Skylar Stuck is a proven expert in winery management, brand development and distribution strategy. A 33-year veteran in the industry, he is currently the Director of Sales and Operations at Hearst Ranch Winery. Before joining Hearst Ranch Winery last year, Stuck had senior management positions with Bonny Doone Vineyard, Halter Ranch Winery, and Hope Family Wines. Prior to moving to the Central Coast, he was an on-premise sales rep in New York City for The Winebow Group.
Born in Portland, Oregon, Skylar has lived in numerous places the past three decades including France, Italy, Washington, D.C., Dallas and New York City. He holds an MA in International Relations from The Johns Hopkins University, Nitze School of Advanced International Studies. Following a career as an economist, Skylar traded his vocation for his avocation and launched his career in the wine industry.
An active member the community, Skylar is on the Executive Board of the Foundation for the Performing Arts Center in San Luis Obispo, where he manages the Winery Partner Program, a committee member of the Trade Committee for the PRWCA, and is a former Executive Board member of Must! Charities in Templeton.
An accomplished communications and marketing specialist and true people person, Joel Peterson has spent 20 years marketing wine and beer, and currently serves as the executive director of the PRWCA. The organization, made up of 200 wineries and 500 total businesses, leads marketing, outreach, and education efforts that promote and protect Paso Robles Wine Country.
After earning a degree from the University of Arizona, Peterson spent eight years in Hollywood working in film production. He joined the Paso wine community full time in 2003, working for several wineries including L’Aventure, JUSTIN, and Hope Family Wines. In 2013, Peterson joined Solterra Strategies, a wine-focused marketing and public relations agency, and later spent two years leading the marketing team at Firestone Walker Brewing Company. He joined the PRWCA in 2019. Peterson and his wife Dagny live in Paso Robles. He is active in the community and serves on the Paso Robles School Board.
As the CEO of the Santa Barbara Vintners, Alison Laslett works to promote and protect the Santa Barbara Wine Region. The region boasts over a hundred wineries, more than 350 labels, and 70+ varieties of wine. Since joining the organization in 2017, the region has doubled its retail sales, won the Wine Enthusiast Wine Start Award for Region of the in 2021, and Alison was named one of the Top Women in Business by the Pacific Coast Times, also in 2021.
Alison advocates for the region both locally and state-wide, working with tourism and lobbying partners to advance the reputation and rights of the industry. New to wine when she joined the Vintners, Alison previously spent time in both established nonprofits and start-ups, working with significant funders, including Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation.
Now, she enjoys her new-found knowledge of wine, working with colleagues across the state to continue to help the region thrive.
