- Ph.D., International Relations, UCLA, 1967
- M.A., Soviet Studies, Harvard University, 1958
- B.A., Political Science, UCLA, 1955
Following nearly 28 years as President and CEO of Wine Institute, during which time he directed U.S. and international public policy objectives for California's wineries and winegrowers, John A. De Luca assumed the post of Executive Vice Chairman for Wine Institute in 2003. His duties include advisory, liaison, educational, and special assignments for the California wine industry.
John was appointed Senior Advisor to the President of the University of California for Agriculture and Business and is a Distinguished Visiting Scholar and member of the Board of Advisors at the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley, as well as the Council of the Friends of the Bancroft Library. He chairs the Board of Directors for the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center at UC San Francisco and serves on the Board of Directors of the Institute for Teaching, founded by the California Teachers Association. He remains Founder and Co-Chairman of the Agriculture-High Technology Alliance; Founding Chairman of the University of California President's Advisory Commission on Agriculture and Natural Resources, and Founding Member of the Director's Council, Shorenstein Center, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. John is a member of the Board of Directors of the Bay Area Council. He also serves as Senior Advisor to the Board of the E. & J. Gallo Winery.
In recent years, John has received numerous awards, including "Agriculturist of the Year" for the State of California in 2001, the prestigious "Presidential Citation" conferred by President Richard Atkinson of the University Of California in 2003, and Senate and Assembly bipartisan Resolutions of Commendation in 2003. He is the past recipient of the "Distinguished Service Award" by the Wine Spectator; "Lifetime Achievement Award" by the Wine Enthusiast; and "Torch of Liberty Award" by the Anti Defamation League. At the Federal level John served two terms on the Agriculture Policy Advisory Committee (APAC) and on the Export-Import Bank Advisory Committee. In 2007, the ten campus Alumni Associations' of the University of California honored him with the AAUC Advocate of the Year Award.
From 1968-1975, Dr. De Luca served as Deputy Mayor of San Francisco under Mayor Joseph Alioto. In 1965-1966, he served as White House Fellow in the Administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson. On the White House Staff, he worked on national security matters and served on various State Department coordinating committees. In 1966-1967, John was special assistant to Senator Frank Church of Idaho, responsible for international issues.
From 1956 to 1960 he held a Ford Foundation Grant (Harvard) and a Fulbright Fellowship (University of Rome). In Moscow in the summer of 1959, Dr. De Luca was present at the famous "Kitchen Debate" between Nikita Kruschev and Richard Nixon. In 1964-1965 he was a member of the faculty at San Francisco State University teaching courses in American foreign policy and international relations.
Dr. De Luca resides in Redwood City, California, with his wife Josephine. He has two daughters: Gina Raven and Carla Worfolk, a son, Perry De Luca and sons-in-law John Raven and Patrick Worfolk, and three grandchildren Jeremy and Julia Raven, and Sofia Worfolk.
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