories and books are distinguished by the “poetry of his prose.”
Mark digs deep in the dirt of the Golden State, finding tragedies hidden from most Californians. With equal passion, he chronicles the plight of both farm workers and farmers. His stories on the land are told from the close up of a native whose own family narrative is found in the same soil. His grandfather Aram’s first job in America was picking the fruits and vegetables of the San Joaquin Valley; his father, Ara, was born on a raisin farm outside Fresno.
“It is Arax’s personal connection to the land,” the review noted, “that pushes his collection past mere reportage to a high literary enterprise that beautifully integrates the private and idiosyncratic with the sweep of great historical forces.”
Mark’s newest book, The Dreamt Land, is being hailed by critics as one of the most important books ever written about the West.
“The Dreamt Land is the book Mark Arax was born to write. Nuanced, deeply researched, and profoundly personal, it offers, through its history of agriculture in California, a deep dive into the soul of the state,” said critic David L. Ulin. “Arax knows the territory; he has written about rural California for many years. This is his crowning achievement, a work of reportage that is also a work of literature. It belongs on the short list of great books about the state.”
A top graduate of Fresno State and Columbia University, Mark left the Los Angeles Times in 2007 after a public fight over censorship of his story on the Armenian Genocide. He has taught literary non fiction at Claremont McKenna College and Fresno State University. The father of three children, who lives on a suburban farm in Fresno.
Gustavo Aviña, viticulture director at Pine Ridge Vineyards, grew up helping his father farm tomatoes in Mexico. When he and his wife came to the United States in 1988, Gustavo began working with some of the finest vineyard management programs in Napa Valley.
Since 2003, Gustavo has worked intimately with every Pine Ridge Vineyards estate property. He and his team understand the soils and climates of the winery’s vineyards in five different appellations: Stags Leap District, Howell Mountain, Oakville, Rutherford, and Carneros.
Olga Barbosa is interested in the relationship between humans and the environment from an ecological perspective. Her research has been continuously centered around the effects of habitat fragmentation on both species (beetles and birds) and ecosystem functions (water and nitrogen cycling). She has conducted this work across Chile, specifically in Fray Jorge National Park, a fragmented cloud forest immersed in a semi desert area, and more recently in semi-pristine areas that transition into highly dynamic and human dominated ecosystems such as cities and agricultural ecosystems. She is active in engaging the wine industry on the conservation of Chilean Mediterranean Ecosystems. The conservation of this habitat is important not only for wineries that depend on the provision of ecosystem services that sustain production and wine quality, but also for successful climate change adaptation of local communities.
As director of market transformation & development for the TRUE Zero Waste Certification, Stephanie Barger is responsible for the growth and development of the TRUE program. Barger helped launch TRUE, which is owned and administered by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) in 2017. GBCI is the premier organization independently recognizing excellence in green business industry performance and practice globally and administers all LEED green building certifications. TRUE was acquired by GBCI in 2016 and was previously known as U.S. Zero Waste Business Council, which Barger formed in January 2012.
Barger has been dedicated to meeting the growing need for educational resources, peer-to-peer networking and third-party certification for businesses across the nation related to waste reduction and zero waste. She brings over 25 years of experience in environmental stewardship, employee training, management consulting and business development.
Ashley Boudet is the President and Founder of BCG Water, driven by an unwavering passion for water and wastewater management. Her dedication inspires clients to take a proactive role in their water operations. Holding dual licenses in Drinking Water and Wastewater Operations from the State of California, Ashley brings over nine years of expertise to the industry. She has been a trusted partner to wineries, providing tailored water and wastewater solutions, and excels in project management, skillfully coordinating efforts between engineers, contractors, and regulatory agencies to ensure seamless and successful project outcomes.
Anna Brittain is the Executive Director of Napa Green. Anna has worked locally, nationally and internationally on environmental management and policy with organizations ranging from the environmental economics think tank Resources for the Future in Washington, DC to the International Union for Conservation of Nature in Hanoi, Vietnam. She has spent a decade facilitating and growing sustainability in the wine industry, with an expertise in communications and certification standards. Anna has served as a lead sustainability consultant with Ontario Craft Wineries, Sustainable Winegrowing British Columbia, Crimson Wine Group, the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance, and individual wineries including Benziger Family Winery and Seghesio Family Vineyards. She has helped lead the growth of the Napa Green program for over six years, and stepped into the position of Executive Director of the now independent non-profit in fall 2019. Anna has a Master’s of Environmental Science & Management from the Bren School at UC Santa Barbara and a BA in Political Science and Environmental Studies from Williams College.
Vineyard manager and winemaker for Hope Well Wine, Mimi Casteel is an incredibly passionate voice and example for this new era of regenerative carbon farming. Mimi is world-renowned for her vision of transformative viticulture, her approachable communication of that vision, and her on the ground examples of how to produce expressive wines from vibrant, healthy, carbon-rich soils in vineyards actively cultivating plant and animal diversity.
Elaine Chukan Brown serves as a writer, speaker, and global wine educator working at the intersection of sustainability, climate action, and reducing gatekeeping in wine. Brown has served as the Executive Editor US for JancisRobinson.com, a columnist for Decanter Magazine, a contributing writer to Wine & Spirits Magazine, as well as the 4th and 5th editions of The Oxford Companion to Wine, the 8th edition of The World Atlas of Wine, and the compilations On California and On Burgundy from Academie du Vin Library. Brown currently reviews wines of Napa Valley for Wine Enthusiast Magazine, serves as a judge for the Texsom Awards, and a board member of the Wine Writer Symposium. Brown co-founded the Diversity in Wine Leadership Forum, and have advised diversity initiatives in multiple countries.
