The Community Environmental Council (CEC) has added a cohort of new members and officers to its Board of Directors. As ambassadors of the organization, these community leaders will advocate, network and promote on behalf of CEC. They are:

Jon Clark is a Santa Barbara native, who has served for the past 15 years as president of the James S. Bower Foundation, a local grant-maker that focuses on early childhood, education, end-of-life care, and the environment.

Clark has a history with CEC, initially interning in the mid-’80s, and years later becoming the organization’s third executive director. After leaving CEC in 1998, he became executive director of the Wendy P. McCaw Foundation, during which time he served as CEC’s board president.

In 2017 he was named Man of the Year by the Santa Barbara Foundation. As an active leader in the community, Clark has served on the boards of a number of local organizations including Cottage Health, Santa Barbara Foundation, Storyteller Children’s Center, Carpinteria Children’s Project, Direct Relief International, Santa Barbara Region Economic Community Project, and Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce.

Christine DeVries is a management consultant for banks, small businesses and nonprofit organizations, specializing in employee engagement, leadership training and time management. With 30 years of experience as a financial services executive, she is widely recognized for her work.

A three-time Paul Harris Fellow, she has served on the boards of the Montecito and Carpinteria Rotary Clubs and a number of local organizations. As a trained climate reality leader and charter member of the Santa Barbara Climate Reality Chapter, DeVries leads educational events and encourages action to address climate change.

She served as co-chair of CEC’s Partnership Council until 2021.

David Jackson has some 10 years of experience working in philanthropy with a focus and passion for the arts and education. Working from Zegar Family Foundation’s (ZFF) New York‐based office, he helped increase the number of grantees in this field, partnering with T.E.A.K. Fellowship among others.

After finishing graduate studies at Columbia, Jackson began working in development for Little Orchestra Society in New York and helped launch the Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center in Los Angeles.

He lives in Santa Barbara, where he dedicates his time to researching potential grantees for ZFF, and expanding the foundation’s outreach to more organizations committed to improving standards in education, advancing environmental justice, and pursuing solutions to houselessness throughout California.

Ivette Peralta is the education program manager for Planned Parenthood California Central Coast (PPCCC), where she trains a Promotorxs team of health peer-educators.

Previously, she worked for Univision Costa Central as a creative content producer and at Lee Central Coast Newspapers as a bilingual reporter and producer for Santa Maria Times en Español. She also co-produced the Spanish local radio show “Mejorando,” which focused on promoting health and well-being in the Latinx community.

She is the former chair of the Santa Barbara County Commission for Women and currently serves as vice chair representing the 5th District. Peralta is active in the Latino Legacy Awards planning committee, and a founding member of Toastmasters Valle de Santa María.

Peter Schuyler is a Natural Lands Management Consultant. Before retiring, he spent 23 years working to preserve open spaces, serving as director of ecological restoration for the Catalina Island Conservancy, manager for the State of Hawaii’s Natural Area Reserve System, and director for the Nature Conservancy on Santa Cruz Island.

He is a previous board chair of the Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens and board president of the Environmental Defense Center. Currently, he serves on the board of Midland School, the Council of Advisors for the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County, and the Elings Park Campaign Advisors Council.

New 2021 CEC Board officers:

Barbara Lindemann, president, is emerita professor of history and ethnic studies at Santa Barbara City College. After earning her Ph.D in history at UCSB, she had a 34-year career at SBCC teaching a variety of history courses.

She served in leadership positions at SBCC and in political and nonprofit organizations before and after retirement. Originally from Pennsylvania, she attended Wellesley College, and earned an MAT from Harvard University. She has lived in Santa Barbara most of her adult life.

Lindemann is a longtime supporter and volunteer for the Community Environmental Council and was a member of the Partnership Council for five years.

Catherine Brozowski, co-vice president, is the executive director of the Audacious Foundation, and principal of Giving Matters, a consulting firm supporting families and foundations on grant-making strategy. She has a long history of nonprofit stewardship.

Brozowski began her career at the National Network of Grantmakers, a network of progressive funders and served as the corporate giving manager for Washington Mutual, managing their philanthropy throughout the Southeast. In Santa Barbara, she was vice president of the Orfalea Foundation and the Santa Barbara Foundation.

She also serves on the Board of Directors of the REACH program, an experiential education program for high school students. Brozowski grew up in Ventura County, received an M.P.A. with an emphasis in nonprofit management from the University of Washington. She lives in Santa Barbara.

Charles Newman, co-vice president, is a native Southern Californian. He holds a BA from UCSB and a JD from Washington University School of Law. His practice specialized in the defense of complex class actions and commercial litigation.

Newman is a former director of the Montecito Water Board and former member of the Montecito Planning Commission.

David Pellow, secretary, is the Dehlsen Chair and professor of environmental studies and director of the Global Environmental Justice Project at UCSB, where he teaches courses on social change movements, environmental justice, sustainability, and social inequality.

He has consulted for and served on the boards of several organizations dedicated to improving the living and working environments for people of color, immigrants, indigenous peoples, and working-class communities.

He holds a BA in sociology and religious studies from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and an MA and Ph.D in sociology from Northwestern University. Originally from Nashville, he lives in Santa Barbara.

Kathy Yeung, treasurer, is an entrepreneur with 15 years of experience in start-up and mid-size growth tech companies. She is the CEO of ViQi Inc, a cloud-based, AI image-analysis software company. She co-founded Catalyst Cuisine and SimplyBridal, and served as a vice president of operations and online marketing at Oversee.net.

Yeung is also active on nonprofit boards and has served as a partner and board member of the Los Angeles Social Venture Partners; chair and founding board member of KIPP LA Prep Charter School; and board member of the UCLA Anderson School of Management Alumni Association, where she earned an MBA and a BA in economics.