Leadership

Meet the people behind Wine Unify, including our board members and advisory board.

Executive Director

Executive Director
Alicia Towns Franken began her career as the Wine Director for Boston’s famed Grill 23 & Bar, where she worked for over a decade to build one of the city’s most respected wine programs. During her tenure as Wine Director, she earned numerous accolades from organizations and magazines including Boston Magazine, The Boston Globe, Les Dames d’Escoffier and Wine Spectator.
Ultimately, though, her passion for building community, working to champion a more diverse wine industry, and innate talent for mentoring young wine professionals led her to take on the role of Executive Director for Wine Unify, an organization who’s mission is to welcome, elevate, and amplify the voices of underrepresented minorities in the wine industry. In her current role as the Executive Director of Wine Unify, Alicia's dedication to driving positive change shines through. As a champion for diversity in the wine industry, she actively advocates for greater representation and inclusivity. Through Wine Unify, Alicia is fostering a more equitable and welcoming environment, creating opportunities for underrepresented voices and celebrating the diversity of cultures and experiences that enrich the world of wine.
As a personal extension of her work with Wine Unify, Alicia Cofounded Towns Wine Co, with her husband Michael Franken. Towns Wine Co. is a wine company that aims to amplify underrepresented voices in the wine industry. They partner with female winemakers of color to help tell their stories and showcase their talent and regions. They reinvest the profits back into their partner winemakers to not only promote diversity and representation but also: economic empowerment, encourage entrepreneurship, cultural diversity in winemaking, changing industry norms, customer preferences.
Alicia lives in Boston with her husband and their two children. She is actively engaged in her community serving on the boards of The Esplanade Association, Board of Advisors of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and the Leadership Council of The Posse Foundation.

Alicia Towns Franken

Co-Founders

Co-Founder
DLynn Proctor has been a figure in the wine industry for 20 years. As an industry executive, DLynn has spent the last decade in global leadership roles with Penfolds Winery and Fantesca Estate & Winery, focusing on import/export, sales, marketing, strategy, and consumer relations. The previous decade of his career, DLynn was instrumental in building restaurant and training programs, private client and retail wine lists, and expanding new venue operations, while garnering accolades as an accomplished sommelier.
His many accomplishments include working alongside Michelin chefs, and features in TV series and films—including the internationally acclaimed wine documentary series, SOMM and work as Associate Producer in Netflix’s featured film, Uncorked. Mr. Proctor is the Director of Fantesca Estate & Winery on Spring Mountain, with wines made by Heidi Barrett.

DLynn Proctor

Co-Founder
Mary Margaret became a Master of Wine in 2016 and has worked in the wine business since 2007. She was the recipient of the Madame Bollinger Medal for the highest overall tasting score on the MW exam in addition to achieving the highest score overall on all parts of the MW exam.
But before she was a Master of Wine, she was a high school English teacher. She earned her Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2007. Mary Margaret remains a teacher at heart and has integrated education into every job she’s held in the wine industry over the past 13 years. These days, she keeps one foot in Napa and one foot in Burgundy as the General Manager for Karolus Wine Imports, which is the home of Bonneau du Martray in the United States.
In 2018, Mary Margaret established the George T. Gamblin Memorial Scholarship for MW students in honor of her late father, who would be incredibly proud of Wine Unify’s mission. She is deeply passionate about enhancing and celebrating diversity in the wine industry, and together with Martin Reyes and DLynn Proctor, founded Wine Unify in 2020 with those goals in mind.

Mary Margaret McCamic, Master of Wine

Co-Founder
A first-generation American, Martin has been in wine since 2002, having held influential roles in many sectors of the industry, including wine director, importer, educator, international judge, occasional writer, and accidental winemaker. His wine story began with an over-indulgent Parisian dinner as a Stanford undergrad; soon after he was stocking shelves at K&L.
In 2011, Martin became the principal buyer for national wine club programs including The New York Times, Food & Wine Magazine, Williams-Sonoma-Wine, and was named one of Wine Enthusiast’s Top Forty under Forty Tastemakers in 2015. That same year he spent time working a harvest at Salomon Undhof.
Today, Martin directs production for Sonoma-based Peter Paul Wines and heads Reyes Wine Group LLC, consulting for businesses across the full supply-chain; clients have included Copa Fina Wine Imports, Vivino.com, and Vice Versa Wines. He has worked with Spottswoode Estate in various capacities over the years, most recently collaborating on adaptation and mitigation initiatives related to climate change.
In 2018, Martin launched Reyes Selections, a small import portfolio based in the East Coast, and happens to be the only Master of Wine of Mexican descent in the world. During his spare time, Martin teaches WSET Diploma courses with GrapeExperience.com, attempts to become fluent in a fifth language, and unfortunately for his family and dinner guests, has become an avid purveyor of dad humor.

