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Membership and Programs Manager
Marie is the Washington Wine Institute's newest staff member fulfilling the Membership and Programs Manager role. Marie moved to the Yakima Valley less than six years ago with her now husband, Luke, and no idea what she would be doing with her time. Upon exploration of the area, she has fallen in love with the wine country of the valley and beyond. She has previously worked as a digital media producer with KIMA tv and the Director of Communication with the Yakima Association of Realtors® (YAR) where she helped new Realtor® members become accustomed to membership benefits, resources, and the onboarding process. She enjoys hearing ideas and new perspectives from others, and found that some of the most effective ideas implemented during her time at YAR came from members themselves. She feels very fortunate to have the opportunity to advocate for workers in such an impactful and multifaceted industry that is the Washington wine industry. Marie is a proud Midwesterner originally from St. Louis, MO, and a graduate of Missouri State University, but considers Washington her new home. She enjoys spending time with Luke and her dog Wookiee, knitting, and of course, trying a new wine.
Executive Director
Josh McDonald is the Washington Wine Institute’s Executive Director and brings to the job 12 years of Government Affairs work at our state capitol in Olympia. In his previous role with the Washington Restaurant Association (WRA), he built their local government program from the ground up, providing restaurants with a voice and influence within city hall and their city and state agencies. He also carried several issues for WRA in Olympia, including tourism, food safety, immigration, the environment, and business taxes and regulations. Josh also has 6 years of campaign experience, running successful campaigns for city, state, and congressional candidates. He is a graduate of the University of Puget Sound and lives in Tacoma with his wife Chelsea Levy and his two boys Liam and Eli.
Association & Operations Manager
CT joined the Washington Wine Institute in April 2016. Prior to taking an eleven year hiatus to stay home with her family, she worked for Intel Corporation as a Materials Program Manager. Her computer and organizational experience at Intel, along with her love of Washington wine made her the perfect candidate to manage the day to day operations for the institute. Originally from the Midwest, CT is a graduate of Purdue University and lives in Olympia with her husband, Mike and their dog, Macie. CT has three children. Her oldest graduated from Gonzaga University and is currently completing their PhD in BioMedical Engineering at the University of Rochester. Her middle child, also a Gonzaga graduate, is working as a medical assistant in Bellevue WA and applying to med schools. CT's youngest attends Purdue University majoring in Aeronautical Engineering. CT enjoys traveling with her family to sunny destinations throughout the country and of course, visiting WA state wineries!