W. Clarke Swanson

W. Clarke Swanson, Jr. founded Swanson Vineyards in Oakville in 1985. He began his business career in banking and parlayed it into a successful media career specializing in radio, cable TV, and community newspapers. He was the chairman and CEO of Napa National Bancorp until it was sold to Wells Fargo in 2002.

Clarke has served as a director of the Napa Valley Vintners Association and was a founder and director of the Friends of Lincoln Theater in Yountville. He also is a member of the Board of Overseers of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.

Clarke received his B.A. in history and political science from Stanford and his M.S. degree in journalism from Columbia. He and his wife, Elizabeth, have three daughters, Alexis, Veronica and Claiborne.

Clarke joined Festival Napa Valley’s Board of Directors in 2013 and is Chairman of the Audit Committee.