Heather became an Ambassador for the Auction of Washington Wines (AWW) in 2018, and joined the AWW Board of Directors in 2020. Heather and her husband are part-owners of Damsel Cellars, a boutique winery located in Woodinville. She holds a Wine Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Level 2.

Heather spent 25 years in business consulting as a Senior Executive with Accenture, helping clients design and implement strategies, operations, and programs. She also helped clients define their ESG programs, including accessibility, community engagement, and environmental sustainability. Within Accenture, Heather held various leadership roles in inclusion & diversity, women’s leadership, sustainability, corporate citizenship, and served as a liaison to various local nonprofits such as VertueLab, Year-up, and Puget Soundkeeper.

Heather is an avid supporter of the environment and is a certified climate leader with the Climate Reality Organization. Since 2019, Heather has served on the Board of Directors of VertueLab, a climate technology accelerator and impact fund that helps entrepreneurs launch innovative climate solutions into the market. Heather is also a founding board member for a 501(c)(3) that produces a private label wine benefiting PNW wild salmon restoration. In the community, Heather is a volunteer writer for the Issaquah Daily news and a member of National Charity League. She is also a certified etiquette trainer and is a member of the International Etiquette Trainer Society.

A graduate of the University of Southern California and a Gamma Phi Beta alumna, Heather resides in Issaquah, WA with her husband and four children. She enjoys wine and cheese, travel, cooking, writing, hiking, reading historical fiction and cookbooks, and loves connecting people and ideas.

Christina Watt has nearly 30 years of award-winning marketing communications, cultural transformation, and change management experience, and is a certified Executive Coach through the Coaches Training Institute (CTI).

Christina is currently Global Director for HR Communications at Microsoft, where she has launched numerous high-impact programs to reinforce the culture, manages communications and thought leadership for the Hybrid workplace, and runs global communications for the nearly 30,000 Microsoft Managers to land strategy and business imperatives. She is the former Director of Communications for the Seattle Children’s Research Institute, and past President of the Phil Smart Sr. Guild for Seattle Children’s. She has also served on the board of Seattle Works and the Pacific Northwest Ballet and is a family board member of the Cedarmere Foundation.

Christina is an alumni of the LEAD program from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and is currently obtaining a Masters Program in Organizational Development at Pepperdine University.

An experienced executive and entrepreneur in the nonprofit, healthcare, and wine industries, Teresa Spellman Gamble is a passionate community member and philanthropist.

After over 30 years as a leader at the University of Washington – primarily as an executive devoted to health care – in 2018, Teresa and her husband Tim founded Tinte Cellars, an award- winning Washington winery with estate vineyards and a social mission: Great Wine for the Greater Good. Teresa is responsible for leading the philanthropic endeavors of the winery, and directing the company’s marketing initiatives and public relations efforts.

Since its founding, Tinte Cellars has supported over 220 Washington charities, and donated over $1.6 million in cash and in-kind goods to area nonprofits. Under Teresa’s leadership, Tinte Cellars has received notoriety for its award-winning wines as well as its novel approach to philanthropy. The most recent awards include a Puget Sound Business Journal 2026 Corporate Citizenship Award; the Seattle Times 2025 Best in the Northwest – Gold Medal; and Teresa and Tim were named SIP Magazine’s 2024 Changemakers for their innovative efforts to reshape the Pacific Northwest beverage industry.

A fifth generation native of Seattle, Teresa grew up in a home dedicated to public service and she remains steadfast in her commitment to community support. Teresa is in her fourth term co-chairing the Mary’s Place “No Child Sleeps Outside” campaign. She is a Seattle Children’s Circle of Care Council & Corporate Leadership Council member, and a founding member of the Seattle Women in Business for Good/Grapevine.

Teresa holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Washington. When she’s not volunteering or engaged in Tinte Cellars’ mission work, Teresa can be found in her studio painting abstract acrylic art and showing her work in galleries in the Puget Sound and Southern California.

Doug has spent more than 30 years in public accounting, including 17 years at the Big Four firm Ernst & Young and 12 years as partner and board member at BDO. His guidance helps clients navigate complex tax matters to achieve their goals across a broad range of industries, including architecture, engineering, manufacturing, and technology. He has extensive experience in pass through entities, mergers and acquisitions, R&D credits, and accounting methods. He is passionate about working with entrepreneurs and business owners. Currently Doug is the managing partner of Armanino’s Bellevue office focusing on Family Office & Technology sector clients. Doug enjoys giving back to the community utilizing his professional talents. His passion for wine education and collecting wine creates a perfect synergy to guide the AWW Board through its financial journey. He has been actively involved with the AWW since moving to the area 12 years ago. While in California he was involved with several charities including the SOMM Foundation, & board member of the Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center.

