(Wines&Vines) - “Simply stated, the job of the MCVGA is to help members sell more Monterey County wines—and grapes—and to support members in operating more effectively,” said Kim Stemler, new executive director of the Monterey County Vintners & Growers Association. 

Announced today, Stemler’s appointment to MCVGA, which serves some 85 wineries and grapegrowers, follows the departure of long-time director Rhonda Motil earlier this year. (Motil is now senior marketing director at San Jose’s 1.4 million-case J. Lohr Vineyards & Wine.) Central Coast marketing pro Stacie Jacob served as a consultant during the transition and search. Stemler will be onboard full time starting Aug. 14, but already she is getting to know the association’s membership and needs. 

Although she claims her favorite wines are from Monterey County, Stemler told Wines & Vines, “I don’t have a lot of wine knowledge.” She is, however, amply equipped with local knowledge and connections. After decades of management consulting and long-standing membership in the local Rotary Club, the Commission on the Status of Women named her an Outstanding Woman of Monterey County in 2011.