SEATTLE — Those who follow longtime wine marketing expert Kristina Kelley on LinkedIn may have noticed that she changed her profile image Monday evening from that of an unnamed vineyard to one reminiscent of the new Washington Wine Country license plate.
This morning, the reason became clear. The former E. & J. Gallo Winery executive was announced as the new leader of the Washington State Wine Commission. Her profile photo now carries the commission’s WA Wine brand and features Wallula Gap Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills.
“Washington is a tremendously exciting wine region, and now is a critical time to grow and evolve the industry,” Kelley said in a news release. “I look forward to working collaboratively with the staff, board, winegrowers, vintners and industry stakeholders to implement our next five-year strategic plan.”
According to the commission, its board voted unanimously to hire Kelley after a national search to find a new executive director. She replaces Seattle native Steve Warner, who spent a decade in the position on the heels of a career in international business that included working in Asia for pharmaceutical firm Merck. Kelley becomes the fifth executive director in the 36-year history of the Washington State Wine Commission and the second woman — grape grower/winemaker Robin Pollard was the first — to hold the post.
Washington Wine Commission chair Sadie Drury said, “We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Kristina to the team. She has decades of experience in nearly every facet of the wine industry, along with a proven track record of strong leadership, strategic thinking and great enthusiasm. We have every confidence that she will successfully lead Washington Wine into the future.”
Kelley worked as a consultant the past two years after moving to the Olympic Peninsula with her husband. Prior to that, she spent 25 years with Gallo, which is headquartered in Modesto, Calif., and has long been the largest and most influential wine company in the U.S. The late Allen Shoup, whose storied career included two decades leading what is now Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, was first recruited into the wine industry by Gallo in 1975.
The final eight years with Gallo for Kelley were as senior director of corporate public relations and media relations. That promotion came in 2013, a year after Gallo purchased Columbia Winery and Covey Run from Ascentia Wine Estates. The year after Kelley left Gallo, the company closed the historic Columbia Winery tasting room in Woodinville.
Certified sommelier Shelly Fitzgerald, who spent six years as the wine education specialist at Columbia Winery, applauded the hiring of Kelley.
“Kristina is amazingly energetic, and her breadth of wine industry knowledge is second to none,” Fitzgerald noted. “Her cultivated relationships, experience and leadership are truly valuable. Add to the mix her passion for Washington wine and the people who make up all facets of the industry. I’m honestly unable to hold back my excitement for what the future of Washington wine holds by selecting Kristina as the executive director of the Washington Wine Commission.”
Kelley left Gallo several months after the federal government approved Gallo’s massive $810 million deal with Constellations Brands that included Gallo’s acquisition of The Hogue Cellars in Prosser.
Prior to her promotion in 2013, Kelly spent more than a decade in leadership roles within Gallo’s Fine Wine group, where she spearheaded PR and marketing for domestic and international luxury wines. Gallo’s reach spans more than 90 countries.
In 1996, Kelley, a product of Virginia Commonwealth University, left a regional sales position with spirits/wine giant Brown-Forman to become the Seattle-area sales manager for Gallo. Not long after, she and her husband acquired a 40-acre vineyard in Oregon’s Dundee Hills. They sold it in 2017.
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