Brandon Ackley is the founder and president of Ackley Brands, a family-owned private equity firm based in Seattle dedicated to championing the legacy wine and craft beer brands of the Pacific Northwest.

Having graduated from Washington State University and having personal philanthropic interests that center around helping the well-being of children, the Auction of Washington Wines aligns with more than just his organization’s purpose but also resonates with his family’s personal philosophies.

With deep roots in the Puget Sound region, Brandon leads with equal parts business savvy and love for local flavor. Under his leadership, Ackley Brands combines long-term stewardship with a refreshingly humble approach — because good wine and beer should be fun and so should running a company that makes them..

Yahn Bernier is a computer game programmer and executive for Valve corporation in Bellevue. He grew up near the beaches of Florida, and attended Harvard where he received a degree in Chemistry before attending the University of Florida where he received his law degree. After law school, Yahn worked as an attorney for a patent law firm in Atlanta. After writing one too many patents for polyester chemicals, Yahn and his wife Beth McCaw moved to Seattle in 1998 when Yahn retired from the practice of law to pursue his hobby of making video games. Soon after moving to Seattle, Yahn and Beth discovered an appreciation for the wines of the local area and the world. Yahn has built wine cellars in his last two homes and has sadly come to realize that you can never build too large of a wine cellar. His collection is currently focused on the wines of Washington, Oregon, Bordeaux and the Rhone region. Yahn and Beth currently reside in Bellevue with their daughter Cameron and their cat Ben.

Dick has been involved with many industry organizations, and currently serves on the Washington Wine Commission board, the Wine Research Advisory Committee, Auction of Washington Wines board, National Grape/Welch’s board and is past president of WA Wine Growers and Past Chairman of Wine Yakima Valley board. Dick is a graduate of U. of Puget Sound and is the recipient of several distinguished industry awards; the “Walter Clore Award” from the WA State Grape Society; “Grower of the Year” Eric Hanson memorial award from the WA Assoc. of Wine Grape Growers; “Honorary Grower Chair” for Auction of Washington Wines; “Industry Service Award” from the wine grape growers and the “2007 Grower of the Year” Wine & Spirits Magazine.

Marissa is the second-generation owner and Vintner of Dineen Vineyards, where she continues the legacy of passion that began with the vineyard’s first plantings over 20 years ago. A Washington native, she ventured abroad before returning home to lead the family business. Marissa is a University of Washington graduate and studied Viticulture and Enology at Washington State University—claiming, as she says, a win in every Apple Cup. Her curious spirit emerged early with a high school bike trip through Europe, followed by college studies in Germany. These experiences inspired her to live and work in Europe for 15 years, where frequent visits to Old-World wine regions, particularly in France, shaped her palate and deepened her understanding of winemaking traditions. It was also in Europe where she met her French husband and gave birth to the ultimate Franco-American JV and by far her most important accomplishment, her daughter Charlotte. Today, Marissa’s ethos is: “Agriculture connects us with the earth, wine connects us with one another.” For Marissa, food, wine, family, friendship and meaningful conversation are at the heart of life—and every day is worth celebrating. Marissa serves as the President of The Hills Winegrower Association (Rattlesnake Hills AVA) and is an active member of several organizations including the Seattle Art Museum Supporters, University of Washington Tyee, Cal (UC Berkeley) Supporters, and Kappa Kappa Gamma Alumni & Parents groups.

Ian is the founder and owner of Glass Distillery and has created an internationally acclaimed collection of vodkas based in Seattle since 2012.

His background includes business development experience in telecommunications and software for large corporate as well as start-up companies both domestic and international. He is a graduate from the University of South Carolina and Edinburgh University with a Bachelor of Science in Economics.

He continues to be a philanthropic leader and maintains a firm commitment to support the efforts of non-profits to provide vital services and research advancements in the areas of health & human services, the arts and education globally.

Past board experiences include Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Seattle International Film Festival, the Virginia Mason Foundation, Susan G Komen Foundation, Seattle Aquarium, Museum of Glass, and Pacific Science Center.

Barbara spent over 30 years as a Catholic school teacher, specializing in middle school Math and Science, and served one year as vice principal, focusing on discipline and mentoring new teachers. She also led Principal Search Committees, co-chaired accreditation efforts, and guided curriculum updates to align with state and national standards.

