Santa Rosa, Calif.—Sonoma County Vintners (SCV) named Jean Arnold Sessions as executive director. Sessions has been serving as interim executive director since February 2016 when Carolyn Stark resigned after serving in the post for a year.

Before her interim role with SCV, Sessions was president of Hanzell Vineyards in Sonoma from 2002 through 2013. She is founder of the Jean Arnold Group, a consulting firm, and creator of Women in the Business of Wine, a platform for mentoring women in the wine, food and hospitality industries. Sessions also serves on the board of directors of the Sonoma Valley Hospital Foundation.

“The past few months Jean has truly proven her dedication and commitment to Sonoma County and the Sonoma County Vintner's Association,” said the group’s board president Caroline Shaw in a press release. “Her passion, commitment and energy for Sonoma County brings tremendous value to our membership providing leadership for the many initiatives we are driving for our members and the broader AVA community.”