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 While representing the winery at consumer and trade events around the country the comment Ashley Parker hears most often is “you know, I grew up with your dad.” To that Ashley most often replies, “You know I’m still trying to.”
Ashley attended Bates College, a small liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. While working toward her B.A. degree in English, Ashley participated in short term theater projects and co-captained the women’s tennis team her senior year.
During the summer prior to her senior year at Bates, Ashley served as a White House Intern in the Office of Presidential Advance. Following that, she spent her senior short term session on temporary assignment at the White House working as the Advance Office liaison to the White House Press Office writing the press schedule for the economic summit it Tokyo, Japan. After graduating in 1986, Ashley became a permanent member of President Reagan’s White House staff serving as one of four Presidential Trip Coordinators.
In January 1989 at the close of the Reagan Administration, Ashley took a position in the Public Affairs Office of Housing and Urban Development Secretary, Jack Kemp. After a year in that position, Ashley’s sense of family duty kicked in and she returned home to California to work in the family business and start a family.
A great deal has transpired in the 15 years since Ashley first helped to run the winery office from a converted old barn and poured their newly released wines at consumer and trade events. In addition to her position as Executive Vice President and heading up public relations efforts, she, along with her brother Eli and her husband of five years, Tim Snider, works in sales and marketing and day to day operations of the 65,000 case winery. More importantly, she and Tim are working together to raise her three children from her first marriage. The hope is that Spencer 13, Greer 11, and Henry 7, will have a desire to enter the family wine business after they get their college education.
On the philanthropic front, Ashley coordinates all of the winery’s charitable donations. In addition, in 2004 Ashley chaired the American Riviera Wine Auction for the charitable arm of the Santa Barbara County Vintner’s Foundation. The February 7th event netted over $300, 000 dollars for Direct Relief International, a Santa Barbara based international medical assistance organization. It was the single most successful fundraiser ever for DRI. As of August 2005, Ashley was elected to a 2 year term on the Board of Directors of the Santa Barbara Rehabilitation Institute.
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