Beth joined the Women’s Fund as an Individual member in 2025 and in 2026 she joined
the Women’s Fund Membership Committee. She was born and raised in Santa Barbara
and moved to San Diego where received her BA in economics from University of
California and an MBA from San Diego State University. After college she worked in
San Diego with a CPA firm and multiple medical device startups as a Director of
Finance. For 25 years she has served as the Treasurer of a non-profit musical group in
San Diego, Westwind Brass. She moved back to Santa Barbara in 2020 where she
served as Treasurer for the Newcomers Club and is an ambassador with The New Vic /
Ensemble Theatre Company.

Blair Raber founded the Celiac Disease Program at Children’s National Health System
in Washington, D.C. with her husband, Steve. The Program is dedicated to improving
the lives of children having this disease by pursuing innovative treatments, increasing
awareness, and improving diagnosis rates. Blair served on the Children’s Hospital
Foundation board for 10 years.
Blair and Steve have two daughters, Kate and Maggie, and a son-in-law, Will. Before
raising her family, Blair served as an environmental technical editor at SAIC, Inc. in
McLean, Virginia. Her work included researching medical waste tracking methods in
French speaking countries for the Medical Waste Management Act of 1988. Blair was
born and raised near Richmond, Virginia. She received her B.A. in French from the
University of Virginia. During the pandemic, Blair became certified as an EMT and
started a compost operation for her garden that provided homegrown berries, kale, and
varieties of lettuce.

Cece Harris is a retired Corporate Executive from Abbott in Chicago, Illinois. Prior to that, she taught at the U Kentucky Med School, was a Clinical Lab Director, and chaired a Microbiology Dept. in an Iranian Med School. She has a PhD in Microbiology (U Oklahoma) and did post-doc studies at the Harvard School of Public Health. Cece is a past Board Chair for the American Society for Quality and the Regulatory Affairs Professional Society. In 2018, she published a memoir of her experiences in Iran entitled “Khanoum Doctor”. She and her husband bought a home in Santa Barbara in 2009. Recently widowed in 2019, she decided to make Santa Barbara her home and enjoys all it offers. She is Recording Secretary of the local DAR Chapter and serves on the Library Board of Santa Barbara. She joined the Women’s Fund in 2021 because it is a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with other women and serve our community.

Cristina Castelo Rodriguez has been a member of the Women’s Fund since 2021. She received her BA from UCLA with a double major in Psychology and Sociology, Masters in Counseling from LMU and Doctorate in Education from USC. She worked as a High School Counselor and College Office Director for four years. She transitioned to higher education in the Community College sector working at various colleges before obtaining a tenure Counseling position at Los Angeles Pierce College. She currently works as the Articulation Officer focusing on transfer curriculum development. Cristina has volunteered in various capacities at her children’s schools as well as the Santa Barbara Scholarship Foundation. Currently, Cristina is on the Women’s Funds Membership Committee assisting the Contributions Director.

Elizabeth enjoys organizing events for the Membership and Educational Events Committees. She grew up in Santa Barbara, attending Dos Pueblos High School and Santa Barbara Business College. She has extensive experience organizing large and small scale events for the fashion and art industry. She is an accomplished professional portrait artist who has been in the arts for 30 years. She has two children, Kathryn and Charlie, both of whom reside in Los Angeles. She enjoys Pilates, Mah-Jongg and lunches with friends.

Ginny and her husband Terry are transplants to Santa Barbara from the Chicago suburbs. They are proud parents of four children and 5 grandchildren. (Two of her daughters are new members of the Women’s Fund!) In Chicago, Ginny worked as an Audiologist and was active with several philanthropic organizations. She was on the Board of Directors of the Chicago Foundations for Women and founded a giving circle that focused on the needs of women of color in the northern suburbs. Ginny has been a member of the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara since 2017. She spent several years volunteering as a Grantee Liaison. She is now a member of the Individual Member Liaison team, helping Individual Members become acclimated and engaged with the Fund. Ginny is drawn to the power of collective giving that is front and center at the Women’s Fund. She is pleased to be part of this inspiring group of generous women.

Hannah was born and raised in Santa Barbara and now lives between here and NYC. Hannah has long had a heart for philanthropy, spending many years advocating for environmentalism, human and civil rights, and the arts. She graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with degrees in Political Science and Geology, and a minor in Dramatic Art. In her free time she loves to dance, paint, play volleyball, and go to the beach. She is excited to be part of the Women’s Fund, and give back to the wonderful people of Santa Barbara County.

Julie Sorenson has been a member of the Women's Fund since 2006 and a captain of INSPIRED since 2008. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Human Development/Family Studies with a minor in Psychology at Cal Poly. Her work experience began with direct care and management in group homes. She worked at Devereux for ten years, working primarily as a medical case manager. Since 2013, she has been V.P. of Customer Service for Sprigeo, a web-based reporting system for student safety. She is married with two daughters in their twenties. When her children were younger, she worked with ParentClick/SBParent.com, doing Marketing/Sales. Julie manages social media and newsletters for Leading From Within. She is also the Community Coordinator for the Katherine Harvey Fellows (KHF) alumni. A program alum from the KHF class of 2010-11, Julie is an involved community member, volunteering at local organizations. Still inspired, she is excited to share her passion for the Women's Fund by supporting both captains and members as one of the Group Captain Liaisons.

Katya Armistead is a student-focused administrator with over 34 years of experience and is the Associate Vice Chancellor of Student Life at UC Santa Barbara. She has been a member of the Women's Fund for over ten years and is involved with several nonprofits within Santa Barbara County, including Leading From Within as a co-facilitator of the Emerging Leaders Program and on the Board of Directors, a member of Women's Economic Venture Board of Directors, co-facilitator for Antioch University's Women in Leadership Certificate Program, and is an elected member of the Santa Barbara County School Board. Katya is a trained facilitator for the Leadership Challenge Workshop® and works with Equity Practice Group, facilitating DEI-related workshops for businesses and nonprofits. Katya has a doctorate in educational leadership from UC Santa Barbara.