Sonoma County Vintners (SCV) and the Wine Business Institute (WBI) at Sonoma State University (SSU) have announced that Alexandra O’Gorman, vice president of community relations at Foley Family Wines & Spirits (FFWS) and an SSU WBI alumna, will be honored with the 2025 Wine Business Leadership Award during the Sonoma County Wine Celebration Live Auction on Saturday, September 20, at Cline Family Cellars in Sonoma. The annual award recognizes a wine industry professional who demonstrates great business leadership, vision, innovation, inspiration, and service to the Sonoma County community.
Proceeds from the event will benefit Sonoma County nonprofits through the Sonoma County Vintners Foundation (SCVF). A key focus for this year’s Fund-A-Need paddle raise will help fund the critically impactful K-3 Proficiency Project from the nonprofit K-3 Innovation, which has seen tremendous results in increasing literacy rates in Sonoma County schools. View the Sonoma County Wine Celebration schedule of events taking place September 18–20, purchase tickets, register for proxy bidding, or make a donation to this year’s Fund-A-Need paddle raise online at socowinecelebration.com.
“Sonoma County Vintners is honored to continue our partnership with The Wine Business Institute at Sonoma State University to present this prestigious award to Alexandra O’Gorman, an accomplished wine business professional,” says Prema Kerollis, president of Sonoma County Vintners and recipient of the 2023 inaugural Wine Business Leadership Award. “This recognition is a celebration of the passion, dedication, and commitment that shape the spirit of our wine community, and having worked alongside Alexandra to that end through the work of the SCV and the SCVF, I could not be more honored or proud to help announce this award.”
The SCV-WBI partnership in creating this award helps inspire emerging leaders in the wine business to follow in the footsteps of those making excellent business decisions in Sonoma County. “Alexandra O’Gorman is a rock star in the Sonoma County wine community. As an alumna of our wine MBA program, it’s been a source of tremendous pride to follow her wine business initiatives as she rapidly ascended from management roles to executive,” says WBI faculty director Damien Wilson.
To be eligible for the award, nominees may have been involved with cutting-edge marketing techniques, successful capital projects related to viticulture, working on policy measures related to the wine community, fostering sustainability, inspirational management, or promoting diversity and inclusivity. Nominees must be currently employed by an SCV member winery and be an alumnus of either SSU or WBI. The nomination and selection proceedings are managed by board members from both SCV and WBI.
In her role at Foley Family Wines & Spirits, Alexandra O’Gorman oversees community and industry engagement efforts across all regions where FFWS operates, including Sonoma County; Napa Valley; California’s Central Coast; Oregon’s Willamette Valley; and Minden, Nevada. She drives initiatives that strengthen FFWS’s connections with its local communities and the broader wine industry, focusing on social impact, sustainability, and fostering meaningful relationships. Her leadership ensures FFWS is not only a producer of exceptional wines & spirits but also a champion of environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and community collaboration.
With over two decades of wine industry experience, O’Gorma has held senior leadership positions at iconic Sonoma County wineries such as Ramey Wine Cellars, Hanna Winery, Francis Ford Coppola Winery, and Korbel Champagne Cellars. Since joining FFWS in 2021, she has leveraged her expertise and passion to build partnerships that align with FFWS’s values and long-term goals.
O’Gorman holds a BA and an MBA from WBI. A Massachusetts native, she grew up in Carmel, California, and has lived in Sonoma County since 2002 with her husband and two children. She currently serves as president of the Sonoma County Vintners Foundation.