The Santa Barbara Zoo has appointed Jim Jackson as the new chair of the Board of Directors, and adds new board members Ozlem Arconian, Hillary Courtemanche, Rhonda Ledson Henderson, and Jennifer Perry.
The zoo’s Board of Directors works to support the organization’s mission to preserve, conserve, and enhance the natural world and its living treasures through education, research and recreation.
Jackson is a Santa Barbara native with family roots spanning over a century. Serving as a trustee of the Ann Jackson Family Foundation for some 25 years, he brings leadership and community involvement to his new role on the zoo’s Board of Directors.
Over the past two decades, Jackson has worked extensively with nonprofits. He has served on the Santa Barbara Zoo Board of Directors as vice chair, and transition committee chair for the zoo’s new CEO search.
He also has served on the boards of Direct Relief, Laguna Blanca School, Braille Institute of America, and Ridley-Tree Cancer Center.
Jackson recently co-chaired the campaign to revitalize the Michael Towbes Library Plaza, and the campaign to rebuild the children’s wing of the Santa Barbara Public Library.
Jackson is vice president/COO of Alisal Guest Ranch and Resort, a family business started by his grandfather in 1946.
Originally from Istanbul, Ozlem “Oz” Arconian moved to Santa Barbara from London in 2012. She holds a Ph.D in economics, and has taught courses in economics and math at the University of London, Bogazici University, and UC Santa Barbara. She currently teaches at Cate School in Carpinteria.
Arconian worked with policy makers, research institutes, international development agencies, and investing bodies in the economic development field. She continues her research on economic impact evaluation, and volunteers for local nonprofits.
Arconian is a member of the Santa Barbara Zoo’s finance committee and Lotusland’s celebrates committee, and has served on the Cold Spring School Foundation Board.
As part of the Santa Barbara community for over 40 years, Courtemanche has owned and operated local businesses, and served as a yoga instructor for some 25 years.
For more than two decades Courtemanche has provided support to her husband Tooey Courtemanche, and his business Procore as it grew to be a large local employer and a global enterprise.
Courtemanche serves on both the Zoofari Ball and the Building & Grounds committees.
Henderson is a vice president of Radius Commercial Real Estate, where she guides clients through commercial real estate transactions on the Central Coast. She specializes in leasing, acquisitions, and equity sourcing.
Previously, as a founding partner at Radius Investments, she led the syndication team, overseeing major real estate acquisitions, investor relations, and dispositions.
A fifth generation Central Coast native, Henderson currently serves on the boards of the Santa Barbara Historical Museum and the Old Mission Santa Barbara. She previously served on the zoo’s board, as chair for a two-year term.
An active participant in Old Spanish Days Fiesta, in 2017, Henderson served as La Presidenta, and most recently chaired La Fiesta Pequeña.
Her past nonprofit board memberships include the Central Coast Alzheimer’s Association and the Royal Pride Foundation.
Born and raised in San Diego County, Perry embraces the diversity of environments and communities in California. She said she learned of the importance of zoos in conservation work while learning about the plight of California condors on a field trip to San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
After graduating from a small-town high school in the middle of Anza-Borrego State Park, she attended the University of San Diego, where studied archaeology.
Perry said she fell in love with California’s Channel Islands, which led to a career in archaeology, focused on understanding long-term relationships between people and coastal environments.
At UC Santa Barbara, Perry earned a Ph.D in anthropology with an emphasis on the archaeology and human story of the Channel Islands.
After some 20 years’ experience as a college professor, she shifted into college administration at CSU Channel Islands.
For more about the Santa Barbara Zoo, visit sbzoo.org.