Karen Irizarry

Karen Irizarry has a diverse work experience in the wine industry. Karen started their career as a Vintage Cellar Hand at Penfolds in 2012 and then worked as a Restaurant Supervisor at Xanadu Wines. Karen later joined Weingut Koehler-Ruprecht as a Vintage Cellar Hand and then worked as a Harvest Lab Technician at Te Kairanga Wines. Karen also gained experience as a Vintage Cellar Hand at Domaine Mader. Karen then joined A to Z Wineworks where they worked as a Tasting Room & Hospitality Manager before becoming a Direct Sales Manager. Karen also worked as a Hospitality Manager at Résonance Wines, where they managed cross-functional start-up operations. Karen then transitioned to digital marketing and worked as a Digital Marketing Specialist at Smith Teamaker before taking on the role of Ecommerce Marketing Manager at Cato Corporation. Karen recently returned to Smith Teamaker as an Ecommerce Marketing Manager. Throughout their career, Karen has acquired a strong understanding of wine production, sales, hospitality, and digital marketing.

Karen Irizarry earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Virginia Tech, where they attended from 2002 to 2008. Karen also pursued a minor in Leadership and Construction Management during that time. In 2016, Karen enrolled in The Wharton School, where they obtained a certification in Business Foundations by 2018.

Additionally, Karen Irizarry holds several certifications. In 2011, they became a Certified Sommelier through The Court of Master Sommeliers. In 2018, Karen obtained the Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) certification from Scrum Alliance. Most recently, in April 2020, they completed the "Build Your Sales Career on Salesforce" certification from Trailhead by Salesforce.