The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara has announced that its volunteer Board of Directors selected Janet Garufis as its president.
Garufis, a board member since 2009, has served in leadership roles within the organization prior to becoming president.
She succeeds Alan Griffin, who was president of the board from 2011 to 2013. Griffin will serve on the Executive Committee as immediate past president for the next two years.
Garufis was born and raised in Los Angeles and earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from California State University-Northridge. She began her banking career nearly 40 years ago with Security Pacific Bank, now Bank of America. She has held leadership roles in retail banking, business banking, commercial banking and private banking.
She moved to Santa Barbara in 2002 to attend the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education at UC Santa Barbara to earn a Ph.D. Her educational pursuits were put on hold when she joined Montecito Bank & Trust in 2004 and became the bank’s president and chief executive officer in September 2006.
Garufis actively contributes her time and talent to local nonprofits as well as industry associations. In addition to being asked to serve as the president of the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara, she also serves on the boards of the Sansum Clinic, Fielding Graduate University, the California State University Channel Islands Foundation, Santa Barbara Habitat for Humanity and the Santa Barbara Region Chamber of Commerce.
She serves as chair of the Western Independent Bankers Association and as a director of the Pacific Business Management Institute of Pacific Coast Banking School.
In her spare time, Garufis is an endurance runner and competes in marathons.
Joining Garufis as volunteer officers on the Executive Committee for 2013-15 are Kathy O’Leary, vice president of administration; Christie Glanville, vice president of development; Erik Frost, vice president of programs; Lisa Rivas, governance chair; Taylor Woodward, secretary; Vicki Hazard, treasurer; Bill Terre, officer-at-large; and Julie Whalen Schuetz, officer-at-large.
The Scholarship Foundation Board of Directors has 40 volunteer members and is supported in its work by the foundation staff. Founded in 1962, the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara’s mission is to inspire, encourage and support Santa Barbara County students in their pursuit of undergraduate, graduate and vocational school education through financial aid advising and the granting of scholarships.
In 2013, the Scholarship Foundation awarded $8.1 million in student aid to local students. Since its founding, the foundation has awarded more than $80 million to 35,000 students.
For more information, click here or call 805.687.6065.
— Molly Kemper is a development assistant for the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara.