Carrie Rand-Anastasiades joined the Wine Institute’s State Relations team in late November. She is the Director, Northeastern States, and will focus on all issues in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine and Ohio. Previously, she was the principal of Nome Associates, an advocacy firm in Connecticut. She specialized in environmental, tax, alcohol and health care policy during her tenure there. Rand-Anastasiades has a long-standing relationship with the Wine Institute for many years as its on-the-ground advocate in Connecticut, the association said. The Wine Institute is a California-based organization that advocates for the California wine industry at the state, federal and international levels.