Hilary Vartanian

Hilary Vartanian develops national/global partnerships on behalf of Festival Napa Valley. She held corporate management positions at Time Inc., Meredith, Hearst, Conde Nast and as the first female Vice President for Fortune Conferences, where she led development of the Fortune Global Forum, Most Powerful Women Summit, and other Fortune 500 CEO events.

In 2010, Hilary founded Meris Ventures, a management consultancy that develops strategic partnerships for arts organizations worldwide. Meris Ventures has worked with CBS, the Cannes, Hamptons, Toronto, Sundance and NY Film Festivals, SXSW, Van Gogh Museum, Sino Americas Forum, Tony Awards, and Spirit Awards among others.

In philanthropy, Hilary led development for two iconic film organizations The Film Society of Lincoln Center and The Gotham Film & Media Institute. Her Cannes "Spotlight on Women Filmmakers" multi-year partnership was featured in a 2013 HBO documentary. Hilary served as a production executive on feature films including Hide Your Smiling Faces (World Premiere NYFF) and Write When You Get Work (World Premiere SXSW).

Hilary holds a BA in English from The University of Colorado, Boulder. She is the editor of Peace Prayers (HarperCollins). In 2023, she was named to the Advisory Board of the University of Colorado College of Media, Communication and Information.