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About The Napa Valley Destination Council
The mission of The Napa Valley Destination Council is to protect and enhance The Napa Valley's position as North America"s legendary wine, food and wellness capital by:
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Effectively communicating legendary Napa Valley destination experiences to domestic and international targeted media and Leisure and Small Group markets;
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Supporting the delivery of legendary guest services to our destination's guests;
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Supporting visitor management through encouraging "off peak” seasonal and Sunday through Thursday travel patterns.
The Council works with all Napa County guest-serving businesses and community stakeholders to encourage informed consensus and active support for initiatives that impact tourism.
More than 1,400 visitor-serving businesses in Napa County support the mission of The Napa Valley Destination Council, helping us to promote the unique and diverse character of The Napa Valley through media and public relations, consumer and travel trade marketing, internet marketing through the destination's official tourism website www.LegendaryNapaValley.com , and other programs designed to communicate the "Legendary” Napa Valley experience throughout the world.
The Napa Valley Destination Council is the only entity in Napa County that functions as a collaborative, regionally focused "umbrella” destination marketing and tourism management organization.
Our ultimate goal is to protect and enhance the position of The Napa Valley as North America"s legendary wine tourism destination through the execution of strategic marketing activities.
Who Are We?
The Napa Valley Destination Council is a non-profit organization incorporated July 16, 1990. The Council is governed by an 8-member Board of Directors representing all six Napa County municipalities and every facet of the local tourism industry in a spirit of true public-private partnership.
Napa Valley Destination Council Board of Directors Fiscal Year 2010:
MEMBER AFFILIATION TERM OFFICER
Charles Henning Culinary Institiute of America 2011 Chairperson
Jack Cakebread Cakebread Cellars 2009 Past Chairperson
Michael Chiarello NapaStyle/Chiarello 2011 Vice Chair
Family Vineyards
George Goeggel Auberge Du Soliel 2011 Finance Chair
Ann Marie Conover Meadowood Napa Valley 2009 Marketing Chair
Terry Hall Napa Valley Vintners Assn. 2011 Marketing Committee
Nancy Levenberg St. Helena Chamber of 2011 Board Member
Commerce
Michael Dellar Lark Creek Restaurant Group 2012 Board Member
Michael Mondavi Folio Fine Wine Partners 2012 Board Member
Michael Palmer The Meritage Resort 2012 Board Member
Brian Kelly Charter Oak Bank 2010 Ex-Officio
Cassandra Walker The City of Napa 2012 Ex-Officio
Larry Florin The County of Napa 2012 Ex-Officio
Rick Swig The Harvest Inn 2012 TBID Committee Chair
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Board of Directors
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Charles Henning
Managing Director at The Culinary Institute of America
c_hennin@culinary.edu
Phone: (707) 967-2310
Charles is a hospitality/hotel industry veteran who has been at The CIA since May of 2005. As Managing Director he is responsible for The West Coast Campus of the Culinary Institute of America, CIA Greystone, St Helena, CA. He began his career in Switzerland after graduating from the Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne and IMD (Institute for Management Development in Lausanne ). Prior to moving to the USA, he was Director of Consulting and Operations and Faculty Member for the Glion Hotel School in Glion Switzerland. He relocated to the United States in 1981 and has been General Manager or Vice President for individual Hotels and Resorts across the country and around the world working for such companies as Radisson Hotels, Swissotel in China and Hong Kong, The Boca Raton Resort and Club, The Walt Disney Company both in Paris and Orlando, the Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa in Sonoma and the Hotel Du Pont for the DuPont Corporation in Wilmington, Delaware.
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Jack Cakebread
Founder/CEO of Cakebread Cellars
jack@cakebreadcellars.com
Phone: (707) 963-5221
After becoming a partner in his father’s garage in 1948, Jack took up photography in 1950 and studied with Ansel Adams from 1957 to 1966. Photography led Jack indirectly into the wine business.
Jack came to The Napa Valley in 1973 to photograph what became the renowned coffee table book, The Treasury of American Wines. While there, he stopped off at a friend’s house for a bowl of soup at lunch and casually mentioned that if they ever wanted to sell their land to let him know. They called that afternoon and Jack and Dolores faced a tough decision with ongoing expenses, including two sons in graduate school and one in high school. They decided to use the advance from the book Jack was photographing as the down payment on the land. A deal was struck that very day on a single piece of paper and Cakebread Cellars was born.
