Lisa Juliano stands outside the Naples Children & Education Foundation headquarters as a sculpture of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, is unveiled. The commanding bust, perched atop the cubic 25th-anniversary logo of the foundation’s marquee fundraiser, Naples Winter Wine Festival, catches the morning light.
For months, she’s envisioned this moment: nine 550-pound sculptures—done in partnership with Method & Concept, A Thomas Riley Company, and sculpted by Naples artist Brett F. Harvey—standing sentinel in prominent spots around town. The pieces, titled Vinum Vitae, honor Naples Winter Wine Festival’s (NWWF) $302 million legacy. A 10th, the artist’s proof, will be auctioned at this month’s festival, which has gained global recognition for its transformative fundraising and systematic approach to children’s development—educational, psychological, physical and social.
Photography by Christina Bankson
Naples Winter Wine Festival senior vice president Lisa Juliano
Naples Winter Wine Festival senior vice president Lisa Juliano is photographed at The Vine Room, on Fifth Avenue South in Naples. Her work with the record-breaking fundraiser began 15 years ago after a successful run with events at Naples Botanical Garden.
“It’s hard to believe this is actually coming to life,” Lisa murmurs. But for the NWWF senior vice president, orchestrating the extraordinary is just part of the job description.
On a cursory level, the 15-year NWWF veteran might strike you as a Wall Street type—business-like, direct body language suggesting a hyper-alertness, ready to jump from one task to the next. But spend a little time with her, and you might just as easily position the New Jersey native as a Broadway director. Lisa’s favorite questions begin with, “What if … ” and end with a lofty proposal.
One of the nonprofit’s trustees, Karen Scott, says Lisa’s work ethic is unmatched. Founding trustee Valerie Boyd describes her as someone who inspires trust with her imaginative ideas and ability to execute. “We listen to her—believe me, everybody listens,” Valerie says.
Behind the wine festival stands the Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF). The organization’s strategic powerhouse is led by CEO Maria Jimenez-Lara and her administrative team, who ensure the event’s earnings result in maximum impact for Collier County’s most vulnerable children. An army of volunteers helps leading up to and on the festival day, along with a network of 164 trustees, who advise on strategy, host events and leverage relationships to secure marquee experiences. But, the actual execution of NWWF lies with Lisa and her nimble team of five.
Year after year, the event team is charged with reenergizing the festival’s fixed, four-day formula: kickoff events on Thursday; a legacy day (including an impact showcase in the morning and lavish private dinners in the evening); a grand live auction; and a closing Sunday brunch. Outside the myriad functions for the main event, the team also oversees the production of the festival’s Salut publication, coordinates grant award ceremonies, and plans Michelin star-caliber dinners, like the annual Million Dollar Meal, where about 40 couples raise their paddles for an extravagant feast. Last year, it was in Miami with an overnight stay at Four Seasons Hotel at the Surf Club and dinner at Thomas Keller’s on-site restaurant.
The stakes are high: Every dollar raised translates to lifeline resources for children—resources that might otherwise not exist in a county where tax dollars for social services are scarce. “I want every kid to be able to have the same opportunities that mine has,” Lisa says. “It’s not fair that some parents have to worry about their kids going to bed hungry.” Last year’s auction brought in $33 million, marking a three-year, record-breaking streak.
An endeavor this large comes with a steep learning curve and unfathomable intensity. But, NCEF trustees scoped out the former restaurateurs’ potential years ago when she managed events, including the banner Hats in the Garden luncheon for Naples Botanical Garden. They could see she was a master of detail and audacious schemes. “I’ll come up with these crazy ideas,” Lisa admits with a laugh.
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Photography by Christina Bankson
The vine room
Lisa’s role requires equal parts calculation and imagination. This year, she and her team partnered with Method & Concept, A Thomas Riley company, and Naples artist Brett F. Harvey to install epic sculptures of the Greek god Bacchus around Naples to honor 25 years of funding systematic, generational impact for Collier County children. Pictured here: The Vine Room
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Photography by Christina Bankson
Naples Winter Wine Festival senior vice president Lisa Juliano
In 2021, when COVID-19 forced the auction to go virtual, her team transformed their webcast into an immersive virtual experience, complete with auctioneers ‘transported’ to digitally rendered vineyards and cheering children on the screen when a lot sold. The whole production was also broadcast on WINK News, spreading the NCEF mission to tens of thousands of households. This year, she pitched wrapping a private jet in the festival’s logo (alas, the price tag was too high). She did, however, get approval for another sky-high initiative, slated to debut at next year’s festival. Lisa won’t reveal much but teases: “It’s probably going to be the biggest one yet.”
It took Lisa time before she felt confident enough to vocalize her ideas. “Ten years ago, I would have sat in the meetings, maybe give my opinion, maybe not—I wouldn’t have even had the nerve to pick up the phone and call,” she confesses. But after 15 years, she’s secure in navigating the festival’s complex ecosystem. “I’ve learned so much from so many people,” she says. Today, her voice helps shape one of the nation’s most ambitious charity events, with stakeholders from across the philanthropic and luxury worlds.
On the morning of the Vinum Vitae installation, Lisa stands beside Method & Concept’s Chad Jensen, who masterminded the project’s design. She takes a moment to admire their creation, but she can’t linger long. Her phone is buzzing—50 or more text messages and dozens of calls daily are the norm in season—and trustees will soon arrive for a meeting. “Yesterday, I finished early. I had to. I was so tired!” Lisa admits. Early, to her, was 9 p.m., almost 14 hours after her workday began.
But she’s all in. For her, the impact transcends the long hours—and even the event itself. She thinks of the roughly 350,000 children the festival has supported over nearly three decades and how her work teaches her 10-year-old daughter, Madison, the power of giving. “Our goal is always to stay humble, to stay true to ourselves … and raise the most money that we can to make the biggest impact for kids in Collier County,” she says, adding, with a quick smile: “And along the way, have fun.”
Photography by Christina Bankson
Naples Winter Wine Festival senior vice president Lisa Juliano
Last year, Lisa’s 10-year-old daughter helped with name tags and stickering gift bags leading up to the festival. On auction day, she briefly joined her mom at the command center on the AV (audiovisual) riser. “After about five minutes, she figured it out and started yelling, ‘Bid higher, bid higher!’” Lisa recalls, with a laugh.