Catherine McDaniel

Catherine McDaniel is Senior Vice President, Member Advocacy, for the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA), where she leads member engagement, recruitment, retention, and advocacy initiatives. Since joining WSWA in 2007, she has also overseen the growth of WSWA-PAC, the association’s political action committee, and serves as a federal lobbyist advancing the priorities of the wholesale tier on Capitol Hill.

Under Catherine’s leadership, WSWA-PAC has become one of the nation’s top trade association PACs, raising approximately $2 million each cycle. She launched WSWA’s Women’s Leadership Council, creating new opportunities for networking and professional development across the industry for women leaders. In addition, Catherine has overseen the WSWA Educational Foundation supporting 100 wholesaler employees’ children annually who apply for scholarships.  Before joining WSWA, Catherine held legislative and political affairs roles with the Outdoor Advertising Association of America and a marketing role at Lamar Advertising.

Her love for the wine and spirits industry began while working in wine retail store in Arlington, VA and completed the Society for Wine Educators course. She earned her bachelor’s degree in mass communication from Louisiana State University, with minors in marketing and political science.