Guy D. Smith, a noted, long-time Santa Barbara educator, has joined the Ernest Brooks Foundation Governing Board.
Smith, who is currently executive director of SynED, a firm that provides higher education-consulting services, was previously chairman of the BA program at Antioch University in Santa Barbara.
He was also affiliated with Santa Barbara City College for 34 years, serving as dean of educational programs, director of the School of Media Arts, and longtime professor and division chair of the English Department.
“Working with the Ernest Brooks Foundation to help bring the Brooks’ name back to its roots in Santa Barbara is an honor, as well as a worthy challenge,” Smith said.
Smith is the recipient of numerous grants and awards, and the author of articles on education and the media. A resident of Montecito, he is married and has two children.
The Ernest Brooks Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) pending, was founded in 2018. It is dedicated to building upon the 70-year legacy established by Ernest H. Brooks Sr. of producing perceptive, skilled and creative visual artists.
The Ernest Brooks Foundation Board reunites former Brooks Institute administrators, instructors, program chairs, alumni and supporters, bringing a combined 200-plus years of experience to the effort.
Among the foundation’s initiatives is Brooks at UCSB, which offers courses in photography taught by former faculty members of Brooks Institute of Photography, and special guest instructors.
Ernest Brooks Sr. founded Brooks Institute in 1945. It came to be acclaimed as one of the premier schools of photography and visual arts worldwide. The school closed its doors two years ago.
Today, the Ernest Brooks Foundation works in collaboration with UCSB through the Brooks at UCSB initiative.
For more information, visit ernestbrooksfoundation.org.
— Shukri Farhad for Ernest Brooks Foundation.