Deborah Brenner
Deborah Brenner is working to create an alcohol beverage industry that is safer and more inclusive for future generations. She is the founder and CEO of Women of the Vine & Spirits, where people gather to push forward hard conversations on diversity, equity & inclusion, business development & innovation, how to best support one another, and to listen and learn. The Women of the Vine & Spirits Foundation 501(c)3 was launched in 2017 and to-date has awarded 99 women with more than $250,000 in scholarships.
“In order to cultivate change and achieve true equity in the workplace, women need communities to learn from their shared experiences, empower one another, and champion allyship,” she said. “More women, which includes LGBTQIA+ communities, women of color, and disabled women, means more opportunity for diverse talent to thrive in the alcohol beverage industry.”
Deborah also spent 20 years in the male-dominated TV and film industry, owned a marketing firm, and authored a bestselling collection of profiles of women in the wine industry, “Women of the Vine: Inside the World of Women Who Make, Taste and Enjoy Wine,” which Wine Spectator named a Critical Read. In 2018, she received the Wine Enthusiast “Social Visionary of the Year” Wine Star Award. She lives in Upstate New York with her husband, Jack.