Every March, as the world celebrates Women’s History Month, businesses, organizations and communities reflect on the extraordinary contributions women have made across various industries.
For Cambria Estate Winery, this month represents more than just a celebration of women; it is an opportunity to lead by example and reaffirm its dedication to empowering women in the workplace and beyond.
The Women of Cambria
Cambria Estate Winery is rooted in women’s leadership. Their certified sustainable wines are even named after their proprietors, Barbara Banke, Katherine Jackson and Julia Jackson. Since the company’s inception, they have consistently championed both climate action and women’s leadership.
But even the women of Cambria Estate Winery have faced instances of discrimination based on their gender. In an industry that has long been male-dominated, women often encounter subtle and overt forms of discrimination, whether it’s in the form of limited advancement opportunities or gender biases in leadership positions.
In an impactful video of interviews, Leading Ladies of Cambria: Stories, Strengths and Struggles, three of the company’s women share how they have experienced these challenges firsthand.
Cambria’s winemaker, Jill Russel, is often overlooked at industry events. “I had a male coworker. We were standing next to each other. They think he’s the winemaker. I’ve been at a tasting event with my husband. He’s helping me pour. They think he’s the winemaker. It’s just a given that the male standing next to me is the winemaker.”
Denise Shurtleff, Cambria’s vice president of production, shared a story about when she first entered the industry. She applied for a laboratory technician’s position and the winemaker who conducted her interview expressed that he did not want to hire a woman. With an amused smile, Shurtleff reflected on how she had to fight hard and explain to him how she was the right fit for the position. She says it is an experience that she will never forget.
Banke co-founded Jackson Family Wines with her late husband Jess Jackson. Before their wine business, she was a land use and constitutional law attorney. During her time with a law firm, she recognized her work was being undervalued to the point that when she left, the firm had to hire six people to cover the work that she was doing alone.
Despite these barriers, all three of these women have risen to become influential leaders in their organization and in the wine industry.
Cultivating Women’s Empowerment
In response to the challenges women face in business, Cambria Estate Winery implemented a new program in 2015. Every March for Women’s History Month, they select an organization that aligns with their pillars of climate action and women’s leadership and pledge $25,000 to support their efforts.
Over the past decade, the winery has contributed to over a dozen initiatives that empower women of all ages. Choosing which organizations to partner with each year is a collaborative process. The Jackson Family Wines marketing team first identifies a focus area for the upcoming Women’s History Month. They then research organizations whose missions align with that focus and reach out to establish connections.
In 2025, they reached out to two organizations: Girls Who Code and TreeSisters.
The percentage of computer scientists that are women has declined 13% since 1995. To Girls Who Code, this is unacceptable. They believe we’re approaching an age where entry-level coding isn’t enough to lead to a career in tech. Aspiring professionals also need to be trained in cybersecurity and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence to be competitive.
Their organization is dedicated to empowering women and nonbinary people to join the technology industry through educational clubs and programs. To date, Girls Who Code has served 670,000 girls, women and nonbinary individuals. With Cambria’s pledge, the organization has additional support to build its reach and strengthen women in computer sciences.
Imagine a world where nature and people flourish in connection, equity and harmony. That’s TreeSisters’ vision and they use a biocultural approach, funding projects that improve socioeconomics outcomes with women, community and nature at their core.
While TreeSisters has been supporting reforestation projects for over a decade, they realized the traditional approach of simply planting more trees wasn’t the path to fostering lasting improvement. They now focus on community-led restoration and biocultural restoration, working with original and Indigenous people to lead the design and implementation of their efforts. When Cambria’s team learned about their journey, they knew this was an organization they wanted to support.
In past years, Cambria has also supported Equity Now, Women’s Earth Alliance, SeaTrees and Amazon Frontlines. Their Women’s History Month initiative provides direct financial support to these partner organizations and raises awareness around the critical issues they serve to improve.
Cambria’s approach is more than just corporate social responsibility; it is a strategic commitment to creating long-lasting systemic change. They are helping to pave the way for future generations of female leaders by providing resources to organizations that work at the intersection of climate and women’s empowerment.
Supporting Women of Today and Tomorrow
Cambria Estate Winery’s commitment to empowering women and driving sustainable change goes well beyond Women’s History Month. By championing women in leadership and prioritizing environmental sustainability, they are laying the foundation for a future where women can succeed in every industry.
By partnering with organizations that amplify the voices and impact of women, Cambria honors the achievements of today and actively shapes the leaders of tomorrow. As we reflect on the progress made, we are reminded that true empowerment comes from collective action and the courage to challenge the status quo. With each initiative, Cambria continues to inspire a world where women lead, innovate and create lasting change.
