[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 76 (Tuesday, May 20, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E782]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING MARY MAHER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 20, 2014

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mary 
Maher, the recipient of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers 2014 Grower of the 
Year award. Ms. Maher is a leader in the wine industry and has 
dedicated her career to advancing the Napa Valley as a premiere wine 
region, which is both admirable and deserving of recognition.
  Ms. Maher was born and raised in Glenn County, California. She 
attended California State University, Chico, where she received a 
Bachelor of Science in Plant Science and Biology. After managing 
vineyards for seventeen years throughout the Napa Valley, she made her 
way to her current position as Vineyard Manager for Harlan Estate, 
where she has worked for the past twelve years.
  As Vineyard Manager, Ms. Maher established Harlan's in-house vineyard 
farming and development company, which today employs more than fifty 
people in the area. However, her involvement in the community does not 
end at Harlan. Ms. Maher has been a member of the Napa Valley 
Grapegrowers Board of Directors, the Industry Issues and Harvest STOMP 
committees and the Napa County Pest & Disease District Board. She has 
even served as President of the Carneros Quality Alliance and the Napa 
Valley Vineyard Technical Group. Remarkably, Ms. Maher was one of only 
two female vineyard managers in Napa when she began her career. Since 
then, she has worked with the International Women in Cabernet 
Association and St. Helena Ag Boosters, serving as a role model for her 
fellow women in the grape growing industry.
  Mr. Speaker, it is appropriate at this time that we honor and thank 
Ms. Maher not only for her excellent grape growing, but for her 
commitment to our community. Mary Maher's unyielding dedication to 
excellence in growing is greatly appreciated by the entire Napa 
community and we wish her further success in an already distinguished 
career.

                          ____________________