Jackie Carrera, president/CEO of the Santa Barbara Foundation, and Ashley Costa, executive director of the Lompoc Valley Community Healthcare Organization, will be honored at the 2026 LEAP Awards.
Das Williams will be recognized as the Distinguished Alumnus.
The 2026 LEAP Awards will be a milestone celebration of LEAP’s 55th anniversary as a nonprofit and 50 years of its Children’s Center. For the first time in six years, the event will be held in person Saturday, Feb. 28 at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort.
The brunch will bring together community leaders, philanthropists, and partners who believe in creating thriving futures for children and families.
“As we celebrate 55 years of service, we are honored to recognize Jackie Carrera, Ashley Costa, and LEAP alumnus Das Williams,” said Lori Goodman, LEAP CEO. “Each, in their own way, has strengthened families, lifted voices, and inspired children to shine.
“Their leadership reflects the very heart of LEAP’s mission, and we are proud to celebrate them alongside our community.”
Tickets and tables may be purchased online at leapcentralcoast.org/2026-LEAP-Awards.
“I am profoundly honored by this recognition from LEAP, an organization that I respect tremendously,” said Carrera. “LEAP is a beacon for the communities it serves, providing children and families with the stability and continuity needed to ensure they are strong and resilient.”
“I’ve tried to support LEAP’s work with children [ages] 0-5 in Lompoc however I can, so to now be recognized by an organization and leader I deeply admire — and to be included among such a respected group of honorees — is truly humbling. I am sincerely thankful,” said Costa.
Proceeds from the LEAP Awards event will support community services, including: Early Education Programs and Children’s Centers , Family Resource Center , and Diaper Bank, providing essential supplies to families in need.
“I am deeply honored to receive this Distinguished Alumni award from LEAP,” said Williams.
“Back in 1984, what was then called Isla Vista Youth Projects was truly visionary — simply providing a safe afterschool space where kids (of 10 different races and ethnicities in my class) could come together and just be kids,” Williams said.
“As someone who later faced housing instability as a teenager, I understand how crucial that kind of supportive environment is for kids and how crucial these resources are for families,” he said.
Individuals and organizations interested in sponsoring the 2026 LEAP Awards may reach out to Kara Shoemaker, LEAP’s director of development, at Karas@leapcentralcoast.org.
About the award recipients
Carrera serves as president/CEO of the Santa Barbara Foundation (SBF), the California Central Coast’s oldest and largest community foundation.
Founded in 1928, SBF envisions a thriving community for all and works to mobilize philanthropic capital and collective wisdom to build empathetic, inclusive and resilient communities.
Since joining SBF in 2018, Carrera has led efforts to refine its strategy, develop financial and human resources, drive new revenue opportunities, refine the business model, further develop the donor base and endowment, and increase impact.
During her tenure, the foundation’s assets grew from $500 million to $900 million with $5 million in grants made in 2024, SBF reports.
Carrera has some 36 years of leadership experience in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors.
Prior to her work in Santa Barbara, Carrera served for nearly 22 years as president/CEO of the Parks & People Foundation in Maryland. While there, the organization became a national leader in issues related to urban parks, youth development, and the environment.
She is a licensed consultant in nonprofit management and has a BBA in finance from Loyola University in Maryland and Certificate on Nonprofit Management from University of Wisconsin Extension.
Carrera has been named one of the Central Coast’s 50 Most Influential People in the Region by the Pacific Coast Business Times annually from 2021-25.
Costa is a third-generation native of the Lompoc Valley. After graduating from Lompoc schools, she earned a degree in political science with a minor in Portuguese from UCLA, graduating cum laude.
Committed to public service, she made history at just 22 years old as the youngest person ever elected to the Lompoc City Council. During her four-year term in office, she served on the board of the Air Pollution Control District and CommUnify.
While serving on the City Council, Costa volunteered on the Healthy Lompoc Coalition, reinforcing her passion for community well-being. The work inspired her to join the Lompoc Valley Community Healthcare Organization (LVCHO) as director of dommunity health.
Now, as executive director for over a decade, she has led initiatives that promote health, wellness, and equity in the region.
One of Costa’s most impactful projects was co-chairing the multi-year campaign to renovate the Lompoc Community Track and Field at Huyck Stadium. With her leadership, the campaign raised $1.7 million, the largest private contribution in Lompoc Unified School District’s history.
The newly upgraded facility now serves as a state-of-the-art space for students and the public to exercise and recreate.
Passionate about her hometown of Lompoc, Costa is committed to strengthening community resilience, addressing the social determinants of health; advancing health equity; and encouraging civic participation.
Costa is currently pursuing a law degree at the Colleges of Law.
Williams has served in public office for two decades, first on the Santa Barbara City Council (2003-10), in the California State Assembly (2010-16), and as Santa Barbara County supervisor for the First District (2016-24).
Today, he serves as senior advisor for Policy and Legislative Affairs for Central Coast Community Energy (3CE), working to provide 100% clean energy to 1.2 million people across five counties and 34 cities — 10-15 years ahead of California’s timeline — to give children a cleaner and healthier planet.
Growing up in Santa Barbara, splitting time between his parents in Ojai and Isla Vista, life circumstances caused Williams to drop out of Dos Pueblos High School and live in a van as a teenager.
He found his way back through education at Santa Barbara City College, where he discovered his life’s calling under Dr. Manoutchehr Eskandari-Qajar: to be “a voice for the voiceless.”
This mission took Williams to South Africa to work for Nelson Mandela’s African National Congress during the country’s first democratic election in 1994.
After earning a degree from UC Berkeley, Williams returned to Santa Barbara to attend UCSB’s Bren School and began his career in public service.
As a state assemblymember and chair of the Assembly Higher Education Committee, Williams authored bills that expanded access to California’s public universities and colleges.
Following the deadly Isla Vista mass shooting in 2014, he passed landmark gun-safety legislation and organized gun buy-back events to remove dangerous guns from our neighborhoods.
As a county supervisor, Williams helped secure more funding for infant childcare, and expanded after-school programs for working families.
Understanding that stable housing provides the foundation children need to succeed, Williams authored local laws strengthening renters’ rights; created emergency assistance programs to prevent family evictions; and supported affordable and rental housing projects working families need.
Williams lives in Carpinteria with his family.
LEAP (Learn. Engage. Advocate. Partner) mitigates the effects of poverty, racism and trauma by providing trauma-informed child care, comprehensive, culturally sensitive family support, and visionary community leadership.
“We envision a community where children are loved, valued and respected, and families are supported to reach their highest potential,” the organization said. For more, visit www.leapcentralcoast.org.