OREGON WINE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair of the International Marketing Committee
Adam Ramirez, originally from Red Bluff, California, made his way to the Northwest in 2006 to attend the University of Portland's Pamplin School of Business. During his time in Portland, he started his career in Finance, met his wife Jessica, and established his roots in Oregon as well as the Northwest. In 2014, Adam moved to the Columbia Valley to enter into the wine industry. During that time, he has worked with Wyckoff Farms and Coventry Vale Winery since 2016. He is currently the President of Coventry Vale Winery and works with Sixmile Canyon Vineyards on a pioneering planting of grapes just west of Boardman, Oregon.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Anna Maria Ponzi is renowned for her wine industry expertise, bringing a wealth of experience to the Oregon Wine Board. As a second-generation wine producer, former owner and past president of Ponzi Vineyards, she helped transform the business from a garage operation into an established wine brand founded five decades ago by her parents Dick and Nancy Ponzi. With a career spanning various industry organizations, including serving four years on the OWB in 1996, Ponzi continues to make significant contributions, currently serving as an Oregon Tourism Commissioner, and past president of the Oregon Winegrowers Association. Ponzi and her husband Brett Fogelstrom own issimo Vineyard in the Laurelwood District, a 20-acre vineyard planted in 2018 to Chardonnay and Pinot noir in Clonal Massale technique. She also co-owns Laurelwood Vineyard Management, overseeing more than 100 acres of vineyards. Her dedication extends beyond her business, as she actively participates in promoting sustainable practices and community engagement. Her approach to quality winemaking aligns seamlessly with the OWB's commitment to success.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
- Member of Committee
- Symposium Enology Track Lead
Austin Kraemer is a 4th generation farmer from the Willamette Valley in the Silverton area. Born into a family legacy of agriculture, Austin, alongside his brother Ben, manages Kraemer Farms vineyard operations. Stepping into his father's boots, Austin took on the crucial responsibility of overseeing the existing vineyard acres while establishing a few hundred more acres.
Austin's journey in agriculture led him to OSU where he pursued a degree in Agricultural Business Management. Eager to broaden his knowledge, he embarked on an insightful internship with E.J. Gallo Winery. After, Austin returned to his roots, Kraemer Farms in the Willamette Valley. With a focus on winery relations and a vision for vineyard expansion, he played a pivotal role in shaping the vineyards' operations trajectory.
Austin's commitment to fostering strong relationships within the winemaking community and expanding the vineyards underscored his dedication to both the family legacy and the thriving wine industry in the region.
Austin Kraemer, shares his life on the family farm with his wife Destinee, who is expecting their first child in February, and his Belgian
Malinois, Chief. Beyond the demands of the vineyard, he is a fanatic gardener and avid Outdoorsmen, with a fondness for raising livestock. His goal is to continue an ongoing legacy of wine growing in the Willamette valley while contributing to the advancement of the industry for the betterment of the businesses, people, and the environment.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- OWB Staff Member
- MW - Director of Education
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
- Member of Committee
- Symposium Business Track Lead
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- OWB Staff Member
- Director of Insights & Industry Relations
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Education Committee
- OWB Director
- Vice Chair of the Education Committee
Cristina Gonzales is the granddaughter of migrant farm workers from Texas, who moved to Wisconsin to pick cherries in search of a better life. Her passion for wine began while traveling as a backpacker through South America in 2001 and landing in Mendoza, Argentina, the epicenter of South American Malbec. When she returned to the United States, she entered the wine industry and eagerly absorbed information any way she could, working harvests in California, Oregon, Tasmania, and Australia. She honed her skills at A to Z Wineworks/REX HILL in the Willamette Valley and in 2009, she finally launched Gonzales Wine Company, uniting winemaking experience from around the world with that first spark of inspiration in a glass of Malbec in Argentina. Cristina serves as Secretary on the Board of AHIVOY Oregon and serves on the Advisory Board of Woman-Owned Wineries. She resides in Portland, Oregon with her son, their cattle dog, Bean and crafts small-production wines from Washington and Oregon grapes in the heart of SE Portland.
Job Titles:
- OWB Staff Member
- Manager of Trade Relations
- Member of Committee
David joined the Oregon Wine Board in 2021. For nearly two decades his wine experience has been in retail, distribution, and working for the Pacific Northwest's largest supplier. His roles have been in sales, management, and marketing. With a proven track record in multi-channel trade and business development for both international and domestic wineries, he has a robust understanding of the industry. Serving the wine industry has allowed him to travel to many of the world's premier winegrowing regions.
David, a Michigan native, graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Business Administration and Environmental Studies. While attending college David fell in love with Oregon wine. When he is not working you may find him skiing on a mountain, foraging in the forest, or spending time with his family and friends.
