
Tom Danowski – President & CEO
Primary Responsibilities
- Annual business plan development & execution, including staff management
- Partner with OWB Directors, regional associations, industry members and academic institutions
- Champion Oregon’s wine industry, and its positive impact, to global media as well as to policy influencers
- Alliance Partner Management (WA St. Wine Comm., CA Wine Institute, Dep’t. of Ag., Travel Oregon etc.)
- Long-range forecasting and org. capabilities assessments
Bio
Tom is a proven general manager and operating executive with exceptional experience from iconic global companies including Coca-Cola, Starbucks and the Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery. He has been in his role with the Oregon Wine Board since 2011. Tom has successfully served as a chief marketing officer and as COO with P & L responsibility for divisions of publicly-traded and private-equity owned companies. His background enables him to build out and lead teams that quickly connect marketplace insights to strategic imperatives and deliver business results.
Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Tom graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Oregon and has also completed executive education programs at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.

Marie Chambers – VP Operations and Finance
Primary Responsibilities
- Oversee International Marketing, Industry Education, Trade Education and Trade Relations activities and events
- Accounting and Financial Reporting
- State Government Reporting
- Human Resources
- Research Grant Administration
- International Grant Administration
Bio
Marie joined the Oregon Wine Board in December 2013. Marie brings a breadth and depth of experience in finance and business planning from her previous position at Kiewit Infrastructure West, Co., one of North America’s largest construction, mining and engineering organizations. Marie grew up in Medford, Oregon and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Saint Mary’s College of California.

David DeWitt – Manager of Trade Relations
Primary Responsibilities
- Oregon Wine Resource Studio (trade.oregonwine.org)
- Oregon Wine Month trade program development and management
- Global Master Class coordination incl. trade recruitment, logistics, and assessment
- Regional Marketing Association Partnerships
Bio
David joined the Oregon Wine Board in 2021. For nearly two decades his wine experience has been in retail, distribution, and working for the Pacific Northwest’s largest supplier. His roles have been in sales, management, and marketing. With a proven track record in multi-channel trade and business development for both international and domestic wineries, he has a robust understanding of the industry. Serving the wine industry has allowed him to travel to many of the world’s premier winegrowing regions.
David, a Michigan native, graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Business Administration and Environmental Studies. While attending college David fell in love with Oregon wine. When he is not working you may find him skiing on a mountain, foraging in the forest, or spending time with his family and friends.

Neil Ferguson – Manager of Insights & Industry Relations
Primary Responsibilities
- Manage the industry & market research initiatives
- Draft grant applications as well as periodic progress reports
- Administer and facilitate the Oregon Wine Board’s scientific research program
- Design and deliver industry communication
- Maintain the industry website
Bio
Neil joined the Oregon Wine Board in 2021. He brings a unique range of experience in communications, marketing, and journalism to the table. Most recently, Neil has worked in the world of agriculture and commodity promotion. It was here that he discovered his passion for telling the stories of farmers and producers through creative and results-driven initiatives. Neil’s diverse skill set, flexibility, and open-minded approach make him well-suited to communicate and serve a constantly evolving industry.
Neil earned a B.A. in English and Communications from the University of Texas at Austin, where he lived for ten years before moving to the Pacific Northwest. Based in Portland, Neil enjoys exploring the beautiful state on his bicycle, seeing live music, visiting wineries, and discovering new culinary experiences.

Stacey Kohler – Executive Assistant
Primary Responsibilities
- Board liaison
- Manage Board meetings
- Co-manage Workflow for the Executive Director
- Office Administration
Bio
Stacey joined the OWB in October 2017. Her experience working as an Executive Assistant includes both the public and private sectors.
Stacey is a native Oregonian and graduated from Portland State University with a B.S. in Psychology. She lives in West Linn with her husband and four boys.

Sarah (Sally) Murdoch – Communications Director
Primary Responsibilities
- Liaison between the state’s 800+ wineries and local and national wine, travel and lifestyle media
- Statewide host for wine writers in Oregon and visiting Oregon
- Head of the Information Sharing Task Force (ISTF)
Bio
A career-long devotee to media relations and writing, Sally joined the Oregon Wine Board in July 2017 to form the connective tissue between the region’s wine producers and media members, and to in turn help extol the virtues of Oregon’s outstanding wineries and vineyards
Sally spent the first half of her 20-year career managing PR efforts for iconic sports brands adidas, Taylor Made Golf, DC Shoes and Nike. She then dove into a decade of PR for Pacific Northwest beverage brands, finding their marketing to operate at a similar breakneck pace. Working with journalists, TV producers and distributors, Sally dialed up brands’ heightened sense of place by telling the stories of craft beer pioneers and innovators, while helping them position their Northwest craft brands for broader exposure. She worked for Widmer Brothers Brewing, Goose Island Brewing, Kona Brewing Company and Coronado Brewing. Recently, she delved into dairy by helping launch a Sunshine Dairy and Moonstruck Chocolate drinking chocolate collaboration.
Sally’s emphasis on regional rock stars and mining the gems of what makes the Pacific Northwest a perfect storm for premium beverage production makes her savvy on what piques global interest in them. An Oregon Duck and native Portlander, Sally is an avid tennis player and competes on numerous teams. She lives with her 10 year old daughter, an aspiring comedienne.

Bree Stock MW – Education Director
Primary Responsibilities
- Oregon Wine Symposium
- Oregon Wine Profit Planner
- Northwest Wine Certification & Trade masterclasses
- Industry workshops
Bio
Bree, a Master of Wine specializing in wine education development, joined the Oregon Wine Board in April 2017. Bree is Australian-born with over two decades of international experience in the wine industry in Canada, the US and Australia. Her wine career began in Canada with sommelier and buying roles in Vancouver and Nova Scotia. In Australia, she has held key account sales and brand management positions with Australia’s family owned DeBortoli Wines and was director of sales and buying with The Spanish Acquisition, a premium Spanish and Portuguese wine importer.
An independent wine industry management consultant since 2008 specializing in education program development and sensory training and certified WSET educator since 2008 and Master of Wine since 2016, she lectures across all levels of the WSET certification and produces wine education programs for both trade organizations and consumers in Canada, the US and Australia. Extensive travels and wine judging through the wine regions of the Mediterranean, Central and Eastern Europe, the US, South Africa, and Australia have informed her market presentations and writings for wine publications Alquimie, Hardie Grant and Gourmet Traveler Wine, as have consulting vintage positions in Australia, Austria, Georgia, Portugal and Oregon.