Philippe Coderey comes from a very long line of vine growers and farmers in southern France and Switzerland. His last name finds its roots in the old French verb ‘codurer’ – which meant to cultivate vineyards. His ancestors were named after their vocation during the 11th century. He grew up on the family vineyard in Provence, France and was fortunate to be exposed to traditional viticulture techniques through elders of the family.
He worked with his father from a young age and by the time he turned 15, he was familiar with all traditional vineyard operations from plantation to pruning and through harvest. He attended a viticulture/oenology boarding school in Provence from 1977 to 1981. He finished his oenology education at the University of Burgundy in Dijon.
Dr. Rosalind “Roz” Conerly, a Southern California native, is a scholar practitioner based in the San Francisco Bay Area with over 15 years of experience in roles focused on creating strategy to affirm and highlight the nuanced experiences of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) within an organization to contribute toward culture shift. She has held roles in organizations focused on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives and has taught college courses focused on DEI and career exploration. She also had a brief stint in the hospitality industry while living in Las Vegas. She is the Associate Dean & Director of the Black Community Services Center within the Centers for Equity, Community and Leadership at Stanford University. Her expertise and scholarship are focused on creating and developing identity affirming spaces to assist with retention and belonging. She has co-authored several notable works including, “Who is Going to Mentor Us? Black Women Administrators and Our Leadership Journeys”.
Dr. Roz is the founder of RDC Consulting, LLC., a boutique firm driven by her dedication to community building, education, and passion for wine. Her consultancy specializes in strategic planning and fostering DEI across a range of industries, including wine and academia. A freelance wine writer and vibe creator, Dr. Roz enjoys crafting intimate wine tasting experiences for her clients while championing the stories of underrepresented winemakers and brands.
Grace has been working full time at the winery since 2020, involved in many areas from winemaking and farming to hospitality and management. Grace got our vineyards certified Organic through CCOF, and got Corison Winery certified Napa Green Winery and Vineyard. She earned a BFA in Acting from Syracuse University and then worked in restaurants in NYC. Since moving back to the Napa Valley, Grace completed her Winemaking Certificate at UC Davis, and her Level 3 WSET.
Dom grew up on a farm in Derbyshire in England, which shaped his passion for all things farming and nature. He has worked in the sustainability field for more than 20 years, both internationally across Africa and Asia and in consultancy in the UK. Dom joined The Wine Society 2022 to launch and deliver their ambitious sustainability plans.
Brock Dolman (he/him) co-directs the WATER Institute, Permaculture Design Program, and Wildlands Program. He has taught permaculture and consulted on regenerative project design and implementation internationally in Costa Rica, Ecuador, the US Virgin Islands, Spain, Brazil, China, Canada, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cuba, and widely in the United States. He has been the keynote presenter at numerous conferences and was featured in the award-winning films The 11th Hour by Leonardo DiCaprio, The Call of Life by Species Alliance, and Permaculture: A Quiet Revolution by Vanessa Shultz. In October of 2012, he gave a City 2.0 TEDx talk. Brock completed his BA in the Biology and Environmental Studies departments at the University of California Santa Cruz in 1992, graduating with honors. For over a decade, he has served as an appointed commissioner on the Sonoma County Fish & Wildlife Commission.
At Agrology, Charlie leads regenerative partnerships and business development. With real-time, continuous soil respiration and carbon flux monitoring, Agrology allows the soil to speak, facilitating a more robust dialogue between farmers and their soil microbiomes. This empowers farmers to tie their practices to real-world soil health outcomes, and optimize their regenerative programs within their unique context. When not thinking about plants or soil life, you are likely to find Charlie surfing, kayaking, or hiking in the mountains around his home in Santa Cruz, CA.
Will Drayton is the Director of Technical Viticulture, Sustainability and Research at Treasury Wine Estates
(TWE), one of the world’s largest wine companies. Will has been with TWE since 2008, beginning in
viticulture at Etude Winery and has held many positions within the viticulture and winemaking groups.
In his current role, Will guides TWE’s US sustainability efforts in addition to technical and scientific aspects of winegrowing in California. He serves on the committee that guides the Sustainable Wine Roundtable, Chair of the PD-GWSS board for the CDFA and board member of the Los Carneros Water District.
Will holds a Master’s degree from UC Davis in Horticulture and Agronomy and undergraduate degree in
Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge. Will resides with his young family in Sebastopol, CA.
Jay Famiglietti is a Global Futures Professor in the School of Sustainability, in the College of Global Futures at Arizona State University. He is Professor Emeritus from the University of Saskatchewan, where he was Executive Director of the Global Institute for Water Security, and where he held the Canada 150 Research Chair in Hydrology and Remote Sensing. He is currently advising the Silicon Valley tech startup, Waterplan, after serving as its founding Chief Scientist. Before moving to the University of Saskatchewan, he was Senior Water Scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology; he was a professor in Earth System Science and in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Irvine; and he was a professor in Geological Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin.
