Vintners hand reins to Sessions

After four months serving in an interim capacity, Sonoma County Vintners has officially named Jean Arnold Sessions as the new executive director of the 70-year-old organization. The organization made the announcement last Friday.

“I am very honored to accept this position and make this commitment,” said Sessions. She said that this fresh opportunity to help strengthen and advance Sonoma County’s wine growing and wine producing industry, and its vast community of wine business professionals, has been “a long-held dream.”

Previously, Sessions served for 11 years as president of Hanzell Vineyards. She is the founder of the Jean Arnold Group, a strategic consulting firm focusing on the luxury wine industry and, in 2005, established the Jean Arnold Group Foundation, a nonprofit devoted to raising funds and advancing awareness of women’s health issues. She serves on numerous local charity boards, and has been named Woman of the Year in Wine by the North Bay Business Journal.

She was named interim director of Sonoma County Vintners in February of this year.

“Jean has truly proven her dedication and commitment to Sonoma County and the Sonoma County Vintners,” said Caroline Shaw, president of the Sonoma County Vintners board of directors. “It is her extraordinary industry expertise, deep regional roots, and the respect and admiration of her peers across the county that makes her a terrific choice to lead our expanding mission.”

Sessions said that over the last several months, she’s been impressed by the many stories she’s heard from local growers and winemakers.

“These stories bring to life the challenges of working with such diversity of land,” she says, also acknowledging the region’s dedication to sustainable grape growing, and the local wine industry’s commitment to working together to support local agriculture.”

Sonoma County Vintners is a nonprofit established to promote the wines and wineries of Sonoma County. It currently has 250 members, ranging in size from family owned boutique wineries to large-volume operations.

Noting the continued growth of the industry, and worldwide popularity of Sonoma County wines, Sessions said, “This is an exciting time to be part of the Sonoma County Vintners.”