Job Titles:
- Co - Chair
- Member of the Board
- OWB Director
- Co - Owner of Irvine & Roberts Vineyards
Dionne Irvine is a co-owner of Irvine & Roberts Vineyards in Ashland, Oregon. Dionne and her husband, Doug Irvine, established Irvine & Roberts in 2007, which today includes 47 acres of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, and Gamay Noir planted on their high-elevation estate vineyards. The vineyard is also the place she gratefully calls home. Dionne oversees distribution, marketing, hospitality, and day-to-day tasting room and winery operations.
Dionne spent her younger years in Brookings, Oregon, then moved to Southern California, where she began her real estate career, working in sales, marketing and management for both small private and large publicly traded new homebuilding companies. With a desire to raise her 3 daughters in Oregon, she returned to her Southern Oregon roots in 1997, making Ashland her home.
Dionne currently serves as a board member and a marketing committee member for the Rogue Valley Vintners Association and as a Board Member at Large and Executive Committee Member for the Asante Foundation. She also served as a board member of the Oregon Winegrowers Association from 2020-2022.
Believing we are only as strong as the community we call home, she collaborates with, promotes, and supports the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, destination marketing organizations, local chefs, arts organizations, local schools, and several philanthropic foundations in the Rogue Valley.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair
- Member of Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Finance Committee
- OWB Director
- Treasurer
With a career spanning more than 20 years of senior leadership in the Oregon wine industry, coupled with a decade as a start-up veteran, Gary brings a passion for innovation and pushing boundaries. Under the Stoller Wine Group umbrella, Gary oversees a family-owned portfolio consisting of Stoller Family Estate, Chehalem Winery, Chemistry, Canned Oregon, and History. His approach to leadership has quickly earned the Stoller Wine Group a reputation as one of Oregon's most dynamic and celebrated family of wine brands, and earned him the honor of being named one of the Portland Business Journal's 2022 Executives of the Year and Wine Business Monthly's Top Leaders of 2022.
Job Titles:
- Co - Chair
- Executive Director
- OWB Staff Member
- Member of Committee
Gina brings her collaborative, enterprising spirit and ability to grow highly functional, inclusive, innovative, resourceful, and inspired teams to the Oregon Wine Board. Starting at the helm of Rogue Valley Vintners (RVV) in 2020, her tenure began during the global pandemic and devastating wildfires which she helped Southern Oregon wineries navigate through. Also, during her 3 ½ years at RVV, Bianco worked closely with the OWB Board and members of the wine industry to listen to their needs and challenges and build consensus and unity. Bianco came to Oregon armed with two decades of healthcare management, and her own consultancy where she successfully applied creative problem-solving and strong relationship-building.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Chairman of the Board
- Chairman of the Research Committee
- OWB Director
- Member of Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
- Member of Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Chairman Emeritus
- OWB Director
- Generation Member of the King Family of King Estate Winery
Justin King is a third-generation member of the King family of King Estate Winery, just southwest of Eugene. Before becoming King Estate's national sales manager he spent four years as a sales representative for the Northeast region, based in New York. Justin also participates in winemaking with his limited-production, biodynamic estate Pinot noir called 7 Rows.
Before joining his family's business, Justin, a professional fingerstyle acoustic guitarist known for pioneering a percussive tapping style, founded and operated Vinegar Hill Sound, a recording studio in Brooklyn, NY. In the late 2000s he worked as a photojournalist in places such as Iraq, Haiti and South Africa. An active community volunteer, Justin also serves on the board of Food for Lane County, his area's main food bank.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
- Member of Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
- Symposium Viticulture Track Lead
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Director of Marketing
- OWB Staff Member
- Member of Committee
Neil earned a B.A. in English and Communications from the University of Texas at Austin, where he lived for ten years before moving to the Pacific Northwest. Based in Portland, Neil enjoys exploring the beautiful state on his bicycle, seeing live music, visiting wineries, and discovering new culinary experiences.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Member of the Finance Committee
- Member of the International Marketing Committee
- OWB Staff Member
- Management Lead
Sally joined the OWB in May 2023. She is a hands-on, cross-functional leader who enjoys building relationships and solving problems. Sally's early career focused on specialty ingredient distribution in food, nutraceuticals, and personal care, including domestic and international sales, marketing, and business development. She pivoted in her career and has recently led finance, HR, and business operations at two software startups.
Sally holds a Master of Science in Finance from Portland State University and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University. Based in Portland, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, traveling, and taking long walks.
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant
- OWB Staff Member
- Member of Committee
Stacey joined the OWB in October 2017. Her experience working as an Executive Assistant includes both the public and private sectors.
Stacey is a native Oregonian and graduated from Portland State University with a B.S. in Psychology. She lives in West Linn with her husband and four boys.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- OWB Director
- Vice Chair
- Associate Director for Assemblage Symposium
- Vice President of Oregon 's Chosen Family Wines
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee