Michael Haney named interim executive director
Sonoma County Vintners, the county’s largest winery marketing and special event industry group is welcoming its fourth executive director in as many years as the face and pace of the region’s most dominant business cluster responds to an always-challenging global marketplace.
After two years in the executive director’s chair, Jean Arnold Sessions is stepping aside for interim executive director Michael Haney, who has been serving as the Vintner’s director of membership and government affairs.
Also welcomed at the 2018 Vintners annual meeting last week was Russell Joy, of Patz & Hall Winery, as incoming president of the board of directors.
“I am excited and look forward to partnering with the Sonoma County Vintners leadership team to continue establishing Sonoma County as a world-class wine region,” said Joy. “A key focus in 2018 will be to bring visitors to Sonoma County. We are proud to announce and host the second chapter of Vinexpo Explorer in Sonoma County.”
Joy is joined by a new executive committee including Mark Malpiede (Williams Selyem Winery), Mike Martini (Taft Street Winery), Richard Idell (Idell Family Vineyards) and Caroline Shaw (Jackson Family Wines.)
Haney has been with Sonoma Vintners for three years and has announced that he will seek the permanent director’s position. Sessions had replaced Carolyn Stark who left after one year, replacing long term executive director Honore Comfort, who is now Wine Business Executive in Residence at the Sonoma State University Wine Business Institute.
“It’s an honor to serve the Sonoma County Vintners as interim executive director,” said Haney. “Sonoma County is a world-class wine region, and I am passionately committed to continuing to bring greater appreciation to Sonoma County wines through advocacy and education.”
In recent years, Sonoma Vintners took over the Sonoma Wine Country Weekend event, previously run by Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growing Alliance.
Last year the group moved its Taste of Sonoma event from MacMurray Ranch on Healdsburg’s Westside Road to the Green Music Center on the SSU campus. The 2018 location for the event has not been announced.
At the annual meeting, Haney and Joy pledged to do more community outreach. Haney has been active in several public relations efforts to answer neighborhood complaints about construction of new and expanded winery projects in parts of the county. The group was especially active in supporting David Ramey’s 60,000-case winery project on Westside Road.
Sonoma County Vintners represents more than 200 wineries and was founded in 1944. SCV has an operating budget of $2.5 million and a staff of eight people.