Martin Reyes, Master of Wine

Board of Directors

Advisory Board & MentorM. Shanken Communications Market Watch, Wine Enthusiast, Decanter and Wine Business Monthly have recognized Annette Alvarez-Peters as a top leader in the wine industry. She spent nearly 37 years working for Costco Wholesal… — Advisory Board & Mentor
M. Shanken Communications Market Watch, Wine Enthusiast, Decanter and Wine Business Monthly have recognized Annette Alvarez-Peters as a top leader in the wine industry. She spent nearly 37 years working for Costco Wholesale, the 3rd largest global retailer and dominant membership warehouse club operator.
Annette began her career with an entry-level position and spent her last 25 years in Costco’s Beverage Alcohol department. Retired in January 2020, she held the position of Asst. Vice President - General Manager for wine, spirits and beer categories while leading a team of 11 buyers in the United States as well as assisting 9 international buyers.
She holds the Diploma from Wine & Spirit Education Trust, along with a Certified Wine Educator certificate from Society of Wine Educators. She has also been inducted into the following associations: Bordeaux’s Commanderie du Bontemps de Medoc; Champagne’s Ordre des Coteaux des Champagne and Chateauneuf du Pape’s Echansonnerie des Papes.
Annette was named Wine Business Monthly Top Wine Industry Leader (2019- 2017), Most Influential in the US Wine Industry from IntoWine.com in 2018 (No. 1), Retailer of the Year by Wine Enthusiast (2015), Washington State Wine Industry (2015), and MarketWatch (2011). She was also named to Decanter’s Power List in 2013 (No.4) and biennially since 2005 and in Fortune/Food and Wine Top 25 Innovative Women, Food & Drink (2014).

Annette Alvarez-Peters

Co-Founder
DLynn Proctor has been a figure in the wine industry for 20 years. As an industry executive, DLynn has spent the last decade in global leadership roles with Penfolds Winery and Fantesca Estate & Winery, focusing on import/export, sales, marketing, strategy, and consumer relations. The previous decade of his career, DLynn was instrumental in building restaurant and training programs, private client and retail wine lists, and expanding new venue operations, while garnering accolades as an accomplished sommelier.
His many accomplishments include working alongside Michelin chefs, and features in TV series and films—including the internationally acclaimed wine documentary series, SOMM and work as Associate Producer in Netflix’s featured film, Uncorked. Mr. Proctor is the Director of Fantesca Estate & Winery on Spring Mountain, with wines made by Heidi Barrett.

DLynn Proctor

Board Member & Mentor
Alicia Towns Franken is a Boston-based sommelier and event planner with over 25 years in the hospitality industry. Alicia got her start at Back Bay Restaurant Group’s Grill 23 & Bar. During her tenure as Wine Director, she earned numerous accolades from organizations and magazines including Boston Magazine, The Boston Globe, Les Dames d’Escoffier and Wine Spectator.
Today, Alicia collaborates on a wine tasting platform called Life in Vino and is a sought-after event planner and wine educator. She participates in seminars, tastings and panel discussions in the wine industry around the country.
Alicia lives in Boston with her husband and their two children. She is actively engaged in her community serving on the boards of The Esplanade Association, The Learning Project and the Board of Advisors of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and the Leadership Council of The Posse Foundation.

Alicia Towns Franken

Board Member & Mentor
Priyanka was born and brought up in Mumbai, India, and is the daughter of two academic physicists. Having discovered a passion for wine, she received the Master of Science in Viticulture and Enology at the University of California – Davis; she also holds a diploma in Enology from the University of Dijon. She built her experience working at wineries in Napa including Dalla Valle Vineyards, Stags’ Leap Winery as well as traveling through the regions of Burgundy, Cognac, Bordeaux and New Zealand. She also worked with the Tonnellerie Demptos to establish the oak and cooperage market and providing technical support to wineries in India.
Priyanka is currently the winemaker at Signorello Estate in Napa, where she focuses on premium, estate-grown wines using precision viticulture and restrained winemaking to showcase the fruit expression of the unique site. When not working, Priyanka can be found exploring the outdoors with her dog, Chloe, cooking, reading or traveling.

