Amy Fuerstenau - Executive Director

Amy grew up in the Midwest and has spent her career working on both coasts with and for nonprofit organizations, advocacy groups, philanthropic funders, and policy makers to drive change around some of our most pressing social issues (climate change, democracy reform, and inequality).  She worked in Congress for a decade, including as Policy Advisor for the first woman U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, overseeing and supporting the House’s energy and climate agenda. Amy’s wine journey and commitment for achieving parity for women was born here, sparked by those early years working second jobs in hospitality to pay the bills and stoking her passion to fight for women’s rights to equal pay, access to affordable healthcare and more.

After leaving Capitol Hill, Amy spent the next twelve years in San Francisco working for the Energy Foundation, a grantmaking organization focused on combating climate change, where she eventually co-led their U.S. Programs, while also serving as the Executive Director of the mission-aligned Energy Action Fund. In 2020 she launched her own company, AC Strategies, where she provides consulting services to non-profit organizations and philanthropic funders on social issues.   

Amy’s credentials in wine include a WSET Level 2 certification and an apprenticeship under a female winemaker and Wine Director in Argentina’s Uco Valley. In her free time, she enjoys organizing and leading wine trips and events with colleagues and friends in the US and around the world.

Amy now splits her time between St Paul, Minnesota and Sonoma, California, with her dogs, Walter and Lani, and her partner.

Follow her on instagram at @women_crushingit

Katie Canfield - Program Lead, Marketing & Communications IAF

Born and raised in California, Katie started her career in the wine industry after working a grape harvest in Santiago, Chile while studying abroad. In 2009, after graduating from UC Santa Barbara with degrees in Spanish and Global Studies, she moved to Logroño, Spain for three years and then to Dijon, France, where she earned her MSc degree in Wine Business. Following her studies, she moved to the UK to join Manchester-based wine retailer Hangingditch Wine Merchants, also contributing articles regularly to leading trade publication Harpers Wine and Spirit. Since her move back to California in 2014, she’s worked in marketing and communications for international wineries at Wilson Daniels, Paul Hobbs Wines, and now as partner at O’Donnell Lane, driving communications and strategic planning. While she’s dedicated to the PR and marketing side, her passion for the wine world doesn’t stop there: she’s worked in vineyards and cellars in Chile, France, and Napa Valley and holds the WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wine and Spirits.

Follow her on Instagram at @kt_canfield and @odl_sips.

Anitha Gandhi - Program Lead, Sales & Distribution IAF

A theatrically-trained actress turned wine professional, Anitha works in NYC and is always looking for reasons to travel abroad to wine countries. As a top Sales Representative for David Bowler Wine, covering both Manhattan and Brooklyn, Anitha offers her insights and perspective as a mentor for anyone looking to start fresh in this industry, especially in sales, and to be candid about all of the challenges that await, from opening and managing accounts, to education and to managing your own bottom line. As an under-represented member of the wine community (South Asian women), Anitha wants to be a part of changing the landscape of our world of wine, reaching a broader audience - and one which looks more like her...and like you. Interests include helping lift up the voices of BIPOC folx, and not just the ones you see, but also the ones in the vineyards who support this entire industry, mostly in the background.

Follow her on Instagram at @happybellyhappylife.

Annette Alvarez-Peters - Program Lead, Retail IAF

Annette is the founder of annette a.p. Wine and Spirits Inc, a consultancy business focused on business development and merchandising for the wine and spirits industry. She previously held a 37 year career with Costco Wholesale, including 25 years in the Beverage Alcohol department retiring in January 2020 as Vice President/General Merchandise Manager. Annette has extensive managerial and merchandising experience in the wine and spirits business. She led a team in the United States with a global sales volume of approximately $4.8 billion (2019). During her tenure, Annette led the development for the successful private label brand, Kirkland Signature for wine and spirit items. In May 2021, Annette was appointed to the Board of Directors for Crimson Wine Group, a portfolio which engages in the production and sale of luxury wines. She is also on the advisory board and serves as a Mentor for Wine Unify, a non-profit organization to promote and celebrate diversity in the wine industry.

Follow her on Instagram at @annette.a.p. or connect with her on LinkedIn.

Terah Bajjalieh - Mentee Liaison Officer

A native Californian, Terah refined her unique style and found her love of wine by way of food and from her travels across the globe. She started her professional career in the hospitality industry studying at the International Culinary Institute in California. She then spent time working in wine bars, a Michelin-starred restaurant, wine education, and consulting in the Bay Area. Terah has studied in both Spain and France and has worked 13 harvests in wine regions across five countries, including France (Meursault), Australia (Barossa Valley), New Zealand (Marlborough), Argentina (Mendoza), and the U.S. (Sonoma, Napa Valley, and Willamette Valley). Terah holds a BS in finance from San Jose State University and a master's degree in enology and viticulture from SupAgro in Montepellier, France. She is a Level 2 Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master and holds the WSET Level 3 Award in Wine & Spirits. She currently is the head winemaker for Dorcich Family Vineyards and, in 2020, started her personal wine label and consulting company called Terah Wine Co.

Follow her on Instagram at @terahwineco and @terahwinecompany.

Rebecca Johnson - Rebecca has been in the event industry since 2003. Following a career as an elementary school teacher in Northern California, she began planning private events for wineries around Sonoma and Napa counties to great success. Since then, Rebecca has applied her talent and passion for wedding and event planning with Rebecca Johnson Design, producing exquisite high-end luxury weddings in wine country and San Francisco, as well as Palm Springs, Los Angeles, Carmel, and Lake Tahoe. Upon joining O’Donnell Lane in 2012 and becoming partner in 2018, she has broadened her focus, drawing on her strong relationships with the highest level and most sought-after vendors in the catering, floral, photography, and music industries to produce corporate and wine trade events. Whether it is an event for 25 wine writers or 2,000 trade and media personnel, Rebecca combines her attention to detail with excellent communication skills to create spectacular events tailored to each client request. 

Follow her on Instagram @rebeccajohnsondesign and @odl_sips.

Ella Winje - Born and raised in California, Ella received her B.S. in Molecular Environmental Biology at University of California, Berkeley. Wanting to pair her love for being active and outside with her biology background, Ella worked her first harvest in Livermore while finishing up her final year at Berkeley and realized that tasting wine for a living wasn’t a bad direction to go. Following her studies, Ella continued to pursue wine in the lab at Cakebread Cellars for a few years, before deciding she wanted to get back in touch with the cellar through a harvest abroad in McLaren Vale, South Australia. Since being back, she has worked in Calistoga and Healdsburg, increasing her love for VA’s and heat stability tests. Ella transitioned to Marketing and Events Coordinator at O’Donnell Lane in early 2020, with work ranging from event logistics, to planning and executing, to PR and marketing, and hasn’t looked back. If she isn’t at work, you can find her running through Petaluma or trying to ferment focaccia, cider, and wine in her garage.

Don’t try to find her on Instagram … she isn’t there.