The Junior League of Santa Barbara (JLSB) has thanked outgoing president Raina Palta for her leadership since June 2021, and welcomed incoming president Jenni-Elise Ramirez for the remainder of the current league year and for her upcoming two-year term, 2023-25.
Palta has been a member of JLSB since 2012, having transferred from the Junior League of Miami. During her time with JLSB, before becoming president, she served in various roles, including strategic planning chair, focus area vice chair and vice chair, and Community Council director.
As president, June 2021 to February 2022, Palta was voted in as the league’s first two-term leader in decades. During her tenure, she started by unveiling a new JLSB theme, Lift-Lead-League, which highlighted the JLSB’s focus of lifting its members and leading through volunteerism to improve the community.
Palta, who is an epidemiologist at Behavioral Wellness, joined the Junior League in 2016 to make a direct, local impact on women and girls who are vulnerable to being trafficked or exploited.
Under Palta’s leaership, in 2022 JLSB held its 12th Annual Gala, which raised a total of some $88,000 that directly supported the nonprofit’s mission to improve the lives of at-risk young women by educating and empowering them to reach their potential while working to prevent exploitation and injustice in the Santa Barbara community.
Ramirez has been a member of the Junior League since 2014. She served in various JLSB roles, including Impacts chair for two years, Community Council CD, Membership Council CD, director at large special projects, and president elect.
Ramirez plans to continue to focus on advocacy, community relations, partnerships, mentorships, inner league connections and fundraising.
Professionally, Ramirez works at Santa Barbara Middle School on development, admissions, and running the community action club, a crew of students giving back to the community.
As the JLSB president Ramirez said she looks forward to a year of opportunities to grow new leaders who are interested in making a positive impact in their community.
She hopes to strengthen her connections internally with league members, and externally with community partners and leaders.
As JLSB approaches its 100th year, Ramirez said she is excited to be able to grant more financial assistance through Community Assistance Funds (CAF) to local nonprofits and celebrate all that JLSB has done during its first century.
For more information and opportunities to join the League, visit JLSantaBarbara.org or contact Join@JLSantaBarbara.org.