Welcoming New Board Member Vicky Farrow

The Healthcare Foundation is delighted to welcome Vicky Farrow to our Board of Directors this year. Vicky is one of three new Board members beginning their term this month, joining Jim Gibboney and Sarah Senestraro (each of whom we look forward to featuring in upcoming issues of this newsletter).

As a longtime Healdsburg resident and seasoned executive, entrepreneur, and community leader, Vicky brings strategic leadership, organizational insight, and deep local commitment to the Foundation’s Board. CEO and co-founder of Amista Vineyards in Healdsburg—a longtime Healthcare Hero Community Partner—Vicky draws on a distinguished earlier career in the technology sector, where she led large global teams and guided organizations through moments of profound change, from start-up growth to corporate turnarounds.

Over the past two decades, she has also advised and coached leaders across world-class institutions while maintaining a steadfast dedication to nonprofit service in Sonoma County and beyond. Her breadth of experience, thoughtful perspective, and enduring commitment to her community make her a strong, dynamic addition to the Foundation’s leadership team.

Vicky’s connection to northern Sonoma County spans more than four decades. She and her husband, Mike, first visited Healdsburg in 1982, long before it became the destination it is today. They returned many times over the years—first from Colorado, where they grew up, and later from Silicon Valley and New Jersey, where they relocated for work.

“We always liked Healdsburg and felt drawn to it,” she recalls.

“That’s what the Healthcare Foundation has been doing: Focusing upstream, taking a long-term systems-oriented view, and aiming for the broadest possible impact.”

Vicky Farrow

That pull eventually led them to purchase a Chardonnay vineyard property in 1999, with a permanent move following in 2002.

While Amista Vineyards has since become an established part of the local landscape, Vicky says the couple’s entry into the wine world was anything but conventional. What began as a practical solution to fire prevention on a steep Silicon Valley hillside—planting Cabernet Sauvignon vines instead of repeated plowing—sparked a curiosity that grew into hands-on experimentation, garage winemaking, and ultimately a full-fledged business.

“My husband had a PhD in chemistry, so he was interested in the winemaking side. But we didn’t really know anything in the beginning,” she laughs. “We took the barrel of wine with us when we moved from Silicon Valley, and it was good.” That encouraging early success planted the seeds for what would become Amista.

Vicky and Mike were early supporters of the Healthcare Foundation, a commitment that grew out of their concern as local residents and employers. 

“We wanted to make sure we could keep the hospital in Healdsburg,” she explains, “and that Alliance Medical Center was supported—because that’s where our vineyard workers would go.”

That engagement deepened as the Foundation itself evolved. “I think there was a vision all along that they could do more than just save a hospital,” she reflects, adding that the evolution of the organization resonates strongly with her professional background in change management. She describes a formative framework she encountered early in her career—one that emphasized moving from individual problem-solving toward system-wide, preventative, and developmental approaches.

“That’s exactly what the Healthcare Foundation has been doing,” she says. “Focusing upstream, taking a long-term, systems-oriented view, and aiming for the broadest possible impact.”

She points to the Mental Healthcare Talent Pipeline as a standout example and success, and highlights the Foundation’s crucial role as a convener and connector. “So many things get duplicated or fall between the cracks, when you look system-wide,” she notes, “so there’s a vital role to play in coordinating and strategizing to strengthen the system of care as a whole.” 

Vicky has also stayed connected to the Healthcare Foundation through volunteer service, including work on its Marketing Committee at the invitation of former Development Director Mary Ott. She says that experience allowed her to deepen her understanding of the Foundation’s work and culture. Stepping into board service now feels like a natural next chapter. “I admire the work that’s been done,” she says. “It’s exciting to be able to contribute to furthering it.”

Timing also played an important role in her decision. Following the loss of her husband two years ago, Vicky shares that she took time to grieve and kept her obligations close to home. “Now I feel I can contribute again.” Encouraged by Board member Kathi Safford, she felt ready to say yes to both the opportunity and the responsibility.

Asked what she most appreciates about northern Sonoma County, Vicky points to its beauty and small-town character—but more importantly, to the resilience of its residents. 

“This area has been tested,” she says. “The resilience this community has demonstrated has been remarkable.” That resilience, combined with a shared commitment to improving local health and wellbeing, fuels her optimism. “There’s so much in the world we can’t affect. But we can affect our own community, make it stronger and healthier. And we have shown that we can do that.”