Born in North Dakota, I hatched plans for my escape very early on: taking the steering wheel of our ‘57 Chevy while on my Dad’s lap, I always drove West—as far as I possibly could. For the last 36 years, I’ve been very happy to call Napa Valley home. Majoring in English and French in college, I earned a MA in English and Communications and added an MBA in international business.
It was my great fortune in my wine career to be in the right place at the right time—twice. I worked with Robert Mondavi and his family for fourteen years and then for eighteen years for the celebrated joint venture Mr. Mondavi started with Baron Philippe de Rothschild across the street in Oakville.
While at the Robert Mondavi Winery, I gave tours and later managed the tour department, directing wine education. Working as an interpreter for Château Mouton Rothschild’s vineyard manager, I helped lay out one of California’s first high-density vineyards for the joint venture. Through RMW, I travelled to the U.K., conducting masterclasses for Decanter magazine and several European retailers. I also worked in the vineyards and in the cellar at Château Cheval Blanc in Saint-Émilion, France.
Once I crossed the highway for my second office, I had a backstage pass to the wine world’s two most famous families and how they conceived and created their unique joint venture. As vice president of direct marketing and public relations, I worked to build and enhance this renowned brand with media, trade and a remarkable community of customers. As part of a small senior management team, I travelled to emerging international wine-drinking regions to establish fine wine markets all over the world. I was also able to direct a fine guest relations team and later, its digital and direct marketing efforts, growing the winery’s reputation for quality along with its revenue.
A member of the San Francisco chapter of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, I have served on several committees for the Oakville Growers and the Napa Valley Vintners, most recently as chair of the NVV’s Strategic Partnership Committee. A competitive cyclist and an empty nester, I live in Yountville with my psychotherapist wife and a cat who completely rejects her role as a predator.
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
Oscar Wilde