Famiglietti and his research team use satellites to track changing water availability, and they pioneered the methods to detect groundwater depletion from space using the NASA GRACE mission. They have been working for many years towards improving hydrological prediction in climate models like those used in the IPCC. This work has driven Famiglietti’s interest in corporate water sustainability and stewardship, innovations in financial tools and data-driven reporting platforms, and international water diplomacy.
He is a former Chair of the Board of the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. (CUAHSI), a former Editor-in-Chief of Geophysical Research Letters, and he has been a Visiting Professor at Stanford University and UCLA. He is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and of the Geological Society of America, a recipient of AGU’s Hydrological Sciences Award, and a Distinguished Alumni of Tufts University.
Prof. Famiglietti is committed to science communication. He is regular advisor to state, provincial, U. S., Canadian and world leaders on regional and global water issues, he appears as a featured expert in television and film, and he hosts the podcast “What About Water?” He and his research group have published numerous papers and reports, and their work has been featured in major international news media.
Since 2017 Tommy has been conducting research quantifying the potential ecosystems services provided by regenerative agriculture, with carbon sequestration, biodiversity, and the impact of regenerative management on profitability key aspects of his research. His background spans field experience from working with over 100 different farming operations to advanced modeling and producer/stakeholder engagement. Tommy earned his MS in Biology from Cal State East Bay in 2021, working as a researcher with the Ecdysis Foundation, the Oikawa Lab at Cal State East Bay, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. His research focused on regenerative management in commercial almonds orchards and using eddy covariance to compare carbon fluxes in working rangelands with and without compost applications. Tommy is currently a PhD Candidate (graduating 2025) in the Horticulture and Agronomy Program at UC Davis, working as a researcher with the Gaudin Agroecology Lab and the Ecdysis Foundation. The goal of his PhD research is to rigorously evaluate the environmental and economic outcomes of integrating sheep grazing on commercial vineyards with different management legacies along the conventional-regenerative gradient.
Gabriela Fernandez is a visionary leader, storyteller, and innovator deeply committed to bridging the gap for underrepresented communities in both the wine industry and media. Recognized in Wine Enthusiast’s prestigious Future 40 list and as the first Latina to grace its cover, Gabriela’s remarkable work spans across initiatives like The Big Sip Podcast, Sip & Sabor Festival, La Lucha Wines, The LatinX Wine Summit, Hispanics in Wine & Spirits, and The Duckhorn Portfolio. Known for her spirit of collaboration and strategic leadership, she has cultivated impactful business relationships that create lasting value for both consumers and stakeholders. As one of Latino Leader Magazine’s Top 100 Latinas of 2024, Gabriela’s influence continues to grow. In 2021, she played a key role in launching Napa’s first all-Spanish radio station, becoming Wine Down Media’s first Latina producer and On-Air host for MegaMix radio. With a powerful blend of expertise in wine, media, and an unwavering dedication to inclusivity, Gabriela uses her platform as a first-generation Latina to amplify diverse voices and build authentic, meaningful connections. Her work inspires transformative, results-driven experiences that leave a lasting legacy for generations to come.
Elisabeth Forrestel studies the phylogenetic and functional basis of drought and heat responses in grapes, and ways to mitigate climate change impacts in viticulture. Her work includes incorporating monitoring technology in vineyards and using remote sensing data to help paint a fuller picture of the environmental factors that most significantly affect plant growth, berry chemistry and, ultimately, wine quality.
Michael has been managing UPM Raflatac’s RafCycle program for two years. Prior to that, he worked in supply chain and organic vegetable cultivation. He is deeply passionate about waste diversion and all things sustainability.
Self-confessed nerd and adoptive mom, Nikki has been talking and writing about cars ever since she passed her driving test. But her love of cars goes back even further than that. She first fell in love with electric cars in the early 1980s when she saw a picture of one in a magazine and thought “hey! That’s Cool!”
In 2006, Nikki purchased her first electric vehicle, a 250 watt electric scooter. While she’d planned to use it as transport while she converted her 1965 Morris Minor to electric, the old car’s rusty state forced her a different way, resulting in her buying a 1998 City El electric bubble car instead.
When she’s not working, Nikki enjoys to garden on the 1/3 acre plot she and her wife own in the foothills of the Coastal range just west of Portland Oregon, which they share with a flock of chickens, and two dogs. They’re keen advocates of slow food, and try to grow or locally source all the food they eat.
Being a nerd, Nikki enjoys all kinds of tech, but also loves a decent bit of science fiction, plays DnD, and is also the President of the League of Extraordinary Floofs, a local 501(c)(3) group of freelance mascots.
Ray Isle is the Executive Wine Editor of Food & Wine and the Wine & Spirits Editor of Travel + Leisure. He writes Food & Wine’s monthly “Bottle Service” column, and oversees wine content for both brands as well as contributing regular print and online features about wine, spirits, and wine-related travel. His articles about wine, beer, food and spirits have appeared in a wide range of national publications, as well as in Best American Food Writing. He has won the IACP Award for Narrative Beverage Writing three times, the gold award from the North American Travel Journalists Association, and been nominated three times for the James Beard Award in beverage writing. He speaks regularly on wine at events around the country and is a frequent guest on national media, appearing on programs such as NBC’s Today, CBS Mornings, CNBC’s Squawk Box, American Public Media’s “Splendid Table,” and many others. His recent book The World in a Wineglass was published in 2023 by Scribner’s. Follow his wine exploits on Instagram @rayisle.
