CASA of Santa Barbara County, a member of the National CASA association, has announced the appointment of Heather Ames as president of the Board of Directors, succeeding James Burge, who remains with the organization as governance chair.
“During her time serving of the board at CASA of Santa Barbara County, Heather has been highly successful in engaging with our board members and supporters,” said Kim Colby Davis, CASA of Santa Barbara County executive director. “She has a passion for connecting people to CASA’s mission and brings enthusiasm to take CASA to the next level as we embark on a new growth plan.”
Ames is the director of human resources, senior vice president at Montecito Bank & Trust. She has 18 years of HR experience in the medical and financial services industries.
At Montecito Bank and Trust, she serves on the senior leadership team supporting the Board of Directors and executive committee in meeting organization’s strategic objectives. She also manages the Organizational Learning Department and leads the talent and leadership development at the bank.
Ames attended Santa Barbara City College and UCSB. She earned her Human Resources Management Certificate through UCSB Extension Program. She is a member of Santa Barbara Human Resources Association and Society of Human Resources Management.
“I am honored to serve as president of CASA of Santa Barbara County,” said Ames. “It’s a challenging time for nonprofits, and I look forward to leading CASA through this period of change and growth.
“We have an outstanding group of individuals serving on the CASA Board of Directors lending their time and talent, and combined with a dedicated staff and hundreds of volunteers giving their time to serve vulnerable children, I know we will come through this year stronger than ever.”
Other new appointments include Andrew Dowen, Lindsey Soleimani, Elan Shpigel, Dominick Barry and Daniel Vordale.
CASA is in need of volunteers; find information on how to volunteer or support the CASA mission at www.sbcasa.org.