Board of Directors

Luz grew up in the greater Los Angeles area and is the daughter of hardworking immigrant parents. The product of public K-12 schools, she graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Chicano/a Studies from Stanford University (where her activist and advocacy work took hold as an elected Undergraduate Senator). She went on to obtain Master of Planning and Master of Public Administration degrees from the University of Southern California (USC).

Luz has over ten years of professional experience working in the fields of economic development, land use planning, community development and communications. She currently works as the Executive Director of Public Affairs and Communications for Santa Barbara City College (SBCC).

She is an active member of her community and serves as an elected Trustee on the Goleta Union School District Board. She is also an Executive Committee Member for the Santa Barbara Sierra Club and is on the Board of the Planned Parenthood Central Coast Action Fund.

She loves living in Goleta (the Goodland) with her husband, Diego, their children Sebastian and Aurora and two dogs.

Andria Martinez Cohen has worked as a professional in the field of economic development for more than a decade. After working for a local non-profit organization dedicated to micro-enterprise development called Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) for nearly 4 years she joined the National Development Council (NDC) as a loan officer and underwriter for their CDFI affiliate, the Grow America Fund, in late 2009. NDC is a national non-profit dedicated to increasing the flow of capital to underserved urban and rural areas for job creation and community development. Her passion is to help entrepreneurs and women overcome adversity and achieve success through education, opportunity and financial empowerment. She is a strong advocate for underrepresented communities and working class families.

Andria’s community involvement in Santa Barbara includes volunteer work with the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara providing free income tax preparation services to low income families and teaching financial literacy in Spanish. Andria was a candidate for City Council in Santa Barbara’s district elections in 2015 and, although she lost the election, in 2016 she was appointed to a four-year term with the City of Santa Barbara Parks & Recreation Commission. In addition, Andria is a member of the following local organizations: Santa Barbara Women’s Political Committee, Democratic Women of Santa Barbara, SB Channel Keeper, Sierra Club, Planned Parenthood Young Advocates, Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition, and Friends of Los Banos. Born and raised in Long Beach, CA, Andria moved to Santa Barbara in 2005. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics with minors in Spanish and Portuguese from the University of California Los Angeles. She resides on the eastside of Santa Barbara with her husband, Eric Cohen, her daughter, Aya Flores Cohen, and dog, Chico.

Madison moved to Santa Barbara from Portland, Oregon in 2014 when her husband began his PhD program in materials science at UCSB. She fell in love with the Santa Barbara area, but as she settled into her new home the state of the nation grew more and more concerning. While Madison had long had a strong interest in politics, after the 2016 election she could no longer only observe—she had to get involved. After participating in the Women’s March in Los Angeles and meeting the inspirational women of SBWPC, Madison joined the organization and dove in head-first. She teamed up with Amanda Hsiung and Andria Martinez Cohen to start the Young Feminists sub-committee, aimed to increase young women’s awareness and engagement in SBWPC and more broadly in politics.

Carol Keator is the former director of the Santa Barbara Public Library System, an avid reader, and passionate champion for intellectual freedom, social justice and equality for all.

Leslie is very pleased to serve on the SBWPC Board following a long career in the Santa Barbara secondary schools where she taught economics, history, and government. She holds degrees in History and in Interactive Educational Technology (M.A.) from UCSB. Among several education awards, she is most honored to have received the California Teachers Association’s Human Rights Award for Women’s Issues and the Santa Barbara County Schools’ Girsh Teaching Tolerance Award.

Leslie has served on several education and business boards, including the national Board of Directors of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). Currently, in addition to the SBWPC Board of Directors, she also serves on the Board of a local business. As co-chair of the SBWPC Legislation and Advocacy Committee, she enjoys pursuing her interest in the legislative processes of both the state of California and of the federal Government.

I am a native of Chicago and have lived in Santa Barbara for 32 years. I graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in journalism. I was a reporter for the Champaign-Urbana News Gazette—the first woman in that newspaper’s history to be assigned a city beat. I was a writer and editor for several California newspapers, was a partner in a public relations firm, coordinated publicity for the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, did magazine travel writing, and volunteered for the PTA and other local organizations. For the past five years I have been on the board of the League of Women Voters of Santa Barbara and am currently (until June 2017) the communications director. I was data entry coordinator for the county 2008 Obama campaign and have been involved in several local political campaigns. I hope to see more women involved in politics and am a strong supporter of WPC’s issues and goals.

EJ has been a political activist since she graduated from UCSB in 1958. She is a retired teacher of 40+ years. She has traveled to every continent on the planet and taken a dip in both the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans (and has the tattoos to prove it). EJ moved back to Santa Barbara in 2003 to help her daughter, Farfalla, raise Rosalind (13 years old now). Besides serving on the WPC Board, she is on the Democratic Women’s Board, VP of the Democratic Service Club, and an elected official of the Democratic Central Committee

Dr. Anna Everett, is a Professor of Film, Television and New Media Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). She moved to Santa Barbara in 1997. She lived in Goleta early on, and currently resides in Santa Barbara’s 2nd District. At UCSB, Dr. Everett’s former administrative positions include: Interim/Acting Associate Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Academic Policy; Chair of the UCSB Department of Film and Media Studies, Director of the UCSB Center for Black Studies.

