After a little over one year of working with the New York Public Administrator’s office and the N.Y. Attorney General’s Charitable Division Bureau, the process of creating a new Bellosguardo Foundation under the late Huguette Clark’s settlement agreement has been completed.

As per the settlement agreement, the foundation’s Board of Directors consists of three named individuals and seven others nominated by Santa Barbara Mayor Helene Schneider.

As part of the process, the mayor, public administrator and the board agreed that the foundation would best be served by seating a total of 19 individuals to the initial Board of Directors.

The founding members of the Bellosguardo Board of Directors are:

Members

» Stephen Clark — vice president and general counsel of J Paul Getty Trust

» Joshua Conviser — author/film producer

» Robert Day — chairman, Keck Foundation; chairman, Trust Company of the West

» Ian Devine — Clark family representative

» Perri Harcourt — investor/community philanthropist

» Jim Hurley — retired attorney for the late Huguette Clark

» Peter Jordano — president/CEO of Jordano’s Inc.

» Morris Jurkowitz — investor/community philanthropist

» Robert Lieff — of counsel/founder for Lieff Cabraser Heimann and Bernstein LLP

» Diane McQuarie — co-founder MapFrame (retired)

» Sandi Nicholson — community philanthropist

» Jack Overall — Dantz Development Corp. (retired)/community philanthropist

» Charles Patrizia — Corcoran Gallery representative

» Jim Petrovich — investor/community philanthropist

» Ron Pulice — former chair/CEO of Pulice Construction/community philanthropist

» Joan Rutkowski — retired opera singer/community philanthropist

» Gary Tobey — president of Haworth Marketing & Media Co.

» Anne Smith Towbes — community philanthropist

» Dick Wolf — film and television producer

This foundation will oversee Clark’s Santa Barbara Bellosguardo property once probate is completed in New York State. At that time, this foundation will also take possession of Bellosguardo’s furnishings and artwork, and Clark’s extensive doll collection.

Negotiations between the Internal Revenue Service and the estate’s executors are ongoing, and are estimated to take another 12 to 18 months. During this transition, the estate will continue to provide management of the Bellosguardo property.

“I have full confidence that this group of 19 stellar individuals will engage in a process that will give the Bellosguardo Foundation every chance to reach its full potential,” Schneider said. “As soon as the foundation receives ownership of Bellosguardo, the board can start transforming this 23-acre property from the mysterious mansion on the hill to a place that will foster and promote the arts for the public good. I know the Santa Barbara community has dreamed about this opportunity for decades, and I am very appreciative of everyone’s assistance and patience since the settlement was announced in September 2013.”

“I am very pleased that this important milestone in the settlement of the estate of Huguette Clark has been reached,” stated Hon. Ethel Griffin, Esq., public administrator of New York County. “The Public Administrator’s office looks forward to working with the Board to ensure that the property is successfully transferred to the foundation.”

— Helene Schneider is the mayor of Santa Barbara.