Auction of Washington Wines Announces New Executive Director Katie Maltais
SEATTLE, Sept. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Auction of Washington Wines, one of the nation’s top charity wine auctions, is thrilled to announce Katie Maltais as its new Executive Director. Maltais is an award-winning nonprofit leader who most recently served as Executive Director of The 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle. She joins the organization ahead of its 39th year of fundraising to benefit the community.
The Auction of Washington Wines wrapped a fruitful season of fundraising events last month, with three marquee events taking place over the weekend of August 14-16. The announcement came during the flagship Gala on August 16, where retiring Executive Director Jamie Peha introduced Maltais to a standing ovation from guests. Maltais had been working closely with her predecessor throughout the summer to produce the Auction’s weekend of fundraising events, gaining first-hand experience around the scope and impact of the organization.
“I am honored to step into this role and build on the incredible work of the Auction of Washington Wines team,” said Maltais. “Seeing the events come together this summer and experiencing them underscored for me how deeply this organization impacts both our wine industry and our community. I look forward to building the future of this organization and expanding the ways we can support Washington’s world-class wineries and the important causes we champion.”
Maltais is an award-winning nonprofit leader with over 15 years of executive experience. A strategist with a passion for mission-driven organizations, she was most recently Executive Director of The 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, where she led operations strategy and fundraising while partnering with city and county leaders to help revitalize downtown Seattle in the wake of the pandemic. Her career includes executive leadership positions at some of the nation’s most respected regional theatres, including Stages in Houston and Curious Theatre Company in Denver, where she successfully guided multimillion-dollar fundraising campaigns, brand transformations, and organizational turnarounds.
“Among a strong group of candidates, Katie distinguished herself with her strategic thinking, creativity, nonprofit expertise, and her love for building community,” said Heather Andersen, Search Committee Chair and Board Vice President. “We are excited to support her as she leads the Auction of Washington Wines into the future.”
At the Auction of Washington Wines, Maltais will channel her expertise in cross-sector collaboration and community building to lead the organization’s efforts to champion the Washington wine industry and expand its philanthropic impact. With her experience bringing teams together around shared goals and turning bold ideas into lasting impact, the Auction of Washington Wines is excited to have Maltais at the helm to guide its 39th season of events in 2026.
ABOUT THE AUCTION OF WASHINGTON WINES
The Auction of Washington Wines is a nonprofit organization that supports the growth and raises awareness of the Washington wine industry while benefiting the greater community through annual fundraising events. Proceeds benefit Seattle Children’s Uncompensated Care programs as well as hospital clinics in Eastern Washington, Washington State University’s Viticulture and Enology Department to support crucial wine industry research initiatives, and VITAL Wines—a nonprofit winery dedicated to providing accessible healthcare to vineyard workers and their families. The auction has raised over $72 million since its inception in 1988. Key supporters for 2025 include Ackley Brands, Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery, the John L. Scott Foundation, PNC Bank, and the Seattle Times. For more information visit auctionofwawines.org. Follow the Auction of Washington Wines on social media: @auctionwawines on Instagram and @AuctionofWAWines on Facebook.
Contact:
Kayt Mathers
Email: kayt@playnicepr.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4a9088ea-f9d0-4a4c-a5ef-3500ee6333a2
Katie Maltais
The Auction of Washington Wines announces Katie Maltais as its new Executive Director.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
