Melissa Phillips Stroud, Vice President at Michael David Winery, is the sixth generation of the Phillips family to farm wine grapes in Lodi, California. Growing up as the youngest child of Michael Phillips, she spent her childhood surrounded by the family’s vineyards, running through the farm, and selling fresh produce at local farmers’ markets.

After graduating from Lodi High School, Melissa pursued a degree in Wine and Viticulture at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where she deepened her knowledge of the wine industry by gaining hands-on experience at Perbacco Cellars and working crush at Wild Horse Winery. She graduated with double majors in Wine & Viticulture and Agricultural Business, focusing on Wine Marketing.

Following her graduation, Melissa moved to Seattle to lead the expansion of her family’s wine distribution in the Pacific Northwest. Over the next three years, she successfully helped grow Michael David’s presence across eight states. Melissa then returned to Lodi, where she focused on managing the Western U.S. and expanding Michael David’s national on-premise accounts.

A strong advocate for the winery’s partnerships with distributors, Melissa has played a key role in driving both sales growth and distribution efficiencies. In 2012, she was promoted to Vice President of Sales and Marketing, where she oversaw the winery’s distribution network, pricing strategies, and sales programming. In 2025, she took on the role of Vice President, continuing to lead Michael David Winery toward greater success.

Melissa is a lifelong learner and continues to broaden her expertise. In 2016, she earned a Certificate in Wine Business from Sonoma State University, and in 2020, she became a certified yoga instructor. She is currently working toward her Wine Business MBA at Sonoma State.

Outside of work, Melissa is passionate about promoting the wine industry as a means to attract visitors to Lodi. In her downtime, she enjoys skiing, fishing, and traveling with her husband, Andrew, and their three sons, Matthias, Bennett, and Owen.