Who We Are

GERALYN BROSTROM, MANAGING DIRECTOR
Geralyn has been an educator in one form or another throughout her life. The development of the Italian Wine Professional program represents the synergy between two of her passions: helping others learn, and the allure of Italy—its language, culture, food, wine, and people. As a compulsive list-maker with an insatiable curiosity, Italian wine studies was a natural fit for Geralyn. Lists of regions, lists of never-heard-of grape varieties, lists of DOCs and DOCGs, rules and more rules—Italy has it all. And as an Italian citizen, explaining to others the sheer diversity that Italy has to offer is a continuing mission.

When not focusing on things Italian, she lectures on wine business topics in the Wine MBA program at Sonoma State University. Her professional wine credentials include the Certified Wine Educator from SWE, the Level III Award in Wines and Spirits with distinction from the WSET and the Italian Wine Expert from VIA. Geralyn holds a BS in Management and an MBA in Marketing, which she put to good use in coediting The Business of Wine.  Most recently she  completed her Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) at Bocconi University in Milan.

JACK BROSTROM, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Jack is a former naval flight officer and intelligence officer with a master’s degree in National Security Studies from Georgetown University. During his career in the Navy and as an intelligence and security analyst, his responsibilities often involved training and instructional systems design. His introduction to wine came on duty tours in such locations as New Zealand, Spain, and South America while he was serving.

After transitioning from government service, Jack became a book editor with more than 300 titles in his repertoire, editing everything from travel books to medical texts. His personal interest in wine led to much crossover between his editing and wine education. Among other things, Jack wrote the seminal 2009 edition of the Society of Wine Educators’ Certified Specialist of Wine Study Guide and introduced the SWE Workbook. He also coedited the Greenwood Press book The Business of Wine: An Encyclopedia. He holds the Level III Award in Wines and Spirits with distinction from the WSET.

EMILY SNYDER, DIGITAL MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
Emily is a fine artist and Italian wine lover based in Los Angeles. Adding beauty to the world, whether through artwork, interiors or graphic design, has always been important to her. Her minimalist, textural paintings have been featured by Emily Henderson, SF Girl By Bay and Parachute Home among others.

She developed a passion for Italian culture as a student at NYU’s Florence campus, exploring art, language, history and, of course, wine along the way. The rich beauty of Italy opened up to her through the camera lens while studying photography at Fondazione Studio Marangoni in Florence. Emily graduated from NYU in 2009 with a BA in Individualized Study.

Emily recently completed the Discovering Italian Wine course to expand her knowledge of the wines of Italy. Exploring the course through her aesthetic eye, she was able to immediately incorporate new graphics, study tools and videos to add an extra layer to the interactive online learning experience. You’ll see her visual stamp throughout IWC’s courses, website and our social media outlets.