Purchase his latest book at RISE Climate & Wine Symposium.
Dr. Sarah Jaquette Ray is a professor and chair of the Environmental Studies Department at Cal Poly Humboldt. She works at the intersection of social justice and climate emotions, particularly among youth activists and in higher education. Ray is author of several books, including A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety: How to Keep Your Cool on a Warming Planet, an existential toolkit for the climate-weary. Ray serves on the boards of the Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center and the Climate Mental Health Network, is a certified mindfulness teacher through the UCLA Mindfulness Awareness Research Center, and speaks and publishes widely on the role of emotions in climate advocacy.
Obi Kaufmann is an award-winning author of many best-selling books on California’s ecology, biodiversity, and geography. Most famously, his 2017 book The California Field Atlas recontextualized popular ideas about California’s more-than-human world. His following books, THE STATE OF WATER and THE CALIFORNIA LANDS TRILOGY, present a comprehensive survey of California’s evolutionary past and its unfolding future. 2024’s THE STATE OF FIRE; WHY CALIFORNIA BURNS is among his most popular and timely books to date. When he isn’t backpacking, Obi Kaufmann makes his home in Oakland, where he is working on more Field Atlases to come.
Randi Kronthal-Sacco (Stern ‘83) is a Senior Scholar at the NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business. Ms. Kronthal-Sacco leads CSB’s research in the areas of marketing and brands including the Sustainable Market Share Index™ and is responsible for corporate outreach.
With over 25 years of packaged goods and pharmaceutical experience, Ms. Kronthal-Sacco most recently was the Chief Marketing Officer at Rodan + Fields®. Ms. Kronthal-Sacco spent over 18 years as a Senior Executive at Johnson & Johnson®, where she served as Worldwide Vice President on two of the company’s most important franchises, Johnson’s Baby and Women’s Health. Prior to her role at Johnson & Johnson, Ms. Kronthal-Sacco served in various product management capacities for 8 years at Kraft Foods including Director, Desserts Division.
Ms. Kronthal-Sacco currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors at GlobeScan. Ms. Kronthal-Sacco holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from Emory University and a Master in Business Administration in Finance from New York University Stern School of Business. Her research has been cited in Harvard Business Review, Fortune, GreenBiz, among others.
Megan joined the Napa Zero Waste Collective in 2023 to be a part of the conversation on reducing waste in the winemaking stream and to bring awareness to suppliers’ responsibilities within the system. As co-chair, she helps organize and promote closed-loop, circular and zero-waste solutions in Napa Valley and other winemaking regions.
Dr. Lundgren is an agroecologist, Executive Director of Ecdysis Foundation, and CEO for Blue Dasher Farm. Lundgren’s research and education programs are helping applied science evolve in ways that foster the evolution of a regenerative food system. He regularly interacts with the public and farmers around the world regarding ecologically intensive farming and how biodiversity fuels the resilience and productivity of an agroecosystem and rural communities.
For the past 15 years, Ben has been designing and implementing regenerative farming systems in a variety of ecosystems. A New Englander by birth, Ben fell in love with agriculture in the verdant fields of northern California in high school. Ever since, Ben has been managing farms, improving soils, and educating the next crop of environmental stewards with a holistic view of farming with natural systems. No stranger to Napa, he previously lived on Mt Veeder, where he fell in love with the oak and madrone woodlands and made friends with the local ravens. When Ben is not helping Napa’s vineyards adopt 21st century practices, he is spending time with his impressive wife and two wild children in the woods and on the water. Ben currently occupies Nisenan Territory and is a proud alumnus of Sterling College in Northeast Vermont, where he received a BA in Sustainable Agriculture.
Dr. Nicholaus Madden is a soil scientist who started working part-time for Vineyard Soil Technologies in 2013 and joined full-time in October 2017. Nicholaus has a Bachelor of Science degree in Hydrology, a M.S. in International Development, with an emphasis in Agronomy, and a Ph.D. in Biogeochemistry. Nicholaus was a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer from 1997 to 1999, and served as an Agricultural Extensionist in Honduras focusing on soil conservation. After receiving his Ph.D. in 2010, Nicholaus worked for seven years managing USAID (United States Agency for International Development) agriculture projects in the Middle East and Central Asia for UC Davis. Before joining Vineyard Soil Technologies, Nicholaus was Chief-of-Party for a USAID project in Afghanistan focused on rebuilding the Afghan agriculture extension system.
Christian Miller has worked in market research, brand and category management for over two decades. He is the proprietor of Full Glass Research, which provides market research and industry analysis for food and beverage producers and marketers.
An original member of the WMC Research Committee, he also helped launch the Wine Opinions consumer and trade panels, and directed the UC Davis OIV Wine Marketing course from 2008 to 2024. Christian’s wine industry experience includes work at wineries, retailers, restaurants, an importer and a négociant. He has marketed wine brands ranging from a few thousand cases to over a million, giving him a broad view of the industry. Christian holds a BA degree in Economics from Franklin & Marshall College and an MBA from the Johnson School of Management, Cornell University.
Esther Mobley is the San Francisco Chronicle’s senior wine critic. She reports on the business of California’s dynamic wine industry, reviews Bay Area bars, writes about the effects of climate change on vineyards, publishes the Chronicle’s popular Top Wineries lists, and sends a weekly email newsletter, Drinking with Esther. Since joining the paper in 2015, she has reported from wildfire evacuation zones, from behind the gates of a doomsday cult, and from the homes of undocumented vineyard workers. Esther was the 2019 Feature Writer of the Year in the Louis Roederer International Wine Writers’ Awards, and her work has been recognized by organizations including the California News Publishers Association, the Society for Features Journalism and the Association of Food Journalists.
