Leadership rooted in service and community

Christina has served in the public and nonprofit sectors for several years. Her work centers on women's equity, immigrant rights, marriage equality, gun safety, educational opportunity, health care, environmental justice and a stronger community safety net

She earned a bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley and a Master of Public Administration and Public Policy from USC's Sol Price School of Public Policy

Denise built a 45-year career in hospitality and spent four decades living and working in Chicago before moving to Carpinteria in 2022. Her civic involvement has included women's and immigrant rights, food and housing security, health-care access and LGBTQ+ community service

In Santa Barbara County, she volunteers in food access, youth cooking education, environmental stewardship and community beautification

Marisol is an immigration attorney based in Carpinteria and a dual citizen of the United States and Chile. Her family experience informs her understanding of the challenges faced by immigrant families and multilingual households

Her community leadership has included the Latina Professional Alliance, Santa Barbara County Bar Foundation, Teen Legal Clinic, Santa Barbara Women Lawyers and the Santa Barbara Latino Giving Circle

Lisa has served on the SBWPC Board for more than two decades in a variety of roles, including President. She has served on the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Board, led her homeowners association and mentored and managed campaigns for women running for Carpinteria City Council

Lisa received SBWPC's Oak Award in 2024

Rachel is a psychotherapist, author and longtime feminist organizer. Her leadership has included women's resource and empowerment initiatives, grants, film and speaker programs, and participation in numerous Santa Barbara civic and political organizations

Her SBWPC service has included policy, elections, the ERA committee and Candidate Assessment Teams

Vicki is a University of Illinois journalism graduate whose career has included newspaper reporting and editing, public relations, museum publicity and travel writing

She has served with the League of Women Voters of Santa Barbara, worked on political campaigns and remains committed to increasing women's participation in public life

Els is a writing and editing professional with a doctorate in English and Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley and an MFA from the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop

Her work has included teaching, university press editing and journalism covering city government, public utilities, the military and environmental issues

ej has been politically active since graduating from UCSB in 1958 and is a retired educator with more than forty years of teaching experience

In addition to serving on the SBWPC Board and leading Membership, she has served with Democratic Women and as an elected member of the Democratic Central Committee

Lynn is a political scientist who spent four decades in international development, strengthening women's opportunities and rights, reducing violent conflict and extremism and supporting democratic governance

She remains a Senior Fellow with the Alliance for Peacebuilding and volunteers locally in Santa Barbara

Elsa joined the SBWPC Board in 1999 and has served in executive leadership, policy, operations, secretary, outreach and committee roles. She was the first recipient of the SBWPC Oak Award in 2023

Since 1997, she has led Standing Together to End Sexual Assault and has spent more than forty years advancing policy and services for survivors

Sandy retired after thirty years with the Los Angeles City Council and City Attorney's Office, where she built coalitions among residents, nonprofits, businesses and public agencies

She later volunteered with the Santa Barbara Mayor's Office and has served with local community organizations and SBWPC's Elections and Appointments work

Elizabeth is a longstanding SBWPC member whose service has included Elections and Appointments, Fund Development and the Executive Board. She returned to the Board of Directors in 2026

Her civic experience includes elected service on the Hope School District Board of Trustees and appointment to the Santa Barbara City Arts Advisory Committee

Yolanda retired from the Santa Barbara County Department of Social Services after a 40-year career in Child Welfare Services, then returned for eight additional years as an Extra Help employee and contract worker

She volunteers with Santa Barbara County Foodbank programs, participates with Indivisible Santa Barbara, serves as a Legal Observer with the National Lawyers Guild Central Coast Chapter, and holds leadership roles with the Latino Elder Outreach Network and Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society

Cherry graduated from UC Santa Barbara in 1965 with a B.A. and M.A. in Physical Education and Humanistic Education, then spent more than 30 years teaching in San Diego

After returning to Carpinteria in 2014, she volunteered with the Family Opportunity Center of the Housing Authority, became active with Carpinteria Beautiful and continued civic engagement through voter outreach and advocacy for women’s rights and equality

Pam brings extensive experience in nonprofit leadership and social policy, with a professional background in vocational rehabilitation, mental health and developmental disabilities

In Santa Barbara, she served as Executive Director of Hillside, a nonprofit residential program serving people with developmental and intellectual disabilities, and she has held civic leadership roles with the League of Women Voters of Santa Barbara, including Vice President for Social Policy and leadership of its Social Policy Committee

Diana was born in Guatemala and raised in Santa Barbara. She studied political science and Spanish at Westmont College and earned a master's degree in public administration from the University of San Francisco

Her experience spans nonprofit organizations, private companies and federal service, including child care, health care, housing rights and congressional constituent service