In this panel, we focused on questions about how women approach the acts of negotiating and advocating with Megan Glaab, the winemaker at Ryme, UPHOLD, and Lost & Found; R.H. Drexel, the founder of Loam Baby; Suzann Russell, Managing Director in Silicon Valley Bank’s Wine Division; and Nadia Dmytriw, founder of Floraison Selections. In this discussion, we talked through some personal stories and learnings from our panelists' own experiences.

Think about this: research shows that women are negotiating at a rate of 55% of the time, while men are negotiating at a rate of 70%. That means that two colleagues starting at the same level, one male and one female, negotiating at that rate with every job, will see dramatic differences in their wages at the end of 30 years. It’s a little more complicated when you factor in that we all work in a field that can be both physically and socially demanding, often without a clear ladder to climb. But we also have an advantage. We’re in an industry — a community — that we love, and women are nothing if not community builders. And that same research shows that women are more effective in negotiations when we think about how our skills benefit the overall workplace, when we think about how what we’re asking for makes our boss, partner, and organization better.

So, we also finished by focusing on some ideas about how to change our perceptions of negotiating, and how we can better advocate both for ourselves and others around us. (We also owe a tip of the sun hat to audience member Maia for sharing her wage parity insights from her previous experience as a human resources manager.) Ultimately, our framework for this discussion was the following: If we start to think about things a little differently, we may just be able to change our behavior.

- Sarah

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Megan Glaab, winemaker

Megan’s love and enthusiasm for wine led her to the University of Adelaide in Australia, where she obtained a B.S. in Enology. After graduating, Megan continued her winemaking education by working at several wineries, including Torbreck, Peay Vineyards, Marcassin, and Pisoni. She is now the winemaker and co-owner of Ryme Cellars and UPHOLD wines, along with her husband Ryan Glaab. Located in Forestville, CA, they produce Aglianico, Cabernet Sauvignon, Ribolla Gialla, and two versions of Vermentino. Megan also started a Russian River Valley Pinot Noir project, Lost and Found Wine, with Master Sommelier Geoff Kruth and the Bartolomei Family of Farmhouse Inn and Restaurant. Megan and Ryan live in Healdsburg and are the proud parents of two children.

Nadia Dmytriw, importer and distributor

Nadia is a native San Franciscan who has been working in the wine industry since 2001. She holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in Language Studies from U.C. Santa Cruz and has also completed coursework at the University of Oenology in Bordeaux. Her passion for foreign languages, cultures, teaching, and wine led her to work in various aspects of the wine trade in France and Russia before returning to her native S.F. Bay Area. Nadia worked her up to Managing Partner in her previous company Joli Vin Imports and she spent nearly a decade representing many of the growers with whom she currently works. In 2017 Nadia founded her own company, Floraison Selections, a grower-driven wine importer and distributor representing a select group of hands-on, independent, minimal-interventionist growers who make wine with a true sense of place and origin.

R.H. Drexel, writer

R.H. Drexel is the pen name for a wine business insider who has worked in nearly every sector of the wine industry for the last 30 years. In 2012, Drexel published the first issue of Loam Baby, her wine culture zine, which garnered favorable reviews from Los Angeles Times, Punch Magazine, Imbibe, Wine & Spirits, Food & Wine and The Wine Spectator, among others, for its irreverent cartoons, in-depth articles, and anachronistic approach to wine journalism. Drexel continues to publish Loam Baby, and is also freelance writer, in addition to being a regular contributor to The Wine Advocate and JebDunnuck.com.

Suzann Russell, managing director

Suzann oversees a portfolio of primarily Napa county wineries and vineyards in her role as Managing Director in Silicon Valley Bank’s Wine Division, providing customized commercial loans and treasury management services for clients ranging from small family operated wineries to larger enterprises producing over 750,000 cases annually. Suzann joined Silicon Valley Bank in 2000 as a credit analyst and worked through the lending ranks to her current role. She spent the first three years of her banking career at SVB’s headquarters in Santa Clara as a commercial lender for software companies, then switched her focus to wine lending and relocated to SVB’s St. Helena office in 2004. Suzann is an active member of the Napa/Sonoma chapter of Women for Winesense. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo. She lives in Napa with her husband and two young daughters.