Director of Viticulture and Winemaking, the French connection runs strong through Mostero, who studied in Bordeaux and trained at Château Haut-Brion, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix. He worked with Baron Philippe de Rothschild in the Languedoc and at Almaviva in Chile before returning to his native California to join Dominus Estate in 2007.
“Christian Moueix has been my guide throughout my career and has been my greatest example of a perfect winemaker. He is clear, precise and is profoundly attached to the vineyard. He has guided me from the beginning.”
Oregon is known for producing outstanding wine; now, O’Hern wants it to be known for sustainable packaging, too. Revino, founded in 2020, aims to eliminate single-use packaging with refillable wine bottles—which also helps reduce the industry’s carbon footprint and alleviate glass bottle shortages. The Oregon native first observed “the circular economy” while traveling in Europe, where citizens were already accustomed to returning bottles for refill. He sought to bring the model to the U.S. In early 2022, Adam Rack, a longtime proponent and early adopter of refillables, and Austin Ziegler both signed on as a cofounder. The trio knew the environmental impact of single-use bottles “couldn’t be left for another generation to solve,” O’Hern says.
Praveen Penmetsa has over 22 years of experience turning audacious ideas into tangible products and technologies with global impact. His work has spanned areas like sustainable mobility, energy generation and storage, and farm robotics resulting in delivered products ranging from autonomous electric aircraft to farm weeding robots.
Currently focused on agriculture, Penmetsa is bringing a new type of tractor company and agricultural technology to farmers worldwide through Monarch Tractor. Also serving as the chairman and founder of Motivo Engineering, Penmetsa is building teams that develop and scale the next generation of robotic solutions for mobility, energy and food. He believes the greatest impact of digital transformation and electrification lies in farming rather than urban mobility. This realization forms the foundation of Monarch’s vision of working towards a healthier and sustainable farming future that will make farmers profitable.
Penmetsa was the 2023 Bay Area award winner of Entrepreneur of the Year®. Together with his Monarch Tractor co-founders, Carlo Mondavi, Zachary Omohondro, PhD, and Mark Schwager, Penmetsa is changing the future of agriculture and the world’s food systems for the better.
I am originally from Moldova, and I have moved to California in 2017. My journey through wine industry along with my educational background helped me discover that viticulture is my true passion. I am currently a part of Chandon Winegrowing team and my position is Viticulturist-Grower Relations. As a Viticulturist I oversee farming and vineyard operations on our Estate vineyards in Yountville and Mount Veeder (160 acres of premium Cabernet, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir). My responsibilities include, but are not limited to establishing fertilization programs, generating irrigation plans, creating and overseeing organic pesticide spray program, maintaining and leading sustainability certifications. In addition to that I oversee all the vineyard operations, manage ranch supervisor, am involved in budget planning and redevelopment projects. As a Grower Relations I work with 20+ growers and brokers in 3 major regions of California – Sacramento/Delta, North and Central Coast. I enjoy the diversity of my role, because it allows me to explore both sides of the business – growing the best fruit on the Estate vineyards and working on business side by achieving yearly fruit supply plans.
Adam Rack is the co-founder of Revino, a company rebuilding the reuse economy for the wine & beverage industry.
With a passion for environmental stewardship, he’s helped to prevent the use of over one million single-use bottles during his time in Oregon’s wine industry and helped to build out the keg wine market with the Coopers Hall team, consulting on keg wine programs of all sizes from small restaurants to the Oregon Convention Center and Zoo. In 2020 he launched a wine club exclusively featuring reusable bottles, leading into Revino’s work today.
He serves on the PR3 Reuse Standards Panel, is a team leader with his local emergency response team, and in his freetime enjoys guerilla gardening with his partner by spreading native plant seeds on their runs.
In 2019, Christopher and Jannea founded The Two Eighty Project to increase equity and diversity within the wine industry — and access to the spaces occupied by it. They began their work at Alemany Farms, a public park in San Francisco, originally dedicated to giving inner-city individuals the space to practice urban community gardening. As the nature of the space, industry, and city have grown increasingly exclusive, it’s become increasingly urgent to reclaim and revitalize them for the local community.
The Two Eighty Project is dedicated to building a sustainable food and wine community that nourishes every member of the local economy and ecosystem.
A first-generation American, Martin has led a multifarious career across many sectors of the wine industry: importer, director, educator, international judge, winemaker, and speaker. Highlights include: becoming the first Master of Wine of Mexican descent, being named one of Wine Enthusiast’s Top Forty under Forty, twice producing one of Wine & Spirits Magazine’s “US Best Cabernets”, twice being named one of Wine Business Monthly’s Industry Leaders, co-hosting The FourTop, a James Beard-awarded podcast, winning a JancisRobinson.com writing competition on sustainability, and co-founding two significant non-profit initiatives focused on social equity (Wine Unify) and climate action (Napa RISE). Today, while continuing to volunteer his time in sustainability and equity projects, Martin is a partner at WineWise LLC, a well-respected importer of European wines in California.
