Arena Stage Release to Host Exclusive Wine Auction 10/3

Arena Stage will host the theater's first live wine auction on Tuesday, October 3, 2017 at the Mead Center for American Theater (1101 Sixth St., SW). The premier wine auction is helmed by event co-chairs Judith N. Batty, Arena Stage board chair, and board member Sandra E. Taylor.

The evening kicks off at 6:30 p.m. with a sparkling wine reception and silent auction, followed by a five-course seated dinner catered by Design Cuisine with wine pairings and a live auction at 7:30 p.m. Event attendees will have the opportunity to bid on exclusive items and experiences throughout the event, including a bottle of 1981 Pétrus, Pomerol Bordeaux blend; a mixed case of Grand Crûs 2005 Bordeaux; and four half bottles of Presidential Ruby Port (ranging from 10-40 years old).

All proceeds from the evening support Arena Stage's award-winning artistic and community engagement programs.

Individual tickets start at $300. Space is limited. For additional event details visit arenastage.org/donate/special-events/wine-auction/index.shtml.

For information on individual ticket or table purchases please contact Maria Corso at 202-600-4025 or email mcorso@arenastage.org.

Judith N. Batty served as an executive and senior attorney at Exxon Mobil Corporation for over 28 years. She is experienced in structuring and negotiating complex international acquisitions, divestitures and market entry. She was the first female, and first African-American, General Counsel of ExxonMobil's 3,000 employee, publicly traded, Japanese affiliate. She joined Mobil Corporation in 1987, and held a variety of positions before her retirement in 2015. Judith is active in several professional and charitable organizations. She has held numerous committee and Board officer positions on not-for-profit Boards and currently serves as Chair of the Governing Board of Trustees of Arena Stage, a not-for-profit theater with an operating budget of over $17 million a year. She also currently serves as a member of the Board of the Girl Scouts of the USA, a member of the Board of the Links Foundation Incorporated (the largest African-American women's service organization in the U.S.) and a member of the Board of Trustees of Levine Music, an accredited multi-campus music center. Judith, a native New Yorker, currently lives in Washington, D.C. She has also lived in Dallas, London and Tokyo. She received her B.A. from New York University College of Arts and Sciences in 1978 and her J.D. from New York University School of Law in 1981.

Sandra E. Taylor is an internationally recognized expert on environmental sustainability, social responsibility and sustainable agriculture. She is president and CEO of Sustainable Business International LLC, a consulting business that assists companies at various stages of environmental and corporate social responsibility practice. Sandra provides innovative approaches to supply chain sustainability and strategic philanthropy. She has previously served as senior vice president of corporate responsibility at Starbucks Coffee Company and vice president and director of global public affairs for Eastman Kodak Company. She has studied wine extensively for many years and completed the French Wine Scholars course in 2010, and is a public speaker on the world of sustainable wine. She is a wine educator and founder of Fine Wine Divas, a learning experience for women on the origins of wine grapes, geography, terroir and techniques for food and fine wine pairing. She serves on many nonprofit boards, including the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), Landesa (formerly Rural Development Institute), the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Arena Stage. Sandra has a B.A. in French and a Juris Doctorate from Boston University School of Law and earned her M.B.A. in Wine Management from the Bordeaux School of Management in France. Her first book, The Business of Sustainable Wine: How to Build Brand Equity in a 21st Century Wine Industry, will be published in July 2017.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, under the leadership of Artistic Director Molly Smith and Executive Director Edgar Dobie, is a national center dedicated to American voices and artists. Arena Stage produces plays of all that is passionate, profound, deep and dangerous in the American spirit, and presents diverse and ground-breaking work from some of the best artists around the country. Arena Stage is committed to commissioning and developing new plays, and impacts the lives of over 10,000 students annually through its work in community engagement. Now in its seventh decade, Arena Stage serves a diverse annual audience of more than 300,000. arenastage.org.

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