alumni UBC Wine Series: Bring on the bubbles

Fred Lee is the Senior Director of Alumni Engagement at alumni UBC. His team leads efforts to increase engagement and build influence among UBC’s community of more than 60,000 students on two campuses and 435,000 global alumni in over 140 countries. The Development and Alumni Engagement portfolio launched FORWARD, the campaign for UBC, which aspires to raise over $3 billion in philanthropic support and engage more than 150,000 alumni. He also serves on many committees including UBC’s CampOUT summer leadership program for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth. He received the UBC President’s Staff Award for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in 2020 and the King Charles III Coronation Medal in 2025 for his significant contributions to BC.

DJ Kearney is a Vancouver-based wine educator, consultant, and global wine expert. Her many decades in the wine industry have embraced teaching, wine writing and criticism, judging, and speaking. She holds the WSET Diploma, the ISG Sommelier Diploma, and has completed four years in the Master of Wine program. She is a WSET educator working for many global wine organizations and has trained hundreds of sommeliers throughout North America. She headed the WSET courses at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts from 2014–2024, and initiated a judge training program in Canada to help prepare the next generation of wine judges. She spent nine years as Vice President of CAPS-BC, responsible for eight Best Sommelier of BC competitions, and has directed two Best Sommelier of Canada competitions. She is devoted to the wines of her home province and has helped guide the BC industry over the past two decades. As a proud UBC alum, she’s always game to moderate tastings for the alumni UBC Wine Series. As the Director of Wine at Vancouver’s prestigious Terminal City Club, she leads a lively, highly diverse wine and spirits program.