Her volunteer work has centered on Seattle Children’s Hospital. She’s held leadership roles in five hospital guilds focused on uncompensated care, autism, and pediatric cardiology. She led the design and distribution of Seattle Children’s calendars sold statewide. She served nine years on the Guild Association Board in roles including Treasurer, Membership Chair, Board Chair, and Research Institute Liaison, and seven years on the Research Institute Advisory Board before joining the Research Council.

She’s also contributed to the Government Affairs, Bioethics, and Neuroscience Committees, and currently serve as Vice Chair of the Children’s Circle of Care Council and on the Foundation Board.

Beyond healthcare, she has served on the board of Housing at the Crossroads, supporting transitional housing and counseling for homeless families.

She and her husband, Eric, have also been longtime supporters of the Auction of Washington Wines. Their involvement led them to the Viticulture and Enology Program at WSU, where they established a scholarship endowment. Through this connection, they’ve been privileged to meet many remarkable people in Washington’s wine industry.

A native Oregonian, Marty graduated from Oregon State in 1977 and started at a then upstart Microsoft in 1984. He led the Public Relations and Event Marketing teams for a decade, spending his last five years as Director of Marketing and Brand Strategy for a consumer and online product group.

As his work demanded more travel around the globe, his interest in wine and winemaking grew. Now, after almost three decades of collecting wine, he still finds great joy in the adventure of seeking out new vintners and wine styles from all over the world. In 2009, he was brought on as a crush intern at DeLille Cellars where he met Chris Peterson and together they laid the foundation for what is now Avennia.

Always inspired by new ideas and fresh thinking, Marty is an angel investor. He serves on numerous non-profit boards. When he’s not in the cellar, he’s an avid golfer, a world traveler, and a perfectly reliable drummer.

Trinh Vo Yetzer is a CEO/Managing Partner at User Research International (URI), where she guides the company’s strategic direction and growth initiatives, leads operations, and fosters a culture of innovation and excellence to ensure the company delivers high-quality, data-driven insights to global clients. With more than 25 years of experience in user experience (UX) research and product development, she has played a pivotal role in shaping intuitive, user-friendly products that enhance customer experiences worldwide. Prior to URI, she built a distinguished executive career at Microsoft, where she established herself as a UX thought leader and contributed to several high-profile products. Beyond her professional achievements, Trinh is passionate about advancing disability inclusion. She has served for six years on the board of Disability:IN Washington where, as Board President, she helped to expand partnerships and increase impact. Under her leadership, the organization has worked with businesses across sectors to build more accessible, equitable workplaces and foster inclusive economic growth. Additionally, she served as the First Vice President of the Young Men’s Service League, where she played a key role in establishing its inaugural charter in Kirkland. Trinh is honored to bring her leadership experience and community commitment to the Auction of Washington Wines Board and looks forward to supporting its mission of driving impact through philanthropy and collaboration. She is particularly inspired by the opportunity to combine her passion for community building with her love for Washington’s wine industry, while supporting vital efforts to make a lasting impact in healthcare and education across the State.

Beth McCaw is President & CEO of Bernier McCaw Foundation and is the founding funder of Threshold Philanthropy LLC. Beth previously served as President & CEO of Washington Women’s Foundation and was a shareholder in the Seattle-based estate planning group of the law firm Stokes Lawrence PS. In addition to serving as Board President of the Auction of Washington Wines, she currently serves on the Boards of Directors of YWCA USA and Bellevue LifeSpring. Beth has served on a number of other Boards, including YWCA of Seattle-King County-Snohomish County and Overlake Medical Center. She earned a Masters in Not-for-Profit Leadership from Seattle University, a J.D. from University of Georgia School of Law and a B.A. with honors from Davidson College..

Ted Baseler is Emeritus President & CEO of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, where he had been for over 30 years. Ted was the architect of the company’s expansion throughout WA, winery acquisitions in CA and OR, and the development of an imported wines portfolio including wineries from Italy, Spain, Chile, France and New Zealand. Throughout his career, Ted has been committed to community service holding board positions at Washington State Wine Commission, Wine Market Council (Napa-based), Auction of Washington Wines and Seattle Children’s. Ted has earned gubernatorial appointments to the WSU Board of Regents where he served since 2006. He led the campaign to build a world class enology and viticulture institution at WSU, raising $23 million in private and government support. Ted also founded Ste. Michelle’s scholarship program benefiting students in need, which has granted more than $3 million in scholarships in recent years.  

