Carrie Towbes and George Burtness have been selected as the 82nd Persons of the Year for the Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Foundation, the organizing sponsor, has announced.
The annual Person of the Year award program honors Santa Barbara-area individuals, couples or families whose volunteer service represents a meaningful commitment to the community; addresses real community needs; enhances the quality of life in the Santa Barbara area; or has involved acts of generosity, kindness or innovation, with an emphasis on the recent accomplishments and achievements.
Towbes and Burtness will be honored for their volunteer contributions and service to the community at a luncheon, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 23 at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort rotunda. Tickets and tables may be purchased online at SBFoundation.org/PYAwards.
“The Santa Barbara Foundation is honored to serve as organizing sponsor for Person of the Year, and thrilled to join the community in recognizing Carrie and George for their extensive and meaningful volunteer contributions to improve life in our area,” said Jackie Carrera, president/CEO of the Santa Barbara Foundation.
“Both awardees this year truly embody what it means to show up for the community, and have spent years dedicating their time and expertise to advance well-being in Santa Barbara and to enrich life and increase opportunities for all of us,” Carrera said.
Towbes is a licensed psychologist specializing in child clinical psychology. She has served in schools, hospitals, community mental health centers, and nonprofit agencies as a psychologist.
She has contributed her expertise as a clinical supervisor at CALM and as a past member of the First 5 Santa Barbara County Advisory Board.
As a community volunteer and leader, Towbes has served on numerous nonprofit boards focused on children and families, including Planned Parenthood California Central Coast, Storyteller Children’s Center and Crane County Day School.
In 2008 Towbes increased her involvement with the Towbes Foundation, established by her parents Michael and Gail Towbes.
Since 1980, the Towbes Foundation has granted $25 million to some 400 organizations across Santa Barbara County.
Following her father’s passing in 2017, Carrie Towbes took on leadership at the foundation with a focus on professionalizing operations, cultivating a diverse board, and strategically funding initiatives in youth mental health, education and well-being.
“Carrie’s generosity is evident in the countless ways she personally gives back,” said Cecily MacDougall, associate executive director of State Street Ballet. “In times of crisis, such as during the recent fires, Carrie has provided pro bono counseling, offering support in urgent and critical situations.
“Her love for Santa Barbara runs deep, and she has spent decades giving back to the city she calls home. She embodies the values of honor, integrity, and civic responsibility.”
Towbes holds a Ph.D in clinical psychology, an MEd in special education, and a BS in elementary education. Before earning her doctorate, she worked as a special education teacher, supporting elementary students with learning and behavioral challenges.
Burtness, a conservationist and volunteer, spent 40 years in Palo Alto, California, where he earned a bachelor’s in psychology and an MBA at Stanford University.
At Stanford, Burtness participated in conservation biology projects in Costa Rica and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In the decades that followed, he volunteered for 15 years with Earthwatch research projects.
After returning to Santa Barbara in 1990, he spent 45 years with The Nature Conservancy, studying endangered species on Santa Cruz Island, and participated in Channel Islands Restoration’s efforts across the Santa Barbara Channel Islands and mainland.
Burtness has also dedicated thousands of hours to helping Santa Barbara institutions. He has served Cottage Hospital as a volunteer for 17 years including leading the Cottage Hospital Volunteer Board, which supports the work of 900 volunteers across three hospitals.
He was a member of the Cottage Hospital Institutional Review Board, participating in the review of research projects at the hospital.
“Mr. Burtness has volunteered at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital and selflessly given more than 4,600 hours in service to others,” said Ron Werft, president/CEO of Cottage Health. “He is loved by everyone at Cottage.”
“His spirit of giving extends beyond his time and service—he is committed to advancing medical education for healthcare providers, pledging to establish the George L. Burtness Endowment in Nursing Education Fund to support scholarships for nursing students to further their education and clinical skills,” Werft said.
Burtness has volunteered with Lotusland for 30 years; recorded books for the Braille Institute’s Talking Books program; and volunteered with Direct Relief International.
As a leader on nonprofit boards, he has served as chair of the Board for Sansum Diabetes Research Institute (a position previously held by his father Hildahl Burtness), and as president of the Lobero Theatre Foundation.
Known as the Man and Woman of the Year award until 2020, the Persons of the Year has been hosted for some 80 years. Inaugural honorees of the Man and Woman of the Year award were Harold Chase in 1942 and Pearl Chase in 1956. Jim Morouse and Peter Schuyler were last year’s awardees.
The 82nd Person of the Year celebration is supported by Legacy Sponsor Montecito Bank & Trust, Organizing Sponsor the Santa Barbara Foundation, Premier Media Sponsor Noozhawk, Gold Sponsors Cox and The Kellogg Organization, Silver Sponsors Bartlett, Pringle & Wolf, Steve and Cindy Lyons, and Patty MacFarlane, and Bronze sponsors Katina Zaninovich and Ventura Rentals.
Individuals and organizations interested in sponsoring Person of the Year may reach out to Kevin Kuga, business development manager for the Santa Barbara Foundation at kkuga@sbfoundation.org.