Priyanka French

Expertise: Restaurant Management
Gary Obligacion is a seasoned hospitality executive. He is currently the Director of Development for The Alinea Group in Chicago, which owns and operates four Chicago-based, award-winning restaurants -- Alinea, Next, Aviary, and Roister. Gary is specifically focused on the Group launching food & beverage operations in the recently developed St Regis Tower, scheduled to begin operations Q3 of this year. This is his second time with the Alinea Group, having earlier served as Director of Operations.
Prior to his return to Chicago, Gary was the General Manager at the Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur, one of the country’s top boutique luxury hotel properties.

Gary’s hospitality career began in 1984 at Alice Water's landmark restaurant, Chez Panisse, while he attended the University of California, Berkeley, while his management experience runs from high end restaurants like Alinea, to luxury hotels (Post Ranch Inn, Pebble Beach Resorts, Ritz-Carlton Hotels), to world class events like Pebble Beach Food & Wine.

When given a chance, Gary will find a way to get outdoors and enjoy a long hike and some fresh air. Otherwise, any day with friends and a bottle of wine is a really good day.

Gary Obligacion

Co-Founder
Mary Margaret became a Master of Wine in 2016 and has worked in the wine business since 2007. She was the recipient of the Madame Bollinger Medal for the highest overall tasting score on the MW exam in addition to achieving the highest score overall on all parts of the MW exam.
But before she was a Master of Wine, she was a high school English teacher. She earned her Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2007. Mary Margaret remains a teacher at heart and has integrated education into every job she’s held in the wine industry over the past 13 years. These days, she keeps one foot in Napa and one foot in Burgundy as the General Manager for Karolus Wine Imports, which is the home of Bonneau du Martray in the United States.
In 2018, Mary Margaret established the George T. Gamblin Memorial Scholarship for MW students in honor of her late father, who would be incredibly proud of Wine Unify’s mission. She is deeply passionate about enhancing and celebrating diversity in the wine industry, and together with Martin Reyes and DLynn Proctor, founded Wine Unify in 2020 with those goals in mind.

Mary Margaret McCamic MW

Advisory Board

Co-Founder
A first-generation American, Martin has been in wine since 2002, having held influential roles in many sectors of the industry, including wine director, importer, educator, international judge, occasional writer, and accidental winemaker. His wine story began with an over-indulgent Parisian dinner as a Stanford undergrad; soon after he was stocking shelves at K&L.
In 2011, Martin became the principal buyer for national wine club programs including The New York Times, Food & Wine Magazine, Williams-Sonoma-Wine, and was named one of Wine Enthusiast’s Top Forty under Forty Tastemakers in 2015. That same year he spent time working a harvest at Salomon Undhof.
Today, Martin directs production for Sonoma-based Peter Paul Wines and heads Reyes Wine Group LLC, consulting for businesses across the full supply-chain; clients have included Copa Fina Wine Imports, Vivino.com, and Vice Versa Wines. He has worked with Spottswoode Estate in various capacities over the years, most recently collaborating on adaptation and mitigation initiatives related to climate change.
In 2018, Martin launched Reyes Selections, a small import portfolio based in the East Coast, and happens to be the only Master of Wine of Mexican descent in the world. During his spare time, Martin teaches WSET Diploma courses with GrapeExperience.com, attempts to become fluent in a fifth language, and unfortunately for his family and dinner guests, has become an avid purveyor of dad humor.

Martin R. Reyes, Master of Wine

Advisory BoardYashodhan Naravane ('Billo') is the owner and winemaker of Rasa Vineyards, an artisanal, world-class winery that he founded with his brother in Walla Walla, WA. He became a Master of Wine in 2017. He attended UC Davis and earned an MS … — Advisory Board
Yashodhan Naravane ('Billo') is the owner and winemaker of Rasa Vineyards, an artisanal, world-class winery that he founded with his brother in Walla Walla, WA. He became a Master of Wine in 2017.
He attended UC Davis and earned an MS in Viticulture and Enology in 2008. Prior to making the transition to the wine industry, Billo studied Mathematics and Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Electrical Engineering at Stanford University. In addition to his duties at Rasa Vineyards, he loves to help other serious wine aficionados realize their artistic visions for their wines and grapes. He provides consulting winemaking and viticulture services for the following clients: Delmas, Rivaura, Echo Ridge Cellars, Mackey Vineyards, and Sinclair Estate Vineyards. Billo also loves to teach and is an Adjunct Professor at Washington State University.

Yashodhan ‘Billo’ Naravane Master of Wine

Advisory Board & MentorAndré Hueston Mack is the owner and winemaker of Maison Noir Wines and former sommelier at Thomas Keller‛s restaurants The French Laundry and Per Se. He has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Win… — Advisory Board & Mentor
André Hueston Mack is the owner and winemaker of Maison Noir Wines and former sommelier at Thomas Keller‛s restaurants The French Laundry and Per Se.
He has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Wine & Spirits, Food & Wine, CNBC and ABC‛s"The Taste." Based on the success of the labels he created - OPP, Oregogne, Love Drunk, Horseshoes & Handgrenades, and Knock on Wood - he established Get Fraiche Cru, a boutique graphic design firm.