Although Jack had become president of Cakebread’s Garage and was working full time, he and Dolores immediately began to develop the new property, planting and tending to the grapes on evenings and the weekends. Jack sold his first wine, a 1973 Chardonnay, to one store in Napa Valley. As their production of wine increased, Jack traveled throughout the U.S. and later around the world to meet with distributors, retailers, restaurateurs and consumers to share their love of Cakebread wine.
Jack studied at the University of California, Berkeley and completed the Stanford Executive Program at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business in 1983. He also served as president of the Napa Valley Vintners Association in 1990; as president and on the board of directors for the Wine Service Co-op from 1986-90; and on the board of directors for the American Agriculture Credit Bank from 1986-2000. He currently serves on the board of directors for the Wine Market Council and Wine Vision and as the president of Winegrowers of Napa County.
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Michael Chiarello
Proprietor/ NapaStyle & Chiarello Family Vineyards
josie.givogri@napastyle.com
Phone: (707) 251-5153
Born in 1962 and raised in the central California community of Turlock, Michael followed his childhood dream of becoming a world-class chef. He began apprenticing in restaurants at age 14 and graduated from The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, in 1982. He began his professional career in Miami by opening the acclaimed restaurant, Toby's. Flush with the success of his first restaurant, in 1986 he moved back to his roots in Napa Valley and opened the Tra Vigne (among the vines) Restaurant, where he acted as Executive Chef/partner for it and seven other restaurants until creating NapaStyle in 2000.
With NapaStyle, Michael has created a multi-channel lifestyle retailer inspired by his Southern Italian heritage, the Napa Valley style of life, and a passion for seasonal and sustainable living. The NapaStyle line is available online, by catalog and at select gourmet specialty shops around the country. In September 2006, Michael opened the first and flagship NapaStyle retail store in Berkeley, California's upscale and eclectic Fourth Street shopping district.
During his 20-year tenure as Executive Chef of Tra Vigne and seven other restaurants, Michael was twice named Chef of the Year: in 1985 by Food and Wine Magazine while at Toby's in Miami; and in 1995 by the Culinary Institute of America.
Michael Chiarello accepts Emmy Food Network's Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello, for which Michael co-produces, writes and stars, has won three daytime Emmy Awards, more than any other Food Network show. Michael's other television shows include NapaStyle on Fine Living, and the PBS television series, Michael Chiarello's Napa.
His latest cookbook, At Home with Michael Chiarello, follows Michael Chiarello's Casual Cooking, which won the 2002 IACP Award. Other books include Napa Stories, The Tra Vigne Cookbook, and Flavored Vinegars and Flavored Oils.
Michael is also the proprietor of a small family winery, Chiarello Family Vineyards, making highly rated estate wines from the historic 94-year old vineyards surrounding his home in St. Helena, California.
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George Goeggel
Owner/General Manager of Auberge Du Soleil
ggoeggel@aubergeresort.com
George A. Goeggel was educated in Europe, graduated from hotel school in Switzerland with subsequent hotel apprenticeship before spending his formative years working at luxury hotels in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and France. In 1982 Mr. Goeggel joined the Rosewood Hotel Group, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, holding various management positions at the Mansion on Turtle Creek, Hotel Bel-Air, The Remington, Hotel Hana-Maui, and The Hotel Crescent Court and Spa. In 1990, Mr. Goeggel became the Managing Partner of the Auberge du Soleil in Rutherford, California. He is serving as a Director and Principal of Auberge Resorts since its inception in 1997.
Mr Goeggel is also a member of the international board of Relais & Chateaux, based in Paris, France, and delegate representing the USA/West and Mexico.
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Ann Marie Conover
Director of Marketing and Communications at Meadowood Napa Valley
amconover@meadowood.com
Phone: (707) 967-1216
Prior to joining Meadowood in 1998, Ann Marie served as a publicist collaborating with vintners, restaurateurs, hoteliers and specialty food producers. For more than a decade, she worked closely with her clients to identify the areas of differentiation that made each of their stories special, compelling and newsworthy. Her understanding of the power and value of a strong image and identity became the foundation of her work for her clients and remains an integral part of her work for Meadowood.
