Meet our Team

DEB MICHELSON – MARKETING MANAGER AND PARTNER

Deb is a Portland native but her life’s journey took her far away from the Pacific Northwest. While at Cornell Law School she took the Windows of the World wine class through the university’s famed hotel school. That class sparked Deb’s interest in both the wine and the hospitality industries.

When she returned to her roots, Deb began working on marketing and events for Hawkins Cellars and joined Thane in scheming to build a winery in the Gorge. Together, they planted Pinot Noir on the Underwood Mountain estate, and opened Hawkins Cellars’ Gorge tasting room.

CASANDRA WAGNER – DTC MANAGER

Casandra has been working in the wine industry for over seven years in the Columbia Gorge Area.  Her background is in Recreation Therapy before being introduced to the beautiful world of wine upon moving to Hood River from Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband in 2015.  Now her tools of improving lives has changed from recreation to wine, although they both go together very well! 

She recently had a baby, Alexander, and loves being a mom. She enjoys hiking, snowboarding, biking, and paddling in her free time, and spends many hours in her big vegetable and flower garden every week alongside her two dogs, Tucker & Maple, and her flock of chickens.  

ANDREW DANIES – SALES AND MARKETING ASSOCIATE

Andrew joined Hawkins Cellars in 2021 as a Tasting Room/Sales and Marketing Associate. Growing up in Boise, Idaho, his experience with wine dates back to his First Communion, but it wasn’t until he studied abroad in Salzburg, Austria, that he began to fall in love with wine. A detour through law school at Washington University in St. Louis and six years of legal practice in Oregon and Washington brought him to the world of wine in 2019. His favorite wine experience was on his honeymoon touring the Mendoza wine region of Argentina and his favorite part of working in wine is making connections with people and sharing his passion for oenology with others.

When not in the Tasting Room, you are likely to find Andrew on the golf course or playing with his dogs, Laszlo and Zuki. He is a die-hard Blazers, Beavers, and Timbers fan. He and his wife Rachel live in Hood River.

BRUCE MERCER – TASTING ROOM ASSOCIATE

Bruce has been drinking and sharing wine with others for over 30 years. Bruce enjoyed a career in engineering for 15 years, as a stay at home parent for the next 16 and now with his youngest child headed to college is making the jump from the consumer side of the wine business to the industry side. Bruce is looking forward to sharing his passion of wine with others while also learning the finer points of winemaking from Thane and the rest of the team at Hawkins Cellars.
 
When Bruce is taking a break from wine he can often be found enjoying his other passions in life, spending time with his wife Christina and his children, cooking, gardening, landscaping, hiking or in the forest foraging for mushrooms.
 
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KARI LOCEY – TASTING ROOM ASSOCIATE

Kari joined Hawkins Cellars in 2021 helping in the tasting room and fell in love with the people and wine.  As of 2022 she is an official tasting room associate. She has worked in retail for over 28 years and was previously at G.I.Joe’s for 15 years, and is currently working at Winco Foods in Portland and has been there for 13 years. She is excited to learn about the wine industry and is eager to soak in as much as she can with the enjoyment of wine.
 
When Kari is not working, she enjoys almost everything outdoors: hiking, biking, camping, and water! She truly enjoys spending as much time as she can get with her two daughters, Monique and Kionna, and her friends. She also enjoys spending quiet time reading and cleaning her house.

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