Glancy Wine Education Foundation Welcomes New Board Member

Tony Lombardi brings more than 30 years of wine industry expertise and a lifelong commitment to philanthropy to GWEF

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., February 2026 — The Glancy Wine Education Foundation (GWEF) today announced the appointment of Tony Lombardi as its newest board member, adding a seasoned wine industry professional and dedicated community advocate to its all-volunteer board as the organization celebrates the start of its sixth anniversary year.

Lombardi, Founder and Proprietor of Lombardi Wines and Lombardi Marketing, brings a rare, 360-degree perspective on the wine industry — spanning hospitality, corporate communications, brand building, and entrepreneurship — to his new role with the foundation. He will join GWEF’s Marketing Committee, lending his deep industry relationships and marketing expertise to support the organization’s continued growth.

“I am honored and humbled to join the board of the Glancy Wine Education Foundation,” said Lombardi. “Wine has always been at the heart of my family’s story, and I’ve seen firsthand how this industry can change lives. Supporting access to professional wine education for underserved communities is a cause I believe in deeply, and I look forward to contributing to GWEF’s incredible mission.”

A lifelong Sonoma County resident, Lombardi’s wine career spans more than three decades and virtually every facet of industry. He began in hospitality before building an accomplished career in public relations and brand management, working his way through a series of roles of increasing responsibility at global wine & spirits companies and celebrated boutique producers alike, most notably serving as Brand Director at Kosta Browne Winery.

In 2015, he founded Lombardi Marketing LLC, a boutique consultancy serving small family wine businesses, with a client roster that has included some of California’s most respected luxury producers across Sonoma County and Napa Valley. That same entrepreneurial spirit led Tony and his wife Christine to found Lombardi Wines in 2013, crafting small-production Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the finest vineyards in Sonoma County — honoring a family legacy that stretches back to his great-grandfather’s arrival in Petaluma in 1947.

Lombardi’s dedication to philanthropy is equally remarkable. He is a founding board member of the Hilinski’s Hope Foundation; a nonprofit committed to erasing the stigma surrounding mental health and supporting student-athlete wellness programs at high schools and universities across the country. Through Lombardi Wines, he has created special bottlings and fundraising events to benefit the foundation and has been a longstanding supporter of the Frankie Lemmon Foundation, whose Triangle Wine & Food Experience — an event he has participated in for more than 15 years — raising over $3 million just this this year for therapies and developmental services for special needs youth.

“We are thrilled to welcome Tony to the GWEF board,” said Ana Keller, President of GWEF. “Tony embodies the intersection of deep industry knowledge and genuine community spirit that makes GWEF’s work so meaningful. His breadth of experience across every aspect of the wine world, combined with his authentic dedication to giving back, make him an extraordinary addition to our leadership.”

Since its founding in 2020, GWEF has awarded 249 scholarships totaling $350,000 to aspiring wine professionals from underserved communities nationwide. The foundation maintains a four-star rating from Charity Navigator and a Platinum Transparency rating from Candid’s GuideStar.

GWEF board members serve as an all-volunteer entity, and the foundation’s educational partnerships now span San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, providing access to WSET qualifications, Society of Wine Educators certifications, Wine Scholar Guild programs, and other specialized wine education courses.