Lee Heller: Champion of the Environment and the Welfare of All Creatures
Photo: Paul Wellman, Santa Barbara Independent
Few people are as passionate about the health of our natural environment — and the welfare of both animals and people — as Lee Heller. And few are as ready as she is to back up their passion with action, advocacy, and material support. In fact, just last month she completed the Community Environmental Council's UC Climate Stewards certification program, further widening her impact on the community.
Lee grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. She studied at Scripps College in Claremont, California, and obtained a Ph.D. in English and American Literature from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. She held teaching appointments at Mercer University in Georgia, and Hampshire College in Massachusetts. Among her many distinctions are a fellowship at the American Antiquarian Society and a stint at the Huntington Library in Pasadena. However, a deep-seated urge to take action on issues that matter to her motivated Lee to leave the confines of the ivy walls and pursue a life of activism.
Early experiences in Santa Barbara, where her father maintained a winter residence, induced Lee to choose this beautiful city on the Central Coast as her long-term home. Since then, she has devoted herself to supporting causes she cares deeply about — the environment, animal welfare, and social justice — through personal involvement, advocacy, and financial support. Being a doer who believes that convictions have to be backed up by action, Lee obtained a law degree from the Santa Barbara College of Law to enhance the skill set she uses in developing policy and making advocacy effective.
Lee has generously shared her seemingly boundless energies, insights, and resources by serving on several nonprofit boards, including the Environmental Defense Center. She shares her home with numerous cats and dogs, each of whom is the beneficiary of her personal care and love. Lee is very modest about the undeniable impact her efforts have had and tends to shy away from public recognition. Nevertheless, in 2016 she was honored as the Cox Conserves Hero and as a Local Hero by the Santa Barbara Independent.
The Community Environmental Council is deeply grateful for Lee Heller, not only for her great support over the years, but also for including CEC in her estate plan by designating a percentage of her estate as a legacy gift. We thank Lee for her generosity and for setting a shining example in our community of a life committed to the well-being of people and fellow creatures.