Andrea Robinson is a world-renowned Master Sommelier who takes the seemingly daunting subject of wine and food, and brings it down to earth for all to understand and enjoy. Robinson, one of only 26 female Master Sommeliers in the world, couples this distinction with a strong culinary pedigree as a graduate and former Dean of the French Culinary Institute, and the winner of three James Beard Awards. In addition, she has been widely featured across leading national television networks and publications as the “go-to” expert for all things wine. She and her husband John live in Napa Valley.
Born and raised in Victoria, Australia, Molly Sheppard has been surrounded by wine for most of her life. She attended Curtin University in Western Australia, completing a degree in Agribusiness, Viticulture, and Enology. After working in wineries in Victoria, Margaret River, and the Yarra Valley, Molly made her first trip to Napa Valley as an intern for the 2017 vintage and fell in love with the beauty and dynamic nature of Napa Valley and its wines. She returned in 2018 and joined the Spottswoode winemaking team as a harvest intern, becoming part of the team full time in 2019. Today, working alongside Aron, Molly helps to oversee the farming of the historic Spottswoode Estate Vineyard and the making of the winery’s acclaimed wines.
Molly combines her passion for winemaking with a passion for the environment. She holds a Certificate in Sustainable Business Strategy through Harvard Business School Online and, in addition to helping craft the wines in both the vineyard and the cellar, she manages Spottswoode’s B Corp certification and environmental initiatives, which includes measuring our GHG emissions as part of our IWCA membership. Molly also sits on the board of Napa Green and is involved in many other community driven environmental initiatives.
Winemaker Michael Silacci has been at the helm of Opus One Winery for more than 20 years. He’s worked globally and acted locally, including serving as President of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers. Silacci is a tireless advocate for climate health and sustainability, including ensuring Opus One became the first estate certified under the new Napa Green Vineyard program, and recently becoming a member applicant to International Wineries for Climate Action.
Nikki Silvestri is, first and foremost, a mother of two, wife, and sci-fi nerd. Nikki is also a serial non-profit executive director and entrepreneur (currently the CEO and founder of Soil and Shadow), a board member of Greenpeace USA, and an international keynote speaker.
Nikki’s unique approach to inclusion, leadership and organizational development takes cues from nature, building models of “social fertility” to weave them into a Joy and Impact™ framework. Her work also encourages a rigorous and shame-free approach to acknowledging our societal shadows and blind spots, especially when attempting to balance the triple bottom line (ecology, economy, and equity) in times of uncertainty, climate/health feedback loops, and increasing volatility.
Nikki’s wide-ranging career has taken her from presentations at the White House and negotiations with the Environmental Protection Agency to intimate workshops with local businesses and small retail organizing. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including ELLE Magazine’s Gold Award and OxFam America’s Act Local, Think Global Award, and she was named one of The Root’s 100 Most Influential African Americans.
You can find out more at www.nikkisilvestri.com and www.soilandshadow.com
Diana Snowden Seysses was born in Napa, California, graduated from the University of California at Davis with a BS in Viticulture and Enology in 2001 and then moved to France. Today she divides her time between the Napa Valley where she makes wine for her family estate, Snowden Vineyards and for Ashes & Diamonds and France where she is oenologist at Domaine Dujac in Burgundy and consults for Domaine de Triennes in Provence. After twenty-four years in wine, she finds ever more meaning in the craft of making vins de terroir. “The most memorable wines are living and changing. They are the result of vineyard work without chemicals, native yeast fermentation with minimal handling, and élevage in a cellar that breaths. Beyond these simple, traditional techniques, those of us who are fortunate enough to run wineries must deepen our thoughts on terroir to allow that term encompasses both ecosystem and community. We must think about balance between prosperity in our beautiful grape-growing regions and protecting the natural charm that made them famous in the first place. Climate change and all our farming choices have genetic impact on the vine. The emotional state of our employees leaves it signature on our wines. All these complex issues are in part our responsibility. I seek to protect a healthy environment in the largest sense of the term and transmit this just savoir faire to the next generation.” Diana is a member of the Académie du Vin, a board member of the Porto Protocol thinking committee and a mentor for Batonnage Forum and the Roots Fund.
Twenty years ago, Jermaine Stone went from rapping to packing boxes in the shipping department at Zachy’s to becoming the first black commercial wine auctioneer. He has since been heralded as one of Wine Enthusiast’s 40 under 40. The Bronx native’s rise in the wine industry has been driven by one key mission: to challenge the narrative about and for black men in America. In founding Cru Luv Selections, an innovative creative agency based in NYC, Stone has found a space that can use marketing, brand partnerships, and content creation to connect wine and hip-hop cultures and bring wine to an audience that has traditionally been ignored. In 2023, Stone was featured in the New York Times, on Sway in the Morning, and in Us Weekly. He also became the star of the Tastemade original streaming series Street Somm, which has been nominated for both a James Beard Award and an Emmy Award.
Additionally, he was a guest lecturer at Cornell University for the second year in a row and hosted the first-ever Wine & Hip Hop event at the Clos de Vougeot, arguably the most historic site in one of, if not the most prestigious wine regions in the world, Burgundy, France. This year, Stone plans to elevate his efforts to bring wine and hip-hop culture together by being more hands-on with the direct integration of wine and hip-hop culture in a way that only he can.
