Denim & Diamonds:
Wednesday, October 15
Denim & Diamonds
A Toast to Women Winemakers
Raise a glass with us! Enjoy bold pours, rich conversation, and a shared mission that brings us all together.
Join us Wednesday, October 15 at 5:30pm for a fabulous evening including a wine tasting and discussion with our featured Women Winemakers, a buffet dinner, silent auction and other fun activities!
Featured Winemakers: Lisa Howard, Tolenas Winery & Chrissy Wittmann, The Prisoner Co. Learn more below.
Location: Willow Glen Banquet Hall, 444 W. Alma Ave, San Jose CA 95110
Timing: 5:30p Doors; 6:30p Wine tasting & Program; 7:45P Dinner
Attire: Denim & Diamonds!
Questions: Email Erin Badillo, Executive Director of Dress for Success San Francisco/San Jose
Thank you to AvalonBay Communities for returning as our Presenting Sponsor!
Sponsorships begin at $2500.
Ticket Levels:
Individual Sponsor: $1,000 (Fair Market Value: $250) - Includes name recognition on event materials, a gift bag, and preferred seating.
Patron: $500 (Fair Market Value: $200) - Includes a gift bag and preferred seating.
General Admission: $250 (Fair Market Value: $100)
Early Bird: $175 (Fair Market Value: $100) - Limited Early Bird tickets are available until Tuesday, September 2 or sold out.
Winemaker Panel
Thank you to our generous Wine Partners! On October 15, we will taste selections from The Prisoner Wine Co. and Tolenas Winery.
While we sip, our excellent panel will guide our tasting and discuss the joys and challenges of being women leaders in the wine industry.
According to research from Santa Clara University, only 14% of the 4200+ wineries in California, reported a woman as their lead winemaker as of 2020. This represents an increase from 2011, when the figure was only 10%, but is still a shockingly low percentage. (Lucia Albino Gilbert, Ph.D., and John Carl Gilbert, Ph.D., March 2022)
Gender Equity would be better for everyone - if we close the Gender Equity Gap, we could increase the GDP by $3.1 Trillion in the US . (Pipeline, “Equity for All Report” 2022 Edition). By investing in women leadership, more companies and industries can begin to bridge this gap - employees need to see women role models and those women leaders help their companies through uniquely important mentorship & a positive impact on workplace policies (Rockefeller Foundation).
So, join us at Denim & Diamonds to raise a glass or two to this great group of women leaders who are helping to lead this change in the wine industry!
Lisa Howard
Co-Owner & Winemaker, Tolenas Winery
Lisa Howard is a second-generation farmer and self-taught winemaker who, alongside her husband, Cliff Howard, founded Tolenas Winery in 2015. An agricultural engineer with a commitment to sustainable farming, Lisa has come into her own under the Tolenas Winery label.
Dedicated to her hometown, Lisa is also an advocate for the Suisun Valley’s burgeoning community of small, local businesses in the region.
Chrissy Wittmann
Head of Winemaking at The Prisoner Wine Company, The Prisoner Wine Company
Winemaking wasn’t on Chrissy’s radar at first. After growing up in the suburban sprawl of Burbank, California, Chrissy headed to the decidedly more outdoorsy California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. She started as a PE major but quickly changed her field of study to Ecology and Systematic Biology. At her first job, she analyzed soil and wastewater samples at a chemistry lab, which just happened to share quarters with a wine lab.
Thank You to Our Sponsors!
PRESENTING SPONSORS
AvalonBay Communities, Inc.
GOLD SPONSORS
Asha & Manish Chandra
SILVER SPONSORS
Tasting House Los Gatos
Westfield Valley Fair
WINE PARTNERS
Coming Soon!
MEDIA SPONSORS
Silicon Valley Magazine
About Dress for Success San Jose
Dress for Success San Francisco/San Jose is a leading nonprofit employment resource for unemployed and underemployed women. Since 2012, we have provided career clothing, coaching, core skills, and community — free of charge — to more than 5,000 women* throughout the San Jose and Santa Clara County.
Our programs build confidence and determination from the inside out, empowering women with the tools they need to succeed in work and life.
Our sister office serves the women of San Francisco.
*We use the term "women" in a gender expansive way, to include cis, trans, non-binary, gender non-conforming, gender queer, and any woman-identified person.
Dress for Success San Jose is here to support you!
All our programs are offered at no cost to the women we serve. We provide professional attire; job search support through one-on-one coaching, group classes, and multi-week programs; job retention programming, financial literacy, and digital literacy training. Click here to learn more.