André Mack

Advisory Board & AmbassadorJulia Coney is a Washington, D.C. and Houston, Texas-based wine writer, speaker, and wine consultant. Her wine writing includes stories on wine, winemakers, and the intersection of race, wine, and language. She holds a… — Advisory Board & Ambassador
Julia Coney is a Washington, D.C. and Houston, Texas-based wine writer, speaker, and wine consultant. Her wine writing includes stories on wine, winemakers, and the intersection of race, wine, and language. She holds a WSET Level Two Certification in Wine and is currently pursuing her Master Level Champagne Certification with the Wine Scholar Guild as well as WSET Level Three Certification in Wine. Her work has been featured in VinePair, Wine Enthusiast, The Tasting Panel, Plate Magazine, Forbes.com, WineEnthusiast.com, Glamour, Essence, The Washington Post, and numerous print and digital publications. She has spoken at conferences such as wine2wine, Assemblage Symposium, Culinary Institute of America’s Summit for Sommeliers and Beverage Professionals, and Wonder Women of Wine.
Most recently, Julia launched Black Wine Professionals, a resource for wine industry employers with the goal to lift up the multifaceted Black professionals in the world of wine.

Julia Coney

Advisory Board Member
With over twenty years in the wine business, Jessica offers extensive experience in sales, marketing, and building B2B business across a range of platforms. After beginning her career in 1998 with Appellation Magazine in Napa, Jessica worked in sales and advertising for Wine Business Monthly, and later, worked in production and marketing for Jackson Family Wines.
Since 2010, Jessica has served as the Marketing Manager and now the Director of Marketing for JONATA, The Hilt, and the Paring estates in Santa Barbara. Born in Lima, Honduras, Jessica has called Napa home since she was nine years old.

Jessica Trujillo

Advisory Board & AmbassadorAnna-Christina Cabrales, like most, fell into wine by accident. Anna-Christina grew up in a large family of chefs, who taught her taste and smell from a young age. Despite having this much culinary exposure and love fo… — Advisory Board & Ambassador
Anna-Christina Cabrales, like most, fell into wine by accident. Anna-Christina grew up in a large family of chefs, who taught her taste and smell from a young age. Despite having this much culinary exposure and love for the craft, she instead pursued her bachelor’s degree in Economics & East Asian Studies and a minor in Psychology at Rutgers University, and later investor relations at NYU SPS.
After several years as a project manager, Anna-Christina left the corporate world behind and pursued her culinary and sommelier diplomas at the French Culinary Institute, now known as the International Culinary Center.
Since joining Morrell in 2012, Anna-Christina has expanded the wine list significantly, especially the by-the-glass selection, which at one point listed more than 150 options. Her efforts were rewarded in 2014 and 2019 when the prestigious quarterly, The World of Fine Wine , voted Morrell Wine Bar’s glass list “Best by-the-Glass Wine List.” Since 2015, Morrell has attained the Best of Award of Excellence award from Wine Spectator by growing the bottle list well over 1,200 selections .
Outside of pursuing her Advanced Certification under the Court of Master Sommeliers, and teaching classes at the Sommelier Society of America, she enjoys her time dining and enjoying a glass of Champagne, always.

Anna-Christina Cabrales

Advisory Board & AmbassadorTonya Pitts has been in the restaurant industry for over 30 years, and a Wine Director and Sommelier for well over 20 years. Her food and beverage experience has largely focused within the San Francisco Bay Area and Sa… — Advisory Board & Ambassador
Tonya Pitts has been in the restaurant industry for over 30 years, and a Wine Director and Sommelier for well over 20 years. Her food and beverage experience has largely focused within the San Francisco Bay Area and Saint Louis, MO. She has worked with several high profile chefs, including the late Chef Judy Rodgers of Zuni Cafe; Chef Jeremiah Tower of Stars Restaurant; Chef Loretta Keller of Stars Café; Bizou Restaurant and other notable establishments in the Bay Area.
She is currently working with Chef Mark Dommen of One Market Restaurant. In addition to her role at One Market, she has dedicated her career to philanthropy, mentorship, and amplifying the voices of those who are not heard. She has been featured in numerous industry publications, is a Certified Sommelier, and continues to educate herself through the Court of Master Sommeliers and Wine & Spirit Education Trust.

Tonya Pitts