CEC Welcomes New Members and Officers to the Board of Directors
Local leaders bring expertise to support CEC's bold climate action plans
March 31, 2021 SANTA BARBARA, CA – The Community Environmental Council (CEC) is pleased to announce a high caliber cohort of new members and officers to its Board of Directors. In a pivotal year of program expansion coupled with federal momentum, these dynamic community leaders bring a wealth of experience that will propel CEC’s bold climate action plans. As ambassadors of the organization, they will advocate, network, and promote on behalf of CEC.
New CEC Board Members
Jon Clark is a native to Santa Barbara and has served for the past 15 years as President of the James S. Bower Foundation, a local grant maker that focuses on early childhood, education, end of life care, and the environment. Jon has a long history with CEC, initially interning in the mid-80s and years later becoming the organization’s third executive director. After leaving CEC in 1998, Jon became Executive Director of the Wendy P. McCaw Foundation, during which time he served as CEC’s Board President. In 2017 he was named Man of the Year by the Santa Barbara Foundation. As an active leader in our community, Jon has served on the Boards of a number of local organizations including Cottage Health, Santa Barbara Foundation, Storyteller Children’s Center, Carpinteria Children’s Project, Direct Relief International, Santa Barbara Region Economic Community Project, and Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce.
Christine DeVries is a Management Consultant for banks, small businesses and nonprofit organizations, specializing in employee engagement, leadership training and time management. With over 30 years of experience as a Financial Services Executive, she is widely recognized for her work. A three-time Paul Harris Fellow, Christine has served on the Boards of the Montecito and Carpinteria Rotary Clubs and a number of local organizations. As a trained Climate Reality Leader and charter member of the Santa Barbara Climate Reality Chapter, she leads educational events and encourages action to address climate change. Christine served as co-chair of CEC’s Partnership Council until 2021.
David Jackson has over 10 years of experience working in philanthropy with a focus and passion for the arts and education. Working from Zegar Family Foundation’s (ZFF) New York‐based office, he helped increase the number of grantees in this field, partnering with T.E.A.K. Fellowship among others. After finishing graduate studies at Columbia, he began working in development for Little Orchestra Society in New York and helped launch the Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center in Los Angeles. David currently lives with his wife and two sons in Santa Barbara, CA, dedicating his time to researching potential grantees for ZFF, and expanding the Foundation’s outreach to more organizations committed to improving standards in education, advancing environmental justice, and pursuing solutions to houselessness throughout California.
Ivette Peralta is the Education Program Manager for Planned Parenthood California Central Coast (PPCCC), where she trains a Promotorxs team ofhealth peer-educators She Previously, she worked for Univision Costa Central as a creative content producer and at Lee Central Coast Newspapers as a bilingual reporter and producer for Santa Maria Times en Español. She also co-produced the Spanish local radio show, "Mejorando," which focused on promoting health and well-being in the Latinx community. She is the former Chair of the Santa Barbara County Commission for Women and currently serves as Vice-Chair representing the 5th District. Ivette is also active in the Latino Legacy Awards Planning Committee, and a founding member of Toastmasters Valle de Santa María.
Peter Schuyler is a Natural Lands Management Consultant. Before retiring, he spent 23 years working to preserve open spaces, serving as Director of Ecological Restoration for the Catalina Island Conservancy, Manager for the State of Hawaii's Natural Area Reserve System, and Director for the Nature Conservancy on Santa Cruz Island. He is a previous Board Chair of the Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens and Board President of the Environmental Defense Center. Currently, he serves on the board of Midland School, the Council of Advisors for the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County, and the Elings Park Campaign Advisors Council.
New 2021 CEC Board Officers
Barbara Lindemann, CEC President of the Board, is emerita professor of History and Ethnic Studies at Santa Barbara City College. After earning her PhD in History at UCSB, she enjoyed a 34-year career at SBCC teaching courses in U.S. History, History of American Women, and History of Immigration to the U.S., among others. She served in leadership positions at SBCC and in numerous political and non-profit organizations before and after her retirement. She was born and raised in a small town in southern Pennsylvania, attended Friends School, Baltimore, and Wellesley College, and earned an MAT from Harvard University. She married a Californian and has lived in Santa Barbara for most of her adult life. She can commonly be seen hiking front country trails or enjoying her EBike. She is a longtime supporter and volunteer for the Community Environmental Council and was a member of the Partnership Council for five years.
Catherine Brozowski, CEC Co-Vice President of the Board, is the Executive Director of the Audacious Foundation, and Principal of Giving Matters, a consulting firm supporting families and foundations on grantmaking strategy. She has a long history of non-profit stewardship. Catherine began her career at the National Network of Grantmakers, a network of progressive funders and served as the Corporate Giving Manager for Washington Mutual, managing their philanthropy throughout the Southeast. In Santa Barbara, she was Vice President of the Orfalea Foundation and the Santa Barbara Foundation. Catherine also serves on the Board of Directors of the REACH program, an experiential education program for high school students. Catherine grew up in Ventura County, received an M.P.A. with an emphasis in Nonprofit Management from the University of Washington and is now proud to call Santa Barbara home where she lives with her husband and two young children.
Charles Newman, CEC Co-Vice President of the Board, is a native Southern Californian with a B.A. from UC Santa Barbara and a J.D. from Washington University School of Law. His practice specialized in the defense of complex class actions and commercial litigation. Charles is a former director of the Montecito Water Board and former member of the Montecito Planning Commission.
David Pellow, Secretary of the Board, is the Dehlsen Chair and Professor of Environmental Studies and Director of the Global Environmental Justice Project at UC Santa Barbara, where he teaches courses on social change movements, environmental justice, sustainability, and social inequality. He has also consulted for and served on the Boards of several organizations dedicated to improving the living and working environments for people of color, immigrants, indigenous peoples, and working-class communities. He holds a B.A. in Sociology and Religious Studies from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and an M.A. and Ph.D in Sociology from Northwestern University. Originally from Nashville, he and his family have lived in Santa Barbara since 2015.
Kathy Yeung, Treasurer of the Board, is an entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience in start-up and mid-size growth tech companies. She is the Chief Executive Officer of ViQi Inc, a cloud-based, AI image analysis software company. Kathy co-founded Catalyst Cuisine and SimplyBridal, and served as a Vice President of Operations & Online Marketing at Oversee.net. She is also active on nonprofit boards and has served as a Partner and Board Member of the Los Angeles Social Venture Partners, Chair and Founding Board Member of KIPP LA Prep Charter School, and Board Member of The UCLA Anderson School of Management Alumni Association, where she earned an MBA and a B.A. in Economics.