She is a former Fulbright Senior Scholar, among other honors and awards. Her many publications include the books Returning the Gaze: A Genealogy of Black Film Criticism, 1909-1949; Learning Race and Ethnicity: Youth and Digital Media (for the MacArthur Foundation’s series on Digital Media, Youth, and Learning), New Media: Theories and Practices of Digitextuality, AfroGeeks: Beyond the Digital Divide, Digital Diaspora: A Race for Cyberspace, and Pretty People: Movie Stars of the 1990s.

Since 2014, Dr. Everett has been a member of SBWPC and member of the Candidate Development Committee and later a member and subsequent co-chair of the Media Committee. Presently, she also serves as the Chair of the Santa Barbara County Commission for Women.

Elsa Granados joined the Santa Barbara Women’s Political Committee Board in 1999.  As a board member, she has served as a member of the executive committee in the capacity of Vice President of Policy, Vice President of Organization and Secretary.  She has also served as the Chair of the Elections and Appointments and the Outreach Committees.  She also participated on the Fund Development, Candidate Development and Membership Committees.  Ms. Granados has a B.A. in Psychology and an M.A. in Public Administration.  For the past 19 years,  Ms. Granados has served as the Executive Director of Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center.  She has been a member of the board of directors of the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA), and of the Fund for Santa Barbara.  In addition, she served on the Santa Barbara County Affirmative Action Commission.

Kenia Guinto grew up in Santa Barbara, graduating from Santa Barbara High School. Currently working towards her MBA at California Lutheran University, she holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics and Political Science from California State University Northridge. Even as a Santa Barbara teen, Kenia showed her passion and commitment for change and support for those underrepresented. She was appointed and served as a Santa Barbara Youth Council member and received the honor of Youth Leader of the Year. In addition to serving on the SB Youth Council board, Kenia has participated in organizations such as, Alcohol & Drug Abuse Prevention (ADAP), Upper Bound, Future Leaders of America, yStrive for Youth, Inc. and Project Excel. Kenia is proud of her participation and coordination of bringing the first exclusively teen only teen center to Santa Barbara, Twelve35 Teen Center. The teen center continues to be a community highlight, currently ran by the Police Activities League. Kenia has interned for the Santa Barbara City Council and still volunteers her time helping mold teens in our community. Kenia is proud of her efforts to help others in the community and hopes to inspire others to believe in themselves and thrive for success.

Charlotte A. Gullap-Moore is a board certified Adult Health Nurse Practitioner and the business owner of Moore On Health™. When she is not caring for patients, she is advocating for the advance practice nursing profession, participating in events benefitting the community, working in her organic garden or exercising. Charlotte and her husband moved to Santa Barbara in 2011 after living abroad in Shanghai, China. She is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and a proud alumna of Temple University. Charlotte is a lover of life and believes that to whom much is given much is required.

Lisa has served on the board for 17 years in a variety of positions, including President. Lisa loves working with such a dynamic, diverse group of women. Lisa also enjoys being with her grandchildren as well as playing mah jongg.

Hathor is an artist and mask maker. She has been a social justice activist since the 1960s. Her awards include 1997 Gay and Lesbian Business Association Humanitarian Award, NASW 2013 Public Citizen of the Year, and 2013 Independent Local Hero award.

Meagan was born and raised in beautiful Santa Barbara County and joyfully returned with her husband, Nick, following the birth of their daughter, Maura. Meagan received her B.A. from Wellesley College (where both her commitment to feminism and her love of the political process truly took root), her Master’s degree in Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University and her J.D. from New York University.

These days Meagan is a practicing real estate finance lawyer with the global law firm of Morrison & Foerster. Prior to joining her current firm, she spent a year as a Visiting Fellow at Harvard Law School’s Islamic Legal Studies Program, where her research focused on creative solutions to the challenges of efficient and effective deployment of international humanitarian aid. Meagan also spent a year in Afghanistan working with a German NGO to implement a large-scale humanitarian services project in villages across the country. Her work in Afghanistan was premised on connecting value-chain development initiatives and direct microfinance lending schemes to improvements in community housing, health and sanitation.

Meagan is very involved in Santa Barbara County civic life: she serves as a Supervisor-appointed Commissioner on the Board of the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara, where she works on issues of affordable housing and homelessness in the County. She is on the Board of Directors of the Santa Barbara County Bar Foundation, is active in Santa Barbara’s chapter of the League of Women Voters and she manages, every once in awhile, to read a book and cook a nice meal (two of her favorite things).”