Over 25 years ago, Curtis started working in the restaurant industry and found a love for pairing excellent cuisine with fine wines. This led eventually to the Napa Valley where he brought with him a love for the art of hospitality. For the past 8 years, he has led the team at B Cellars. He believes that the best solutions can include economic sustainability as well as environmental.
Our Oakville winery estate has been meticulously designed with conservation, sustainability, and land stewardship driving each and every decision. Our sustainability strategies extend beyond the physical attributes contained within our buildings and farming practices. They encompass an operating philosophy that bonds all of us to be mindful of the environmental impact we make in the pursuit of being the best craft wine and food experience in Napa Valley.
Caine Thompson, Head of Sustainability for O’Neill Vintners & Distillers and Managing Director of Robert Hall Winery has cemented his industry leadership in sustainable winegrowing and operations throughout his wine industry career.
In 2017, he joined Rabble Wine Company and as President (prior to O’Neill’s acquisition in 2021), he led the brand with the Earth in mind. Several of these sustainability programs he started continue at Rabble today through Caine’s direction at O’Neill (1% for the planet). He also initiates and implements green practices, leading the charge for sustainable certified for 200+ growers (15,000 acres) on behalf of the entire O’Neill organization. Since joining O’Neill Vintners & Distillers in October 2020, Caine has developed and launched a regenerative viticulture case study that will impact wine farming practices for years to come, which has now evolved to 1,000 in conversion to regenerative organic.
The meter.me system lets you remotely monitor and manage your water from your smartphone. All of our monitoring systems are designed for rugged environments and can be deployed in rural areas– no WiFi or power required.
Using remote sensors and cloud-based technology, users receive real-time data on their system’s water levels from the meter.me app.
Morgan’s early exposure to wine and winemaking was thanks to his father Joel Peterson, who had started a small passion project called Ravenswood Winery— a job for which he was steadily not making money while working out of a small building along the big curve on Broadway. Though always enamored with the wine industry, Morgan bypassed a traditional Viticulture and Enology degree and studied History and Political Science at Vassar College. After undergrad, he enrolled at Columbia University with an eye towards a Masters in American Studies. meanwhile working at a small shop in the Upper East Side called Pet Wines. There, he met Chris Cottrell, with whom he became fast friends.
Sarah Unger is the Founder and COO of CULTIQUE, a cultural insights and strategy partnership founded in 2020 with Linda Ong, the company’s CEO. The female-led firm helps media, entertainment, tech and consumer businesses navigate fast-moving times with clarity and confidence, leveraging the changes in external culture as a competitive advantage and creating bespoke strategies to claim and own impact in the larger conversation.
An award-winning cultural expert, Unger and her team of analysts provide intel and POVs to businesses such as AMEX, GBT, AARP, Airbnb, YouTube, Apple, WarnerMedia, Disney/ABC, and NBCU to navigate fast-changing times, recalibrate for new audiences, minimize risk, and cultivate growth in an uncertain world. Unger has been a frequent commentator in media such as The New York Times, Fortune, The Atlantic, Forbes, and The Daily Beast. Previously, Sarah was SVP, Cultural Insights & Strategy at CIVIC Entertainment Group, now an investor in CULTIQUE. Unger also led brand strategy as Vice President of Marketing Strategy, Trends & Insights at Paramount (formerly Viacom) across its portfolio of Paramount Pictures, Paramount Network, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, Nickelodeon, and more. She was named one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in 2015 during her tenure at Ketchum as Vice President, Insights & Strategic Planning where she launched the Millennial and Gen Z division.
Unger is a graduate of the University of Virginia and completed a Finance and Accounting class at Stanford, as well as the Harvard Business School 2018 Business of Entertainment, Media, & Sports. Since 2015, she’s been on the Board of Trustees for The Hackley School, and was recently appointed to LAist’s Next Gen Advisory Council. A frequent public speaker, she has led sessions at places like SXSW and VidCon and was also featured in New York Times bestselling author Dan Schwabel’s book, Back to Human: How Great Leaders Create Connection in the Age of Isolation and futurist Erica Orange’s book, AI + The New Human Frontier.
A native of São Paulo, Elizabeth Vianna spent her early years on a bi-cultural journey moving from Brazil to the United States and back again several times. These early years of travel led her to appreciate and continuously explore what connects us as humans across different cultures such as food, wine, music and art.
Vianna was named to the position of Assistant Winemaker at Chimney Rock in January 2002, and advanced to the position of Head Winemaker in April 2005. In 2011 she was promoted to General Manager of Chimney Rock, and she continues in her role as Head Winemaker at the Stags Leap District estate winery. During her tenure at Chimney Rock, she has consistently produced wines that have been highly rated among critics and highly valued among consumers.
A staunch advocate for sustainability and the legacy of the Napa Valley, she has long served as board member and twice as President of the Stags Leap District Winegrowers Association. Today she serves as a board member of the Napa Valley Vintners and is also a member of the inaugural cohort of the 2021 Napa Valley Vintners Leadership Program.
As one of the few Latina winemakers in Napa Valley she is a strong advocate for women and minorities in the wine industry and formalized her mentorship with Batonnage, a non-profit organization in 2023 When she is not walking vineyards or making wine, you will find her immersed in music or hiking with her husband and Labrador Molly somewhere in the Bay Area.
