About

Dr. Lisa N. Drakeman

Dr. Lisa N. Drakeman is a wine consultant and educator, who has led wine education events for current and future executives at Oxford, Cambridge, Princeton and other universities. She also conducts regular wine tastings and dinners, tutors candidates for various wine certifications, trains food and wine staff, and writes about wine.  She is especially interested in how wine pairs with food, and also how it pairs with business.

Lisa is a Certified Sommelier (Court of Master Sommeliers) and a Certified Specialist of Wine (Society of Wine Educators), and has achieved the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Diploma in Wines with Merit after completing the Advanced Level with Distinction. She holds dual U.S./Italian citizenship, has lived in Scandinavia and the U.S., and has traveled to many wine regions. She received a Ph.D. from Princeton University, where she has served as a member of the faculty.

Before moving to Hilton Head, Lisa was the founding CEO of an international biotech company. In that role, she helped create two important new cancer medicines. Her goal was always to make sure medicines would be available to everyone who needed them. Following that aim, she served as the Chair of  Volunteers in Medicine (VIM), a free and charitable clinic that treats thousands of the most medically underserved patients in America. Wellness became  an increasingly important focus during her tenure.  VIM created a successful Walking and Weight-loss Wellness program to help address the over 90% of its women patients over 35 who either have risk factors for, or had been diagnosed with, cardiovascular disease.  This program combined healthy living education, downloadable pedometers, modest incentives, peer support, and a focus on patient accomplishments to build self esteem.