North Bay professionals news from Lambert Bridge Winery, Helen Turley, OLE Health, Union Bank and more
The North Bay Business Journal is looking for news of promotions, new hires and awards for possible publication in the People section. Email your press releases to people@busjrnl.com.
Katie Fay has been promoted to director of marketing and hospitality for Lambert Bridge Winery in Healdsburg, while Nicole Penney is the new hospitality manager.
Fay began working for Lambert Bridge as the retail sales and hospitality manager in March 2018. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in wine business strategies from Sonoma State University. She previously worked at Kosta Browne Winery as a marketing intern and later at other wineries in Napa and Sonoma counties, including Chateau Montelena in Calistoga and Three Sticks Wines in Sonoma.
Penney began her hospitality career working at Mayacama Golf Club for eight years, and has also managed the hospitality programs both at Chalk Hill Winery in Healdsburg and, most recently, Wren Hop Vineyards in Windsor.
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Sonoma County vintner Helen Turley is part of the latest class of inductees into the California Hall of Fame. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office announced the 10 new inductees on Nov. 13.
A graduate of Cornell University, Turley gained recognition working with well-known local producers such as Peter Michael, Bryant and Colgin. She was one of the few female winemakers in the region at the time.
With her husband, John Wetlaufer, the couple founded Marcassin Vineyard along the Sonoma Coast in the early 1990s and developed the planting of pinot noir and chardonnay grapes in the area, which are now recognized as the flagship varietals for the wine region.
Their Marcassin label has gained plaudits from wine critics through the years, with Robert Parker once writing: “In the autumn years of my career I have come to think this (Marcassin) may be the greatest chardonnay in the world.”
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Teresa L. Shinder, D.O., FAAP, has been selected as chief medical officer for OLE Health in Napa.
Shinder is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego, where she obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in animal physiology and neuroscience. She pursued her medical degree at Touro University and completed her postdoctoral training in pediatrics at the University of Hawaii.
OLE Health provides medical and other services such as optometry, dental and behavioral health, to about 37,000 patients at seven locations throughout the Napa Valley and Solano County.
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Sandy Walia has been named as regional president for Northern California and the Pacific Northwest branch banking division of MUGF Union Bank.
The bank stated that Walia will oversee a network of 111 branches and nearly 600 employees in the region. In addition, she will continue to serve as managing director and head of client services for PurePoint Financial, which is a division of MUFG Union Bank.
Walia, who joined PurePoint Financial in August 2018, has more than 20 years of experience in the consumer banking industry, Union Bank’s announcement stated. Prior to PurePoint, she served as consumer banking market manager for Bank of America, where she led multiple financial center locations. Her previous experience also includes serving as senior vice president and area president at Wells Fargo.
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Virginia Mahacek has joined environmental consultants WRA Inc. in San Rafael as a senior geomorphologist to help study land forms and their processes.
Before joining WRA, Mahacek most recently worked with the Sonoma County Office of Recovery and Resiliency as the natural resources and watershed coordinator and co-lead for the local watershed task force, in conjunction with the cities of Santa Rosa and Sonoma.
The North Bay Business Journal is looking for news of promotions, new hires and awards for possible publication in the People section. Email your press releases to people@busjrnl.com.