Today, Ann Marie brings to the NVCVB board more than twenty years of experience in marketing, public relations and communications focused on the areas of food, wine, travel and hospitality, including website development, collateral design, special events, branding and strategic planning. She also oversees all charitable giving on behalf of Meadowood.
In 2005 in collaboration with the Napa Valley Vintners and the Culinary Institute of America, Ann Marie was influential in launching The Symposium for Professional Wine Writers at Meadowood Napa Valley. The annual program offers a forum for professional wine writes and draws the country’s editorial powerhouses to Napa Valley each year.
Ann Marie currently serves on the boards of directors for The St. Helena Performing Arts Theater Foundation, The Symposium for Professional Wine Writers, The Napa Valley Conference and Visitors Bureau, and the St. Helena Chamber of Commerce. She lives in St. Helena with her husband, a Napa Valley vintner, and two teenage daughters.
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Terry Hall
Napa Valley Vintners Assocation Communications Director
thall@napavintners.com
Phone: (707) 963-3388
Terry Hall is the communications director for the Napa Valley Vintners, the trade association representing more than 300 wineries. Hall is responsible for overseeing the public relations, communications and media relations strategy for the organization in its effort to promote and protect the Napa Valley Appellation.
Hall has a solid background in marketing, public relations, retail, hotel and food and beverage management. Prior to the NVV, he was a director for nearly nine years at Trefethen Vineyards in Napa, overseeing the public relations, marketing, hospitality and direct sales departments for the ultra-premium winery. Prior experience included twenty years of food and beverage and hotel management in the resort market in The Napa Valley, Alaska, Lake Tahoe, Squaw Valley, Maui, San Luis Obispo, and Yosemite National Park.
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Nancy Levenberg
St. Helena Chamber of Commerce Executive Director
nancy@st.helena.com
Phone: (707) 963-4456
Nancy joined the St. Helena Chamber of Commerce in her current position in April 2006. Known in the chamber world as the largest small town chamber in the western United States, the St. Helena Chamber enjoys a membership of just over 500 members in a city with a population of just less than 6,000. This reflects the fact that St. Helena is truly the “heart of the Napa Valley” and the center of Napa’s wine industry. Nancy joined the chamber after working in the valley for the previous fifteen years as a grant writer and fund raiser. Her previous employer was Aldea Children and Family Services where as Director of Development she built and maintained a successful fundraising effort on behalf of the largest professional agency providing mental health and child welfare services in Napa and Solano Counties.
In her previous career Nancy trained and worked as an academic specializing in contemporary Chinese politics. She acquired her education and language skills through her education in Berkeley, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. During this phase of her professional life she studied and worked at the University of California-Berkeley where she pursued her graduate degrees. She also worked at Yale University for the Yale-China program and at Columbia University in New York. In her professional career, she has administered study abroad programs, organized and run international scholar exchange programs, led Smithsonian-type educational tours to the People’s Republic of China, worked at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and acted as the simultaneous translator for university-to-university exchange agreements. She led one of the first American tour groups to visit Tibet in the early 1980’s.
Nancy represents five Napa County chambers on the Napa Valley Destination Council Board. She has lived in the valley for twenty years where she raised her two children.
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Michael Mondavi
Folio Fine Wine Partners
mmondavi@foliowine.com
Phone: (707) 256-2700
Michael Mondavi started Folio with his wife, Isabel; son, Rob; and daughter, Dina in 2004 as an importer, agency and winegrower of quality wines from the world's premiere and emerging wine regions. Folio also provides sales, marketing and public relations services to wine brands from California, Italy, Spain and Austria.
Michael co-founded the Robert Mondavi Winery with his late father, Robert Mondavi, in 1966. He started his career as Vice President of Production at age 23 and was responsible for winemaking until 1974. From 1969 to 1978, Michael served as Vice President of Sales; in 1990, he was named Managing Director and CEO of the Company. Michael was appointed President and CEO following the Company’s public offering in 1994. He was Chairman from 2001 to 2004.
