Students Benefit from Decades of Leadership in Complex Finance and Accounting

Rohnert Park, CA – The Wine Business Institute (WBI) at Sonoma State University (SSU) today announced the addition of well-known financial industry experts from the region’s top firms to its roster of instructors for the upcoming Wine Industry Finance and Accounting Certificate program. Applications are still being accepted for the program beginning September 11, 2015.

Guest Lecturers and Co-Instructors slated for Fall Semester 2015 include Corinne Meddaugh, Controller at Spring Mountain Vineyard in St. Helena, Betsy Stewart and Danielle Sandoval from Zainer Rinehart Clarke (ZRC), Sabina Kay, Director of Commercial Finance and Operations at Winery Exchange, Toni Moheng, Stacey Gilligan, Michelle Crosbie, and Michelle Ausburn of Burr Pilger Mayer (BPM), and Sara Harper, Anya Lopez, Michael Ricioli, and Jay Silverstein of Moss Adams. Corinne Meddaugh earned her MBA at SSU. Betsy Stewart and Danielle Sandoval are also SSU alumni.

“This group of tax and accounting experts brings deep, critical knowledge to wine business education and we’re thrilled and fortunate to welcome them to the Wine Business Institute. We’re confident our students will benefit from leadership expertise that comes from years of navigating common and complex accounting issues faced daily by wineries, vineyards, and industry professionals,” Ray Johnson, Director of the Wine Business Institute said.

Collectively, the group provides expertise in corporate financial and managerial accounting, wine industry auditing and accounting, vineyard taxation, tax planning and compliance, Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) compliance, and initial public offerings (IPO). They represent experience with Roll Global, Hewlett Packard, Agilent Technologies, Hanna Winery, Deloitte, Electronic Data Systems, Justin and Landmark Wineries, Sebastiani and Sons, Brown-Forman, and MillerCoors, among other companies. 

For more information regarding professional seminars, certificate programs, and advanced degree programs of the Wine Business Institute and School of Business and Economics, please contact (707) 664-3235 or winebiz@sonoma.edu.