Prior to his career in real estate, Eric’s business expertise was honed over the course of 25+ years as a global product and branding executive with iconic brands including adidas, Starbucks and Nordstrom. His approach to real estate is based in authentic storytelling, world-class marketing and strong customer service. Eric combines his business experience with a passion for design and architecture. He works tirelessly for his clients, so they have peace of mind knowing that every detail will be looked after, and their best interests will always come first.

McKenzie is a third grade teacher and has been teaching in the Lake Washington school district for the past ten years. She grew up as an only child to wine-loving parents who brought her along on wine tasting trips from a young age. You might find her pouring at Callan Cellars where she works as a hobby job a few times a month.

Wendy’s fascination and adoration for wine came later in life when she made a friend with deep connections in the Woodinville winery scene. Through this friendship, her love of wine was born. When she’s not visiting wineries throughout the US, you can find her in the greater-Seattle area enjoying its vibrant food and wine scene and all the perks that city life has to offer. Wendy became an AWW Washington Wine Ambassador because she felt it was a perfect blend of her love for wine and giving back to the community. Being a wine ambassador gives her the opportunity to promote the WA wine region while simultaneously helping the non-profits that AWW supports.

Denica is a Seattle area native who recently retired from 27 years as the CFO of Long Painting Company. She has been a CPA for over 40 years with a specialization in the construction industry. Her passion is glassblowing and she now has time to devote to the many different aspects of this amazing art. Usually she can be found in the hot shop at Pratt Fine Arts two or three times a week. In addition, she loves to travel and is enjoying having the freedom to take off on an adventure at a moment’s notice. Last year she explored the Galapagos Islands and went on wine tasting tour of Northern Spain with a local winemaker.

Heidi is a corporate and business lawyer, practicing in Seattle since 1997. She’s been following Washington wine for over three decades and loves to show others outstanding wines. She became an AWW Washington Wine Ambassador to support the amazing Washington winemakers and growers that continue to raise the bar in Washington. Outside of wine, her passions are her two dogs, Dalla, an English Cream Golden Retriever, and Titan, a Belgian Sheepdog. She also enjoys cooking with friends and sailing.

John is a corporate finance professional, aspiring winemaker, father and husband. He grew up in Skagit Valley, Washington where he spent the summers during his teen years working in the local agricultural industry. John went to the University of Washington to study international business for his undergraduate degree and has an MBA from Seattle University. He chose Sammamish, WA as his place of residence where he lives with his wife of 25+ years and two teenage sons. John has worked in multiple finance roles at T-Mobile over the past 22 years and currently supports the T-Mobile for Business organization with insightful data analysis. John is a second generation Argentine-American and has spent extended periods living, working and studying in Argentina, Spain and Mexico. He loves traveling, meeting new people, speaking Spanish, watching soccer, and tasting interesting new wines.

Stewart and Sue have been collecting wines for over 20 years – mostly Washington wines, but also wines from all over the world that they have collected throughout their travels. Over the years, they’ve gotten to know Washington winemakers and enjoy spreading the word about local wines to friends and neighbors.

Being Washington Wine Ambassadors gives them the opportunity to enjoy local wine and support some of their favorite causes, such as the WSU Viticulture Program and Children’s Hospital Uncompensated Care Fund.

John and Lia McClellan moved to Woodinville 30 years ago from Los Angeles to raise a family and attend to their real estate investments. Lia likes to spend her time gardening and John like to drive fast cars; together, they enjoy travelling and eating good food. Their first experience with fine wine was when a sommelier recommended an excellent Leonetti at Daniel’s Broiler for a work celebration 20 years ago. Over the years, they have enjoyed getting to know winemakers and observing the camaraderie and creativity that is present throughout the industry, leading to their interest in becoming ambassadors.

Sanaz works as a VP in Dell’s Corporate Strategy. She studied Electrical Engineering at UW and currently studies Organizational Psychology. She loves to travel, experience different cuisines and wineries, go skiing, and paint.

Growing up on a commercial farm in Ellensburg, Washington, Molly naturally always had an interest in agriculture. As a student at Washington State University, a wine tasting class sparked her curiosity in the wine industry. She enjoys how each experience with wine teaches her about different varietals, blends, and characteristics of those wines. She appreciates how with each exposure to different parts of the wine world, there are new people to connect with, share life with, and learn from. Molly is a 5th grade teacher who enjoys skiing, watersports, and her golden retriever Fern.

She is excited for the opportunity to be an Auction of Washington Wine Ambassador and share her knowledge and enjoyment of wine. Molly notes, “I love the way wine brings people together, compliments food, and has a complex science behind its creation.”