Local wine workers are said to have new tools to cultivate themselves for leadership roles in their businesses and communities as part of an education venture set to launch next month.
The Sonoma County Grape Growers Foundation said on Tuesday that the new Richard and Saralee Kunde Leadership Academy will offer professional development training on these topics:
- Overview of agriculture, government, policy and other key issues in Sonoma County
- Human resources fundamentals and regulatory compliance
- Worker safety
- Communication
- Conflict resolution
- Financial literacy
- How wine operations connect with wine operations to produce the end product
- Community resources: nonprofits and programs that support the Hispanic population
- Disaster preparedness
“Our intention is to make this the most prestigious leadership program in all of agriculture while enabling participants to seize leadership opportunities in their work and in our community,” said Duff Bevill, Chairman of the Board of administration of the Sonoma County Grape Growers Foundation, in press release. “This is the natural next step for the Foundation, which has long been committed to supporting our skilled farm labor force and their families who support farming in Sonoma County. “
The one-year leadership program will feature eight half-day meetings between February and July. Vineyard owners and management companies can nominate one employee for the 20 program slots each year. Those accepted will be paid by their employers during their training.
In the first class, scheduled for Feb. 10, California Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross is expected to speak on the role of industry in the state’s economy.
The academy is named after the late Richard and Saralee Kunde, winegrowers and community leaders who promoted Sonoma County grapes, wine, milk and other agricultural products while working to preserve agriculture. and open spaces in the region.