Amanda grew up in Maryland and moved to Santa Barbara in 2014 to join Vitamin Angels, a nonprofit whose mission is to help at-risk populations in need gain access to lifesaving and life changing vitamins and minerals. As the Asia Regional Program Manager at Vitamin Angels, Amanda is responsible for finding new organizations that are eligible to receive vitamin grants and supporting them through the process of applying for, receiving, and distributing vitamins and deworming medication. Previously, Amanda worked at The Global Fund for Children, where she managed a portfolio of grantees working to ensure that children in East and Southeast Asia are educated, healthy, and safe. Amanda is also passionate about girls’ empowerment and women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights, volunteering for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Santa Barbara Country and Planned Parenthood Central Coast. Amanda holds a BA from Vassar College and an MA in International Affairs from The George Washington University.

Beverly is a retired Calf. Workers’ Compensation Judge, mediator and arbitrator, and an attorney for over 35 years. She graduated with a B.A. from Portland State Univ. in Portland, Ore., and a J.D. from Hastings College of the Law. She is a past president of Democratic Women of Santa Barbara County, and has worked on numerous political campaigns for both candidates and issues. She has two adult children.

Jacqueline Inda was born in Santa Barbara and grew up as a foster child on the east side of town. She became emancipated at the age of 17 and obtained her own foster care license for teens in this county. She obtained her degree in Drug and Alcohol Counseling, business administration, paralegal studies, and legal mediation.

She is a social justice advocate speaking on behalf of the most voiceless in the community including fighting against the gang injunction and leading the fight for voting rights with district elections in Santa Barbara.

Sandy Kievman is recently retired from nearly Thirty years, working for Los Angeles City Councilmembers and the City Attorney. Sandy’s primary focus in all three offices was to organize and work with the community and government agencies to resolve problems in neighborhoods, including gang and drug problem areas; school safety issues; as well as restorative justice programs dealing with prostitution; homelessness; and misdemeanor crimes. Sandy also created a non-profit agency that worked to provide weekend and after school activities for youth living in underserved communities to prevent gang involvement. She was also an organizer of the San Fernando Valley Coalition on Gangs, a collaboration of more than 50 agencies designed to assist the police by providing services to youth and families, with the goal of reducing gang violence. Sandy has had experience working on campaigns and ran a campaign office for one of her employers (off duty).

Stacy moved to Santa Barbara in 2012 and has enjoyed being a member of SBWPC’s Young Feminist committee and the Feminist Club at Santa Barbara City College. She is currently an undergraduate studying biopsychology at UCSB. She believes in upholding democracy, culture, sisterhood, and human dignity.

Kate moved to the South Coast in 1977 and attended schools in Carpinteria before heading to UC Berkeley for her undergraduate degree. After graduation and time spent abroad, she returned to Santa Barbara and was elected to the Santa Barbara School Board in 2006. She is the senior member of that board and finishing her third term as board president. Kate received her Master in Library and Information Science from San Jose State University in 2015 and is currently the library director at Cate School in Carpinteria She has raised three children with her husband, Ian, a research scientist.

Christina has served in the public and non profit sectors for several years. Her true passion is social justice – women’s equity, immigrant rights, marriage equality, gun safety, education parity for all students, health care for all, environmental justice, and further strengthening the community safety net.

Ms. Pizarro received her Bachelor’s degree from University of California, Berkeley and earned a Master’s in Public Administration and Public Policy from the University of Southern California’s Sol Price School of Public Policy. She enjoys volunteering, taking lengthy trips abroad, interacting with people from all walks of life, and expanding her cultural competency.

Catherine is a lifelong feminist, committed to SBWPC vision and mission. She emigrated from Brussels, Belgium in 1986 and attended SBWPC first event in 1988. She served on the board in the 1990s then took a break to concentrate on her legal career. She is passionate about women’s rights here and abroad. She volunteers with Partners in Education and is the President of the Chad Relief Foundation, a NGO working with refugees in southern Chad. where she travels regularly. By day, she is a criminal and civil trial attorney with Sanger Swysen & Dunkle.

Pam grew up in central Indiana with short stints in Florida and Washington, D.C. She was a single parent for 19 years with a son and daughter, living in and rehabilitating Victorian houses in Muncie, Indiana. There she was active in her neighborhood association and helped to establish a reinvestment corporation to revitalize the area.

She has degrees in home economics education, community education and curriculum. She worked in the fields of vocational rehabilitation, mental health and developmental disabilities as a counselor and administrator.

She moved to Goleta 23 years ago and is married to David Tambo. She enjoys traveling around the globe since retiring from Hillside House in 2012. At home she serves on the Hillside House board as well as SBWPC and is involved with the League of Women Voters and the Association for Women in Communications. In the evening she likes to knit and do needlework.

Emily is a graduate student at the University of California in Santa Barbara. She currently serves as the President of Women in Science and Engineering at UCSB, where she works to empower women and girls pursuing careers in male-dominated science and technology fields. After living in both rural Iowa and the south side of Chicago, Emily is very passionate about economic justice and the effects of rural and urban poverty. Emily hopes to continue to empower women through progressive policy and community outreach as a member of SBWPC’s Legislation & Advocacy, Networking, and Young Feminists committees.