Laguna Blanca has welcomed Tyler Duncan, Carter Thicke, and Henning Thorsen to the school’s Board of Trustees.
“Each brings a distinct combination of professional experience, community involvement, and perspective to the board, along with a shared commitment to Laguna and its future,” the school said.
The Board of Trustees plays a key role in stewarding Laguna’s mission and ensuring the school remains true to its core values of Scholarship, Character, Balance and Community, the school said.
Working in partnership with the head of school, trustees provide guidance and oversight while helping ensure the school has the resources to serve today’s students and thrive for generations to come.
Duncan is president/CEO of Rusty’s Pizza Parlors, Inc., the longtime Santa Barbara family business where he grew up and is now a second-generation owner-operator.
A technologist, restaurateur, real estate developer, and investor, Duncan has led the renovation and expansion of the company’s restaurant portfolio, refreshing half of its locations while preserving the character of the Rusty’s brand.
Duncan earned a B.S. from the USC Marshall School of Business and worked as a technology analyst at Paramount Pictures before returning to Santa Barbara in 2000.
He also serves on the boards of several nonprofit organizations. Duncan and his wife Whitney have two children.
Thicke (’15) returns to Laguna in a new role as an alumnus and trustee. He is a vice president and client advisor at Whittier Trust’s West Los Angeles office, where he advises high-net-worth individuals and families on investment management, estate planning, privately held businesses, alternative assets, and liquidity strategies.
After graduating from Laguna, Thicke earned a B.A. in international business and finance from USC and is pursuing his MBA at the USC Marshall School of Business.
Thicke is active in a number of civic and nonprofit organizations, and serves as vice president of the Board of Directors for Woodcraft Rangers, a nonprofit provider of after-school programs in Los Angeles County.
He is also involved with the Santa Barbara Polo Club, Pacific Council on International Policy, Stand Together Ventures, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara.
Thorsen is an executive and advisor in the biopharmaceutical industry and serves as head of commercial operations at ArriVent BioPharma.
Throughout his career, he has worked in drug development across oncology, cardiometabolic, and neurological disease areas, and has served on a various boards while advising companies in the biopharma field.
A 1991 graduate of UCSB with a B.A. in political science, Thorsen supports the UCSB Department of Bioengineering and other university initiatives through speaking engagements and mentorship.
Laguna Blanca School is an independent, coeducational day school serving students in early kindergarten through grade 12. For more, call 805-687-2461, or visit lagunablanca.org.