Montecito Bank & Trust has agreed to become a “Friend” sponsor of the March 10, 2012, fifth annual International Women’s Festivals on the West Campus of SCC.

More business sponsorships are being sought for the festivals. Click here for complete sponsorship information.

With the theme “Live, Love, Learn,” six keynote speakers have been scheduled for the event.

Speakers include: Marilyn Tam of Aveda, Reebok apparel and retail group and former vice president of Nike; Lynda Weinman, co-founder of Carpinteria-based Lynda.com, a rapidly growing online educational service; Heidi Kuhn, founder of Roots for Peace, who announced her aim to remove all landmines by 2025 this month, poet Lucia de Garcia; and Marsha Brown, author of The Million Dollar Conversation.

Profits from the festivals go to founding nonprofit organizations, including the National Association of Women Business Owners, Girls Inc., Future Women CEOs, SCORE.org and Women’s Economic Ventures.

Patty DeDominic, a South Coast-based entrepreneur, co-founded the annual festivals five years ago. The former owner of PDQ Personnel Services Inc., which she founded in 1979, DeDominic sold that business in 2006 to a privately held firm, which now has more than $1 billion in annual sales.

“We will be helping women from when they are girls to college age and when they have their own businesses,” DeDominic said, adding that working with young women, future leaders and building self-sufficiency are key components of the festivals.

The festivals are held in March to coincide with Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, which is March 8. The event seeks to address key issues facing women today in an interactive, multicultural and entertaining format, while providing ground for networking, referrals and resource sharing.

— Patty DeDominic is the founder of International Women’s Festivals.