meet the team
Hilary Newsom
Co-President / Partner
The President of PlumpJack Group since 2009, Hilary Newsom joined the company as Director of Marketing in 1996 after an early career working in fashion merchandising. These days she collaborates with department heads and oversees operations and marketing of the individual businesses. Passionate about philanthropy since childhood, she is a committed fundraiser and serves on the boards of several charitable organizations. In 2017, Hilary launched the PlumpJack Foundation to raise funds for the two primary areas of focus: prevention of childhood poverty and cancer prevention, education and research.
Jeremy Scherer
Co-President / Partner
Jeremy Scherer joined the PlumpJack Group in 1994 and since then has touched virtually every facet of the company. He was named Executive Vice President in 2008 and in 2015 he joined Hilary Newsom as co-President. He’s responsible for the operations and finance of PlumpJack’s portfolio of businesses, as well as targeting new development opportunities. Jeremy brings a wealth of project planning and construction management experience to the company and has been an integral part of PlumpJack’s success and growth.
john conover
General Manager, PlumpJack Winery
General Manager & Partner, CADE and Odette Wineries
A longtime wine industry executive, John Conover joined PlumpJack in 1999. Under his direction, PlumpJack has received critical acclaim for our Estate and Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon wines, including many 90+ scores. Prior to joining PlumpJack, John held sales, marketing, and management positions with Grgich Hills Cellar, Monticello Cellars, and Lockwood Vineyard.
Milham D. Wakin
Vice President of Finance
Milham joined PlumpJack in 2005 bringing more than 27 years of hospitality and hotel-specific accounting experience. He’s responsible for all aspects of finance and accounting for each business, including overseeing cash and profitability forecasts; advising on business strategies; and ensuring banking and loan compliance. He oversees an accounting team in San Francisco and in Napa.
DeeAnn Graffigna
Vice President of Human Resources
DeeAnn is responsible for the Human Resources & Employee Relations for all properties in the PlumpJack portfolio. She is responsible for all benefit administration, employee-focused programming and working with Hilary Newsom on building upon the strong PlumpJack employee culture. DeeAnn and Hilary Newsom work as a team to develop positive employee relations and career development opportunities for the more than 500 team members of PlumpJack. Previous to joining PlumpJack Management Group, DeeAnn worked as the Director of HR for The Carneros Inn for more than 12 years.
McKenzie Ward
Vice President of Marketing
McKenzie has more than 20 years of marketing experience with 10+ years dedicated to hospitality and travel marketing. McKenzie oversees all marketing strategy and branding for the diverse collection of hospitality and lifestyle businesses within the PlumpJack portfolio. McKenzie and her team manage all marketing and creative in-house and work closely with PlumpJack business leaders to deploy key marketing initiatives across all channels to drive brand awareness; meet revenue goals; and create engaging marketing and PR campaigns. Prior to joining PlumpJack, McKenzie worked in marketing and branding roles for Joie de Vivre Hospitality (now part of Hyatt Hotels).
Gavin Newsom
Founder
In 1992, Gavin Newsom opened his first business, PlumpJack Wines, combining his passion for wine and his driving entrepreneurial spirit. Over the next decade, the PlumpJack Group began to grow under his leadership to include many of the restaurants, wineries, and retail establishments in the current portfolio. In 2003, Newsom was elected the 42nd Mayor of San Francisco, and in 2019 was sworn in as the Governor of California. He lives with his wife and First Partner, Jennifer Siebel-Newsom, along with their four children in Sacramento, California.
For more information about Gavin Newsom, visit his website GavinNewsom.com