At its first meeting of the new year, the Downtown Santa Barbara Board of Directors elected officers and board members for 2021.
They are President Robin Gose of MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation; Vice President Anne Petersen of The Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation; Treasurer Matt Olufs of Compass First; and Secretary Katie Grassini of Grassini Family Vineyards.
Immediate past president Bob Stout thanked Downtown Santa Barbara staff and the board for their support during his two-year tenure. He said he enjoyed serving in his role.
“I want to thank the city leaders for working so closely and efficiently on expanding dining and creating the promenade. It’s been a shining light through this pandemic darkness,” Mr. Stout said in a news release. “Our staff, our board members, all really superstars in their respective fields. And then there’s our new executive director, Robin Elander. … I just feel like all the gears have come together, and once this pandemic loosens its grip, we will have downtown really ready to roll.”
Ms. Gose has been a board member since 2017, most recently serving as secretary (2019-20).
“I am honored to serve as board president for Downtown Santa Barbara,” she said. “Our downtown has certainly faced challenges, and there will likely be more to come, but we have some successes to build upon as well. I am excited to continue supporting our community along with the talented and dedicated team of DSB staff and board members.”
The board also voted to add seven new board members: Sam Edelman of Santa Barbara Certified Farmers’ Market, Nancy Burgner of Lovebird Boutique & Jewelry Bar, Derek Swafford of Montecito Bank & Trust, Heike Schirmer of Amazon, Richard Yates of Opal Restaurant & Bar, Mary Lynn Harms-Romo of Paseo Nuevo and Brendan Searles of Mizza & 1114 Craft House.
email: gfall@newspress.com
