Barbara relocated to Santa Barbara from Florida with her husband in 2019 after practicing trial and appellate law in Fort Lauderdale for over 40 years. Born and raised in New Jersey, she received her B.S. in business administration from Bucknell University and her J.D. degree, summa cum laude, from Nova Southeastern University. In Florida she was a member of the board of directors of Florida Workers’ Advocates, an organization of attorneys dedicated to protecting the rights of injured workers through advocacy in the courts and legislature. She also volunteered and served on the board at Pace Center for Girls, a non-profit day program providing education, counseling, training, and advocacy for the unique needs of at-risk middle school and high school aged girls. Barbara has volunteered as a reading tutor and mentor for many years. In Santa Barbara she has participated in the United Way Kindergarten Success Institute and the Santa Barbara Public Library OG Readers tutoring program. She joined the Women’s Fund in 2023 and became a member of the Research Committee in 2024.

Concetta joined the Women’s Fund in 2018, shortly after moving to Santa Barbara from the San Francisco area. She has 40 years of diversified management and consulting experience in the financial services industry. Concetta spent 28 of those years with Wells Fargo Bank, retiring as Senior Vice President. During her career, she worked in practically every aspect of retail banking, and every level from the branch to executive management. Concetta is a Chair Emeritus of the Board of Trustees of the American Foundation for the Blind, and of the Moraga Educational Foundation. Most recently she served as VP of Activities for the local chapter of Newcomers. She was born in Italy, speaks Italian and Spanish, and earned a BA degree from the State University of New York at Albany.

Gail and her husband returned to Santa Barbara after spending 36 years in Denver, where they raised their three children. She graduated from UCSB with a BA in economics, then later earned an MBA with an emphasis on research from UT Dallas.  After working in finance for several years, Gail decided to pursue her first career choice, teaching, and finished a master’s in curriculum and instruction from CU Denver.  She taught high school English for 15 years and never stopped emphasizing the importance of credible sources. In Santa Barbara, Gail has volunteered as an adult literacy tutor and ESL conversation partner and worked as a UCSB freshman application reader. She remains a perennial learner exploring at least half of the offerings in SBCC’s School of Extended Learning.

A new member of the Women’s Fund since 2022, Janessa has a Masters of Science from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts degree from UC Berkeley. Her background is in nonprofit work including in the microlending space at Kiva Microfunds and at The Foodbank of Santa Barbara. She currently serves on the board of directors of Veggie Rescue, a nonprofit that distributes excess local produce countywide to nonprofits working with vulnerable populations. She is thrilled to be joining the Women's Fund in their important work.

Kate is a former general manager for the Cachuma Operation and Maintenance Board, which manages the water rights and water supply delivery from Lake Cachuma to the water agencies on the south coast of Santa Barbara. She also developed a steelhead restoration program on the lower Santa Ynez River. Kate retired in 2014 and has been active as a singer and served on the board of directors and several committees for the Santa Barbara Choral Society.

Katey is a recent transplant to Santa Barbara from Denver, Colorado where she lived for 21 years.
Her background is in Human Resources with an emphasis on Benefits Administration and Leave Management. Prior to retirement, she worked in both the public and private sector for approximately 30 years. She retired in 2011 from the Air National Guard after 34 years of service. Katey's time in the military was primarily spent as an Aircraft Loadmaster on both C141s and C130s. Katey has one daughter who is married and lives in Denver.

Laurie has been a member of the Women's Fund since 2008. She has previously served as Research Committee Co-Chair, Grantee Liaison, and Steering Committee chair. From 2018 to 2020, she was Board Chair of the newly incorporated Women’s Fund. Currently, she chairs the Information Technology committee, the Research Committee, and continues to serve on the Board of Directors. After earning a B.A. from University of Illinois, Laurie pursued a career in financial services and in 1982 she founded her own financial research company. She was a member of several nonprofit boards across the country focused on the welfare of families and children. Since moving to Santa Barbara in 2000, she has chaired the Newcomers Club community service committee, led the United Way's "Lunch Bunch" program, and served as a board member and interim Executive Director of the Nonprofit Support Center. She has also served on the Ensemble Theatre, Social Venture Partners and Transition House boards.

Luann has been a member of the Women’s Fund since 2022. She is a devoted wife of 30 years, a proud mother to three accomplished daughters, and a passionate advocate for community service. Luann’s commitment to making a difference is evident through her active work with CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), where she supports children navigating the foster care system.
In her role as a leader for Lasagna Love, Luann oversees meal deliveries across San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ojai, and Los Angeles counties, ensuring families facing tough times receive not only nourishment but also compassion and care.
When she’s not volunteering, Luann enjoys walks around town, audiobooks, and spending time at the harbor with her husband, Darren, and their very spoiled 12 year old Labrador, Tragen.