Peter Ventura ’66, J.D. ’72 is the new president of the Rotary Club of Clearlake. Ventura joined the Rotary Club shortly after he and his wife, Pinky, who is a registered nurse case manager at Adventist Health, moved to Hidden Valley Lake in 2007, following his retirement after 30 years in the wine industry.
He began his career while attending Santa Clara University from 1962 to 1966 and expanded his studies from 1969 to 1972 to receive a juris doctor degree. He practiced law for 10 years with a focus on Oil and Gas Ad Valorem tax, representing county assessors as independent trial counsel, according to Marvin Carpenter.
Ventura returned to the wine industry in 1985, holding senior positions in marketing, public relations and management. He was also senior vice president for Robert Mondavi Winery and chief director general of Opus One, where his responsibilities included all aspects of operations such as vineyards, wine making, marketing, sales, finance and administration.
Ventura is a former officer and director of the North American Institute of Masters of Wine in London; past director, officer, and chairman of the American Institute of Wine and Food; past president of the Napa Valley Oakville Winegrowers Association, a former North American director of Grapes and Humanity and is a Supreme Knight of the Brotherhood of the Knights of the Vine.
Ventura’s Rotary goals include supporting events such as the Fourth of July fireworks and providing security alarms for the Little League ballfield. His community service projects include the ongoing Baby Fair, a job shadow day for students in Lower Lake High School (LLHS), new dictionaries for all the third-grade students in the Konocti Unified School District, and the annual Community Christmas Dinner, which serves more than 900 people in the area annually, Carpenter stated.
His school service projects include awarding scholarships to students from Yuba Community College, LLHS and Carlé Continuing Education School as well as raising funds to support the athletic, music and performing arts programs at LLHS. Ventura wants to financially support youth services such as the Safe House in Clearlake, Sober Grad Night and Clearlake Food Bank.
Additionally, he wants to provide for the 2014 Uganda Mission Program and Rotary International’s ongoing quest to rid the world of Polio.