Petaluma’s Ygrene names general counsel; Napa Valley’s Trefethen winery picks hospitality chief

John Apostle is the new general counsel for Petaluma-based energy project financing company Ygrene Energy Fund.

Apostle joins Ygrene after 30 years working in the financial services, investments, and insurance industry. Previously, he spent time in private practice in addition to working for SunTrust Bank, GE Capital, and Genworth Financial, developing a holistic view of business best practices.

“We are thrilled to have John as our General Counsel and confident that he will be an invaluable asset to our Executive Leadership Team and Board of Directors. John’s deep financial industry expertise will provide key insights as Ygrene enters an exciting time of market expansion and new product development. I look forward to working with John and welcome him to the Ygrene team,” said Jim Reinhart, CEO and president of Ygrene.

Apostle received his Bachelor of Arts degree and his J.D. from the University of Richmond in Virginia and completed the executive program at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.

Tiffany Kenny is the new director of consumer sales and hospitality for Trefethen Family Vineyards in the Napa Valley. She will oversee the winery’s direct to consumer sales as well as tasting room and on site hospitality.

“Tiffany’s extensive background in the local wine industry, including broad experience in DTC, marketing, and management made her a perfect match for our needs. We are impressed by her level of knowledge and education as well as her engagement in the Napa community,” Trefethen CEO Jon Ruel stated

Prior to joining Trefethen, Kenny served as an Integrated Wine Marketing Consultant for Ensemble Marketing Group, a leading direct-to-consumer marketing consultancy for the wine industry. She has also held positions as director of sales and marketing for Signorello Estate, director of consumer sales for Acumen Wines and director of consumer sales and marketing for Patz & Hall.

The company stated she is a graduate of Leadership Napa Valley, Class 27, and holds a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Business Management from the University of Phoenix.

Tina Morse
Tina Morse

Tina Morse has been hired at market data analytics manager for Santa Rosa-based Redwood Credit Union.

The company says in her post, Morse will “lead a team in developing predictive analytic models, market research, and campaign performance tracking and reporting to provide insight into business and market performance.”

Prior to joining RCU, Morse was with State Compensation Insurance Fund for seven years and at Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company for ten years

“We’re excited to have Tina leading our market data analytics team,” stated Bryan Haas, vice president of product and service innovation. “The qualitative and quantitative market analysis performed by her team feeds into the success of the credit union, which in turn improves the member experience and our ability to contribute to our communities.”

Morse has a Bachelor of Science degree in statistics from Sonoma State University and is a certified specialist in predictive modeling from the Casualty Actuarial Society.

Brian Morris
Brian Morris

Brian Morris has been selected to lead the Sonoma County Public Defender’s Office beginning in December. Morris has served as Marin County Assistant Public Defender since 2015, Sonoma County stated.

Morris served as a Marin County deputy public defender for approximately 15 years prior to his appointment as Marin County assistant public defender. He has also served as deputy public defender for Mendocino and Sonoma counties.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from the University of Vermont and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law.

Alex Joerger has joined Wine.com as senior director of merchandising and Bob Falvo as senior director of wholesale development, the San Francisco-based wine sales company stated.

Most recently, Joerger led all beverage merchandising at national specialty retailer, Cost Plus World Market. He also previously managed beverage alcohol merchandising and operations at A&P and Best Cellars retail stores, the announcement stated.

Falvo joins Wine.com from Trinity Beverage Group where he was executive vice president of Sales of Imports. Prior to Trinity, Falvo served as senior vice president of sales at LCF Wines and vice president of sales at W.J. Deutsch.

“Alex Joerger and Bob Falvo’s leadership will strengthen our incredible team of experienced wine and spirits merchants as we continue to grow,” said Michael Osborn, Wine.com Founder and Executive Vice President. “This team of industry experts align us with our worldwide producers and local wholesalers and enable Wine.com’s incredible assortment, which provides lifelong wine discovery and enjoyment to our customers.”

The company also announced Chimo Boehm (20 years at Wine.com) and Wendy Stanford (16 years), are joined by Tim Marson (5 years) and newly hired Philippe Newlin, as directors on the merchandising team. Boehm is now responsible for the domestic wine category; Stanford for the imported wine category and Marson for spirits and French wine. Newlin will oversee directly imported Bordeaux and private cellar acquisitions.

Marin Agricultural Land Trust, a nonprofit organization created in 1980 to permanently preserve Marin County farmland, has announced the addition of four new board members.

Caitlin Landesberg is previously founder and served as CEO of Sufferfest Beer Company and currently co-founder and angel investor at This Is Water, a fund focused on mission-driven consumer brands.

Molly Myerson is a farmer and owner of Little Wing Farm, who leases three acres on MALT-protected Black Mountain Ranch in Point Reyes Station to farm vegetables and flowers.

Iris Shim currently a product leader at tech startup Collective, who has spent the last decade on the application of technology to improve agricultural organizations and supply chains.

Vivien Straus is the daughter of MALT co-founder Ellen Straus and co-owner and manager of Straus Home Ranch, her family’s 166-acre homestead in Marshall.

Assuming the position of board chair is Robert McGee, president of Straus Family Creamery and a long-time executive for various food, retail and manufacturing companies.

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