TEMECULA, Calif., June 8, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- The Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association announced that Linda Kissam has stepped down as executive director of an organization she helped promote and expand over the past 8 years.
"She's made a decision to leave our organization for family and career considerations," said Ray Falkner, president of the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association. "We certainly regret that choice but appreciate all the hard work she has done and everything she has accomplished."
The association's executive board is actively searching for a replacement. But he said her shoes will be hard to fill.
During her tenure, Kissam doubled the size of the association's budget, helped guide the merger of separate growers and vintners groups into a single association, managed the growth of a wine region from about a dozen to more than 24 wineries, help lay the groundwork for the arrival of two-dozen more wineries, helped the region and its wines gain recognition and respect and worked with city, county, community groups, and other wine associations throughout the state.
In the words of friend, board member and former association president Joe Hart: "She's going to be very hard to replace."
He described her as professional, well organized, someone who's done an excellent job meeting board objectives and brought stability to a position that has a high turnover rate.
"It's been a great relationship," he said.
The Temecula Valley is the premiere winemaking region in Southern California. Over the last decade, the number of wineries in Temecula's Wine Country has doubled and more new wineries are in the planning stages. More importantly, the area's reputation for making fine wine is on the rise as local wines continue to win major awards at wine competitions that include well-known domestic and international brands.