Tag archives: scholarships

New ED for Meals on Wheels
By Richard Mineards   |   August 6, 2024

Santa Barbara Meals on Wheels has a new executive director, Tracy Pfautch. She brings 30 years of experience with various companies and nonprofits and has expertise in finance, people management, marketing and fundraising. Having lived in our Eden by the Beach since 1998, she will elevate the profile of the charity and expand its outreach, […]

Ty Warner’s Manhattan Hotel to Open
By Richard Mineards   |   June 25, 2024

After an epic four-year battle between Beanie Baby billionaire Ty Warner and the Toronto-based Four Seasons Hotel group, his 926-foot tall I. M. Pei-designed Manhattan hostelry is reopening in September. The iconic East 57th 383-room property, once known as the most expensive hotel in New York City, has been shuttered since the start of the […]

A Celebration of Student Scholarships
By Scott Craig   |   June 4, 2024

Westmont was well represented at an annual scholarship awards celebration on May 20 at the UC Santa Barbara Multicultural Center. Seven future Westmont students were honored with $5,000 scholarships through the Program for Effective Access to College (PEAC). Six of the students plan on taking advantage of Westmont’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) […]

Foundational Support
By Richard Mineards   |   June 4, 2024

The sun finally shone after days of May Grey on the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara, which hosted its annual dinner for 200 guests at the historical museum. More than $7.1 million was given to 1,780 students in Santa Barbara County, with 1,700 turned down because of limited funds. The foundation has now awarded more […]

Scholarship Showcase 
By Steven Libowitz   |   June 4, 2024

The Santa Barbara Music Club Scholarships – which regularly produces free concerts featuring professional and other classical musicians in town – has been awarding scholarships to instrumental and vocal music students from Santa Barbara County. The scholarships provide a measure of support, aid, and encouragement to students from local schools and teaching studios. The hope […]

Scholarship Foundation Names Melinda Cabrera President
By Richard Mineards   |   July 25, 2023

Melinda Cabrera, who as Vice President of United Way of Santa Barbara County helped spearhead the organization’s robust response to the COVID-19 pandemic, has been named president and CEO of the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara. “Melinda comes to us with an impressive record of community engagement and energetic leadership,” says foundation board chair Danna […]

Welcome Chairman McGrew
By Richard Mineards   |   July 11, 2023

Danna McGrew, partner in the advisory and audit department of Bartlett, Pringle & Wolf, is the new chairman of the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara. Her two-year term started at the weekend. A Santa Barbara native, McGrew earned a bachelor’s degree in business economics at UCSB before joining the accounting firm in 1992. She was […]

In the Business of Scholarships
By Richard Mineards   |   June 20, 2023

A record $310,400 was raised for the Scholarship Foundation when 500 guests attended the South Coast Business & Technology Awards celebrating leadership and ingenuity at the Hilton. Initiated in 1995 by local business and industry executives, the awards laud companies and industries that demonstrate extreme commitment to the economic vitality in Santa Barbara County. “Since […]

Scholarly Support
By Richard Mineards   |   June 6, 2023

The 61-year-old Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara has awarded a total of $148 million in grants to students, with nearly $7.2 million this year to 1,864 recipients, retiring board chairman Matt Rowe told 200 guests at the annual dinner at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. The scheme started humbly six decades ago with the awarding […]

Guille Gil-Reynoso Joins Board
By Richard Mineards   |   April 18, 2023

Guille Gil-Reynoso, an area communications professional and women’s empowerment advocate, has joined the board of directors of the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara. Born in Mexico, Gil-Reynoso earned a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, before working as a landscape architectural designer in San Diego and George W. Girvin Associates […]

Musical Talent Shines at Guild Competitions
By Scott Craig   |   March 28, 2023

The Westmont Music Department awarded large scholarships to instrumentalists and singers as part of its annual guild competitions, attracting stellar young musical talent to the region. Aaron Wu, a cellist from Glendale, won the 11th annual Instrumental Guild Competition on Feb. 25 and will receive more than $10,000 in annual music scholarships (more than $40,000 […]

Kaganoff on Board
By Richard Mineards   |   March 14, 2023

Former policy analyst Tessa Kaganoff, who went on to direct prospect research at UCLA, has joined the board of directors of the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara. A native of Goleta, Kaganoff received a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Vassar College before earning a master’s degree in public policy at Duke University and an MBA […]

Brown on Board
By Richard Mineards   |   February 21, 2023

Retired attorney Jen Brown, whose legal work over two decades included high profile litigation spanning multiple continents has joined the board of directors of the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara. She received a bachelor’s degrees in political science and communications at the University of Washington before earning a law degree at Gonzaga University School of […]

Student Artists Honored at Museum
By Richard Mineards   |   February 14, 2023

The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara has honored 23 student artists during a presentation and reception at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. Chosen as winners of the foundation’s Art Scholarship competition, each received a scholarship and their selected art submissions will be exhibited in the museum’s Family Resource Center through Feb. 12. “This was […]

Interim President for Scholarship Foundation
By Richard Mineards   |   January 17, 2023

Former college professor and administrator Dr. Mary Dwyer has been appointed interim president and CEO of the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara. Dwyer, who led the renowned Institute for the International Education of Students through a period of extraordinary growth, succeeds Barbara Robertson, who recently announced her retirement after 22 of service to the organization. […]

60 Years of Scholarships
By Richard Mineards   |   December 20, 2022

The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary, hosted lunch at the Hilton for 250 guests to recognize donor and volunteers, after cancelling two previous lunch events in response to the pandemic. Featured speakers included Dr. Lynn Fitzgibbons, an infectious disease physician and past foundation recipient, and Arturo “Cheech” Raygoza, a […]

Saying Bye to Barbara
By Richard Mineards   |   September 20, 2022

Capping an impactful, three-decade career in the area’s nonprofit sector, Barbara Robertson is retiring as president and CEO of the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara, as of December 31. “We owe Barbara a tremendous debt of gratitude for her calm, steady leadership during a period of unprecedented social turmoil and uncertainty these past two-plus years,” […]

Strong Family Ties for Fulbright Scholars
By Scott Craig   |   June 21, 2022

Two Westmont graduates and Augustinian Scholars, John Corbett (’22) and Kyle Mayl (’21), have won Fulbright Scholarships to teach English outside the United States. Corbett will serve in the Czech Republic while Kyle Mayl will be in Spain.  The award is particularly meaningful for Corbett, whose grandfather was born in the Czech Republic. “I grew […]

SBCC Foundation Springs Forward
By Richard Mineards   |   June 7, 2022

Santa Barbara City College Foundation hosted its Spring Forward! gala on the Great Meadow of the West Campus with nearly 300 guests raising more than $450,000, with $325,000 collected even before the sun-soaked event began. The ubiquitous Geoff Green, foundation CEO, says the organization provides more than $5 million annually to support scholarships and emergency […]

60 Years of Scholarships
By Richard Mineards   |   June 7, 2022

The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary, has awarded a total of $140 million in grants to students, with $7.7 million this year to 2,139 recipients, board chair Matt Rowe told nearly more than 180 guests at the annual dinner at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. The scheme started humbly […]