Princeton Chapter, NJ
Member since 1998
Joe developed an insatiable curiosity about wine in his late 20s (pre-internet days) and had the good fortune a few years later to meet others who shared his passion. He joined the AWS in 1998, and progressed through the leadership roles. Today, Joe belongs to several local, regional, and national wine groups. His reviews of books on wine can be found on Amazon.com. Vacations are not without winery tours in the European countryside.

Napa, CA
Member since 2009
Before following his heart to wine country, Mike followed his head to Silicon Valley where he spent eight fast-paced years in communications. Armed with a “live to eat” motto and an evident passion for wine, Mike entered Balzac’s life 14 years ago and became the agency’s President in 2016. In 2019, he launched the Hit the Bottle Podcast, a practical guide to beverage marketing through the lens of strategy, technology, and leadership.

A disciple of Walt Disney, Mike strives to get the most out of himself and his team. He believes leadership, imagination, and innovation require a level of fearlessness and he encourages his team not to play by the rules. They are driven by the stories that inspire people to share in a dream. It’s this philosophy that has guided successful campaigns for more than 70 global wineries and regions from a dozen countries. Mike holds a WSET Level 4 Diploma. He is also a Certified Wine Educator (CWE) and WSET Certified Educator.

Hartford Area Chapter, CT
Member since 2011
Leanne is an AWS Certified Wine Judge and has completed levels one and two of the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) program, passing both with distinction. Leanne is a wine educator and serves as an instructor at Manchester Community College as well as for Level 1 of the AWS Super Tasting Series. Most recently, Leanne took on the role of competition director for the Amenti del Vino Annual International Wine competition. She enjoys traveling to wine regions to satiate her thirst for knowledge.

Dayton Chapter, OH
Member since 1996
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Northern Loudoun County Chapter, VA
Member since 2003
Rex completed the AWS Certified Wine Judge training program in 2011. While judging in local, regional, national, and international wine competitions, he became interested in all aspects of wine competitions. For the past four years, Rex has been coordinating the back room activities for the AWS competition held at the national conference. During these years, he has applied his background in software development to computerize many of the tedious and labor-intensive steps that are required to organize the wines, present them to the judging panels, and process the scoring results.

Sonoita Chapter, AZ
Member since 1993
Jay has been closely involved with wine since he was a child (helping both of his Italian grandfathers make wine). He worked his way through college as a restaurant wine steward and retail wine sales clerk. He is one of four International Wine Masters in the world. He has studied viticulture and winemaking around the world, is very active on the wine competition circuit and has written for multiple wine publications.
He previously served as RVP of Arizona and as a chapter chair.

St. Louis Chapter, MO
Member since 2008
Aaron is a wine educator, wine judge and student of wine. He started his formal wine education with the Society of Wine Educator's Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) in 2008. He earned AWS Wine Judge Certification in 2011 and took over running the program in 2012. Aaron has judged numerous competitions in the United States and annually judges the International Wine Challenge in London. He has taught WSET and CSW classes and worked as both an instructor and mentor for students in the sommelier program (although he spills too much wine to teach service). He has earned his Diploma from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) and is currently enrolled in the Master of Wine Program.

Electric City Chapter, PA
Member since 1999
David Falchek became the executive director of the American Wine Society in 2016. Prior to that he served two terms on the AWS board as director of membership services. David began writing about wine in the early 1990s in the Finger Lakes and his work has appeared in wine trade publications such as Vineyard & Winery Management, Beverage Media, and Practical Winery and Vineyard and Edible. He frequently judges regional, national and international wine competitions. David is serving a second term on the American Society of Association Executives public policy committee. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Association of Non-Profit Organizations. In 2019, he received a Certificate in Non-Profit Leadership from the University of Scranton Kania School of Management. He serves as treasurer of The Scranton Downtown Federal Credit Union.

Electric City Chapter, PA
Member since 2016
Katie Kearney joined the National Office staff as the Member Service Manager in December of 2016. Prior to her time with the AWS Katie has worked at several non-profits since beginning her professional career in 2009. She worked in neighborhood revitalization, adult literacy and ESL. She spent the early part of her career working in the museum field. Katie has a history degree from Wilkes University, loves to knit, travels to historic sites whenever she has time and enjoys cooking for her family and friends.