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Is the wine director and founder of San Francisco’s Italian restaurant A16 since 2004.  A16 also has locations in Oakland, SF Ferry Building and Tokyo and Yokohama in Japan.  She has received the James Beard Award for Outstanding Wine Program; has received the 2023 Slow Wine Fair International Award for Best Selection of Good, Clean, and Fair Italian Wine; and has been knighted by the Italian government, receiving the prestigious “Cavaliere dell’Ordine Della Stella Italia” (Dott.ssa) distinction for her professional dedication to Italian wine. Available on preorder currently, Shelley’s third book Italian Wine – The history, regions and grapes of an iconic wine country will be available August 2023.

Shelley started a wine label called Tansy Wines in 2021 with Kitty Oestlien – inspired by Italian varietals of Northern California but also Pinot Noir and an upcoming Cabernet Sauvignon all from organically grown, single vineyards.  She served on the board of La Cocina, the Guild of Sommeliers, and Slide Ranch and is a member of Les Dames d’ Escoffier.

NASA engineer José M. Hernández wanted to fly in space ever since he heard that the first Hispanic-American had been chosen to travel into space.  “I was hoeing a row of sugar beets in a field near Stockton, Calif., and I heard on my transistor radio that Franklin Chang-Diaz had been selected for the Astronaut Corps,” says Hernandez, who was a senior in high school at the time. That hard work paid off when was selected to begin training as a mission specialist as part of the 2004 astronaut candidate class.

Hernández was selected as part of the 19th class of astronauts in 2004.  In 2006, José completed Astronaut Candidate Training and in 2009, he was a mission specialist on the STS-128 mission on board the Space Shuttle, Discovery.

Since leaving NASA, he served as the Executive Director of Strategic Operations at MEI Technologies in Texas.  In 2012, he ran for the US House of Representatives in the 10th California Congressional District.

Hernández recently received the 2016 National Hispanic Hero Award presented by the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute. He is now the owner and vintner of Tierra Luna Winery.

Katie Finn drinks wine for a living. As a Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers and Certified Specialist of Wine, she has dedicated her career to wine education and sharing her passion with others. After 7 years in Napa, working with notable estates and winemakers, she returned to the desert with her husband and two children. In addition to hosting wine dinners around town, providing wine education to restaurant and hotel staff, Katie is also the owner of Desert Wine Shop on 111 in La Quinta. Recognized as one of Palm Springs Life Magazine’s 40 Under 40, she continually strives to connect with her community and loves sharing her latest wine discoveries!

Geoff Labitzke is the General Manager overseeing sales, marketing, and business operations at Hamel Family Wines. Geoff came to the winery with over 40 years of experience in the wine industry including stints at retail, wholesale and winery operations. Prior to coming to Hamel, Geoff was Director of Sales for Kistler Vineyards.

Geoff is truly dedicated to the world of wine. He serves on the advisory board for SommCon, a semiannual Wine conference held in Washington DC and San Diego. Geoff also served as Vice Echanson Des Jeunes Sommeliers. In 2020, Geoff was a founding board member of the United Sommeliers Foundation. The newly formed non-profit organization raised over $960,000 for over 1000 American sommeliers in dire financial need due to COVID-19. This Foundation will continue its philanthropic efforts with sommeliers in need going forward.