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Jean Doppenberg
From a young age, Jean knew she wanted to write for a living. It began with lengthy, newsy letters scribbled in longhand to her best friend, who had moved halfway across the country. Later, in her teens, she wrote concert and record reviews for music magazines, carefully composed but rarely submitted. It was all practice for a career in journalism, though she didn't know it at the time.
Through a series of lucky circumstances, Jean stumbled into her first journalism job with the Des Moines Register & Tribune, where she was surrounded by veteran reporters, editors, and photographers who occasionally won Pulitzer Prizes. She was coached by curmudgeonly colleagues who barked "Always give your story a snappy lead!" More times than not, she's followed that advice.
As a fledgling newsroom assistant, Jean worked her way up from writing obituaries and editing press releases to writing a regular column about the cable and network TV industry. She also dabbled on the advertising side of the newspaper business, developing image campaigns for a diverse group of advertisers.
Following a 15-year career at the Register, Jean swapped the cornfields of Iowa for the vineyards of Northern California, where she quickly became immersed in the wine culture. She spent several years working for the North Bay Business Journal, which covered the wine industry extensively, and also completed courses in wine marketing and winery public relations under the tutelage of industry experts Bill Traverso and Marie Gewirtz. Along the way she became the author of "The Insiders' Guide to California's Wine Country," now in its 8th edition, published by The Globe Pequot Press.
With an insatiable curiosity about people and the stories they have to share, Jean has covered industries ranging from hospitality to home improvement to healthcare. Assignments have included writing a 12-page brochure for an exclusive Sonoma Coast resort to compiling newsletter articles for private industry and non-profits.
For more than 10 years Jean has written extensively about the achievements of the nurses, physicians, and support staff who comprise the largest hospital and health system in Sonoma County. This deep insight into the healthcare industry and its many levels of service to the community has given her the opportunity to meet remarkable patients, senior citizens, and caregivers – all with a fascinating story to tell.
Jean is available for writing and editing assignments relating to healthcare, tourism and wineries, and green technologies. Please contact her at doppberg@sonic.net.