Monika is an environmental pioneer and management consultant with extensive national and international experience in helping people and organizations turn potential to success. She has a strong background in collaborative leadership in cross-cultural, multi-industry environments and public-private consortium. As an experienced project manager and change agent she is committed to developing sustainable organizations. Her skills include: finding organizational forms to fit the tasks of innovating a new technology; preparing the infrastructure and raising the public awareness for product commercialization; valuing diversity to create synergy. Monika’s work focus is on sustainable business strategies and renewable technologies, especially in the solar thermal realm. She holds a M.S. in Mathematics and a Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology.
🔈Sound on for this beautiful message from the inspiring @elizvianna of @chimneyrockwinery!
Pick up your tickets for RISE Climate & Wine Symposium beginning April 29th, 2025!
#wineindustry #winebusiness #winemaker #winecountry #napa #napavalley #napawine #sustainability
The @napavintners has been cultivating excellence since 1944, inspiring members to not only produce wines of the highest quality but also to provide environmental leadership and care for this extraordinary place we call home.
We are grateful for their continued support of @risegreenwine and @napagreen and for championing social and environmental leadership in our community and industry.
Stay tuned for part 2 of this video!
🎥 @robot_productions
#climateaction #napavalley #napavalleywine #wineindustry #symposium
Did you catch @abrittain talking with @barrymartin77 this morning on @993thevine? Catch the highlights here! 🎧
#localcontent #localradio #climateaction #wineindustry #winebusiness #winesymposium
Join acclaimed journalist and storyteller Mark Arax as he unravels the complex tapestry of California’s relationship with water.
Hear the critical context behind today’s water challenges, future considerations, and opportunities for agriculture and viticulture including strategies to build resilience.
Join us April 29, 2025 in St. Helena, CA
Ticket Link in Bio.
#climateaction #regenerativeag #regenerativeagriculture #regenerativeviticulture #watersaving #waterefficiency #climatesmartvineyard #climateandwine #climateandwinesymposium
Please join us at RISE Climate & Wine Symposium beginning April 29th and running through May 8th with six half day events in Napa Valley.
Michelle Novi works with the @napavintners and is a board member for @napagreen.
She adds: “In the face of a changing world.. the thing we can really count on is each other & RISE is an incredible place to meet people, be with your peers, engage with new ideas and build the community that’s going to be the key to our resilience moving forward.”
Find ticket info at the link in our profile or at www.risegreen.org and don’t forget Napa Green Members receive a 15% discount. See you there.
#wineindustry #winebusiness #napavalley
To till or not to till? That is the question.
Learn how growers are realizing the documented benefits of dramatically reducing tillage–from enhanced soil health and water retention to reduce erosion–while successfully navigating site-specific challenges like cover crop selection and weed management. Plus, get candid insights about where electric tractors excel, and where traditional equipment may still play a role.
Join us April 30, 2025.
Ticket link in bio.
#wineindustry #sustainability #symposium #climateaction #wineandclimate #climateandwine #sustainablewine #regenerativeag #regenerativeagricture #regenerativevineyard
Wednesday, April 30th is Energy Efficiency Day at RISE Climate & Wine Symposium! We’ll have wine industry luminary @rayisle as our Keynote Speaker and he will highlight “The Energy of Wine - From Soil to Sales.”
Ray is the Executive Wine Editor for @foodandwine and Author of “The World in a Wineglass”.
Pick up your tickets at the link in our profile or head to www.risegreen.org!
#winewriter #winewriters #winecritic #winereview #winery #winebusiness #winebuzz #foodandwine #wineindustry #napavalley
Join winemaker @evyncam at RISE Climate & Wine Symposium beginning April 29th - May 8th in Napa Valley!
Evyn is a winemaker for @unefemmewines, board member for @napagreen, mentor for @batonnage_forum & very involved in social & environmental sustainability. Join us at RISE 2025!
Is water the solution to heat stress?
As extreme heat events become more frequent and intense, the wine industry faces a critical dilemma in water management. At RISE Climate & Wine Symposium, we will explore the rising use of water to buffer heat stress and prevent crop loss.
Join the conversation April 29, 2025.
Ticket link in bio.
#wineindustry #climateandwine #climateandwinesymposium #vineyardmanagement #winesymposium
Why not? Join co founder @reyeswine.mw at RISE Climate & Wine Symposium beginning April 29th and running through May 8th!
#winebusiness #wineindustry #wine #masterofwine #sustainability #rise
Join us May 6th for a keynote address from Jermaine Stone, CEO of Cru Luv Wines and Author of "Wine Barz Vol. 1"
Twenty years ago, Jermaine Stone went from rapping to packing boxes in the shipping department at Zachy’s to becoming the first black commercial wine auctioneer. He has since been heralded as one of Wine Enthusiast’s 40 under 40. The Bronx native’s rise in the wine industry has been driven by one key mission: to challenge the narrative about and for black men in America. In founding Cru Luv Selections, an innovative creative agency based in NYC, Stone has found a space that can use marketing, brand partnerships, and content creation to connect wine and hip-hop cultures and bring wine to an audience that has traditionally been ignored. In 2023, Stone was featured in the New York Times, on Sway in the Morning, and in Us Weekly. He also became the star of the Tastemade original streaming series Street Somm, which has been nominated for both a James Beard Award and an Emmy Award.
Follow the link in our bio to purchase tickets and be a part of this amazing day!
Why RISE? Check in with @mkshepp of @spottswoodewinery to hear more 🔝
#rise #sustainability #winery #symposium #napa #napavalley #winebusiness #wineindustry
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