Michael is actively involved in industry affairs and is committed to numerous civic activities. He is a member of the California State Chamber of Commerce Board and is past Chairman and CEO of the Wine Market Council, past President of the Napa Valley Vintners Association, past Chairman of Wine Institute and past Chairman of Winegrowers of California and previous Board Member of the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, LA.
In 1998, Michael was named “Industry Executive of the Year” by The Market Watch Leaders, a group of top industry executives. In 1997, Michael received the “Who’s Who in Food and Wine” award by the James Beard Foundation and, in 1995, he was awarded the “World of Food and Wine” Lifetime Achievement Award.
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Brian Kelly
President/CEO of Charter Oak Bank
bkelly@charteroakbank.com
Phone: (707) 265-2001
Brian Kelly has been a banker in the San Francisco
Bay area since 1970, with over 25 years' experience in The Napa Valley. In 2004, Brian organized and founded Charter Oak Bank, whose primary focus is banking businesses and professionals in The Napa Valley. Brian is currently President and CEO of Charter Oak Bank. Prior to founding Charter Oak Bank, Brian was CEO of Napa National Bank, and also managed Bank of America’s Wine Industry Group here.
As for his involvement in our community, Brian is currently Past Chair of The Napa Valley Conference and Visitors Bureau, as well as Past Chair of Aldea, Inc. He is the Public Commissioner of LAFCO, a board member of the NV Vintner’s Community Health Center, a member of the Napa Sunrise Rotary Club and the Napa Chamber of Commence (both of which he is a past president). Over the last 25 years, Brian has been involved with over 30 community non-profit boards, and has chaired over half of those.
Scholastically, Brian graduated with a B.S. in Management from California State University at Hayward, and received his MBA in Finance from U.C. Berkeley. In 2000, he took a one year educational sabbatical to complete Executive Programs at both UC Davis, and the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley.
Brian lives in Napa and is married to Maggie, a middle school teacher. They have three grown daughters.
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Cassandra Walker
The City of Napa
Cwalker@CityofNapa.org
Phone: (707) 257-9502
Cassandra Walker has over 25 years of experience in the economic development, historic preservation and redevelopment field. For the past thirteen years she has been the Director of the City of Napa's Economic Development Department. The Department is responsible for overseeing all new commercial development, business retention and liaison activities, and public outreach for the City. The Department manages the Redevelopment Agency responsible for downtown and Soscol Corridor revitalization through public and private joint ventures and targeted capital improvement projects.
Ms. Walker is a graduate of the University of California, Irvine with a B.A. in Social Ecology, and Boston University where she earned a Masters Degree in Historic Preservation.
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Rick Swig
The Harvest Inn
rickswig@rsbaswig.com
Phone: (707) 963-9463
Rick Swig operates RSBA & Associates, which was founded in 1986. Since that time, Mr. Swig has provided advisory services to both major hotel management and operating companies, as well as owners of individual hotels and portfolios. Along with his asset management and consultancy work associated with RSBA & Associates, he has also been an investor in hotels since 1989, including currently the Harvest Inn in St. Helena, California. His past background also includes a career with Fairmont Hotels, where he rose to be the Vice-President and Managing Director of the Fairmont Hotel Management Company.
RSBA & Associates is a consultancy firm for the hospitality industry. Primary activities include asset management, hotel operations reviews, asset strategy development, and acquisition due diligence. Clients include individual and institutional asset owners, as well as hotel operating and management companies. Engagements have included work on hotels with both urban and resort locations with business and/or leisure services.
Rick Swig is past President of the Hospitality Asset Managers Association (HAMA) and a member of the International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC) of which he is past Chairman. He is currently on the Board of Directors of Destination Napa Valley, which serves as that area’s convention and visitors bureau. He was the 2005-2006 Chairman of the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau Board of Directors, and in 2008 was Chairperson of the Tourism Improvement District committee, which created new legislation for tourism and convention center funding in San Francisco. Currently, he is a Commissioner and Vice-President of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency Commission. He has served on advisory committees for the University of San Francisco Hospitality Management Program, The Collins School of Hospitality Management at California State Polytechnic University Pomona, and City College of San Francisco plus as a member of the Board of Trustees at Occidental College in Los Angeles, California. He is a graduate of Stanford University.
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Founders'
Circle
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