This was the first panel of the day. It was such an honor to moderate this seminar with three of the most accomplished women in the business: Valerie Masten, the vice president for national sales at Skurnik Wines & Spirits; Tonya Pitts, sommelier and wine director, One Market; Esther Mobley, wine writer for The San Francisco Chronicle. We also had the chance to learn of important research from UC Davis research associate Dr. Malcolm Hobbs.

We led off discussing the personal experiences of Esther, Valerie, and Tonya as women in the wine industry: how they've dealt with these issues in their own careers and sharing valuable insight into everyday issues that women face in the workplace. Each panelist gave advice to the audience about how to deal with these problems.

The last panelist to speak before we took questions was Malcolm, which capped the conversation sharing results from the study he helped conduct. His research focuses on a different element of women in the wine industry — the migrant female vineyard, one group that was noticeably absent from the day's event — and looks at statistics of how the percentage of women in the laboring side of the wine industry has changed, as well as the startling amount of sexual harassment that takes place.

- Sam

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Tonya Pitts, sommelier & wine director

Tonya Pitts has been in the food and beverage industry for over 20 years. Her career in San Francisco began with Chef Judy Rodgers at Zuni Cafe and Chef Jeremiah Tower at Stars Restaurant as a server. After three years, Tonya was running the wine program for Loretta Keller at Bizou Restaurant, where she realized her true passion for wine. Today, she is the Wine Director at San Francisco’s One Market. Tonya has worked in many notable houses in the bay area and has been featured in Wine & Spirits Magazine, Tasting Panel, and numerous news and industry publications. She is also a judge for the San Francisco International Wine Competition and is a tasting panelist for Wine & Spirits Magazine.

Esther Mobley, wine writer

Esther Mobley joined The San Francisco Chronicle in 2015 as its wine, beer and spirits writer. Previously she was an assistant editor at Wine Spectator magazine in New York, and before that an intern for Wine Enthusiast magazine. Esther has worked two harvest seasons, at Round Pond Estate in Napa Valley and Bodega Rolland in Mendoza, Argentina, as well as in wine retail and fine dining in her hometown of Boston. She studied English literature at Smith College.

Valerie Masten Bonné, vice president for national sales

Valerie Masten Bonné is the vice president for national sales at Skurnik Wines & Spirits, and one of the country’s foremost authorities on national fine-wine sales. Over the past seven years, she has built a team to sell the critically acclaimed Terry Theise wines in nearly all 50 states, part of an extensive national portfolio that includes everything from top Burgundy to the famed wines of Paul Jaboulet Aîné. That has given her a deep working knowledge of wine sales at every level, from Michelin-starred restaurants to major national retailers and airlines—skills built on her years as a top fine-wine saleswoman in Atlanta during that city’s culinary boom years. She also works with distributor partners to train wine professionals and sommeliers in markets across the country, providing detailed education on topics like grower Champagne and German wine law. She lives in New York City with her husband, Jon, and their cats, Souris and Baby Boo.

Dr. Malcolm Hobbs, research associate

In 2004 Malcolm gained a PhD in Psychology from the University of Southampton in the UK. Since then he has been engaged in a variety of research projects. In 2015 he joined the UC Cooperative Extension under Viticulture Advisor Monica Cooper and works on projects that include looking at gender diversity, team dynamics, sexual harassment, and job satisfaction in vineyard crews.