Speakers 2021

Jeff Bitter is a life-long resident of California. Born into a family vineyard operation, Jeff has always had a passion for agriculture and specifically grape growing. Jeff is the President of Allied Grape Growers (AGG), a 400+ member statewide grape growers cooperative marketing association. AGG markets nearly $100,000,000 worth of grapes annually to wineries, shippers, packers and dehydrators. In addition to managing AGG, Jeff is a fourth-generation grape grower on land he and his wife own and operate.

Chris Carpenter is winemaker for many of Napa Valley’s most prestigious wineries, including Cardinale, Lokoya, La Jota Vineyard Co., Mt. Brave, Caladan, and Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard in South Australia’s McLaren Vale. Over the past two decades, Chris has earned a reputation for taming Napa Valley’s mountain tannins and creating legendary Cabernet Sauvignon. He works closely with the vineyard team to nurture and then manifest the unique character of each vineyard block in elegant wines with great depth, mountain character and historic pedigree.

Mimi grew up on her family’s vineyard, Bethel Heights. Growing up working in the vineyard and winery, Mimi gained such an appreciation for the industry that she promptly left home after high school. Armed with a BA in History and Classics from Tulane University, Mimi spent the next year working in various National Forests across the west. Her adventures fueled her passion for studying botany, forestry, and ecology.

Kassidy Clark is the Director of Marketing for ONX Wines in Paso Robles, CA. While attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, she begun working as a tasting room associate for a few different wineries and fell in love with wine and the process of winemaking. She then went to intern for a well-recognized Central Coast marketing firm, where she learned her skill of marketing and communicating for wineries. She saw the opportunity for growth ONX Wines had and became passionate about being a part of that growth.

Although she was born and raised in Sonoma County, Shannon did not grow up in agricultural. It was not until her fourth year at UC Davis, while studying Genetics that she took the Introduction to Winemaking course, and discovered her passion for the wine industry, specifically the vineyards. A light went on, and she realized that rather than working inside for the rest of her life, she could still learn and apply her love of science, but work outdoors, and more importantly, have a career that allowed her to move back to her hometown.

Vinny Eng is a community organizer and founding member of SF New Deal – a rapid relief nonprofit formed in response to COVID-19. The organization provides financial support for local small businesses who provide meals to San Francisco residents facing food insecurity. To date, SF New Deal efforts have delivered over 1.2 million meals and disbursed over $12 million. He is an award winning wine director and general manager and was named a Food and Wine Magazine Sommelier of the Year in 2019.