Keynote Speakers
Paul Dolan
Paul
Dolan was named President of Fetzer Vineyards in July of 1992, when Kentucky-based
Brown-Forman purchased Fetzer Vineyards. This promotion was a logical
transition for Dolan, who had been Winemaster for Fetzer since 1977. Dolan
was born and raised in Oakland, California, and attended college at Santa
Clara University, earning a degree in business and finance. After three
years of service in the U.S. Army Infantry, Dolan chose winemaking over
accounting as a post-military career. He returned to the classroom at
the California State University, Fresno, and graduated with a Master’s
Degree in enology before coming to work at Fetzer. Dolan was involved
in winemaking long before he received his degree. Descended on his mother’s
side from three generations of winemakers at the original Italian-Swiss
Colony and on his father’s side from the winemaking Concannon family,
he inherited a long and distinguished tradition of California winemaking.
At Fetzer, Dolan built a team that includes a superb collection of enologists, lab technicians and winery workers. His philosophy has always been to make wines that are "true-to-type" varietals; that is, they clearly reflect the varietal character and complexity of the grape. An in-house barrel restoration program, Mendocino Cooperage, and continuing conversion of conventionally farmed grapes to grapes grown organically are two of Dolan’s most recent achievements. The results of Dolan’s winemaking teamwork are evident. In 1991, Dolan was named "Winemaker of the Year" by Dan Berger, wine columnist for the Los Angeles Times.
In his new role as President of Fetzer Vineyards, Dolan oversees the transition from a family-owned winery to an employee-based organization. Through his persistent efforts, and the implementation of employee empowerment, he has taken the model of "team winemaking" and adapted it to all aspects of the company. Dolan’s expressed vision for Fetzer is that "we continue to be recognized as the environmentally and socially conscious winery, committed to making the highest quality, best valued wines in the world."
John Ikerd
John Ikerd was born and raised on a small dairy
farm in southwest Missouri. He was educated at the University of Missouri
where he obtained the BS, MS, and Ph.D. degrees in Agricultural Economics.
After working at North Carolina State University (1970-76), Oklahoma State
University (1976-84), and the University of Georgia (1984-89), he returned
to the University of Missouri under a cooperative agreement with USDA,
to provide state and national leadership for research and education programs
related to sustainable agriculture. During his tenure at the University
of Missouri, Dr. Ikerd was involved in a number of projects assessing
the environmental, economic, and community-oriented benefits of sustainable
agriculture. Since retiring from the University of Missouri in early 2000,
Ikerd spends most of his time writing and speaking out on issues related
to sustainable agriculture with an emphasis on the economics of sustainability
-- activities which he plans to continue into the foreseeable future.