Mimi grew up on her family’s vineyard, Bethel Heights. Growing up working in the vineyard and winery, Mimi gained such an appreciation for the industry that she promptly left home after high school. Armed with a BA in History and Classics from Tulane University, Mimi spent the next year working in various National Forests across the west. Her adventures fueled her passion for studying botany, forestry, and ecology. Mimi earned her MS from Oregon State University in Forest Science, and spent the next several years working as a botanist and ecologist for the Forest Service, living in the backcountry. Researching forest health in the wild led Mimi to question many things, notably whether the fate of the natural world will be decided. The unavoidable answer in her heart was that private land – agricultural land, is where the fate of the natural world lies. After spending more than a decade at her family’s estate, Mimi started Hope Well, her vineyard and living laboratory. Making wine that is the true voice of a thriving ecosystem is the aspiration of Hope Well. Mimi also works with other landowners, agencies and organizations to vision and implement the strategies and systems that facilitate durable change toward a vision for the future where agriculture embodies health, beauty, form, function, and stability for all of life.