From left are new board members at TV Santa Barbara: (top row) Courtney Frazer, Don Katich and Laura Treat; (bottom row) Rebecca Brand, Regina Ruiz and Gary Dobbin.
TV Santa Barbara, the region’s community media access center, has added six new members to its board of directors: Laura Treat, Regina Ruiz, Courtney Frazer, Don Katich, Gary Dobbins and Rebecca Brand.
In addition, TVSB has appointed Meighann Helene board chair. The new board members along with Ms. Helene join Tracy Beard, vice chair; Michael Mongold, secretary; Dean Nobel and Teri Jori as stewards of the nonprofit organization.
“We are thrilled to have such an esteemed group of board members come together at this exciting time when community media is more important than ever,” said Erik Davis, executive director of TV Santa Barbara. “The new and returning board members bring a wealth of media and television experience, and we are excited for the future TV Santa Barbara.”
Ms. Treat, who is the curator of moving image collections at the UCSB Library, has devoted her career to preserving and providing access to regional media including local television.
Ms. Ruiz is vice president of development and marketing at St. Vincent’s and an accomplished broadcast journalist. Before joining St. Vincent’s, Ms. Ruiz anchored and reported at top-market television stations across the country for more than a decade.
Ms. Frazer previously served as the director of advancement for TVSB and currently works as a field marketing manager and helps produce “Apples to Zucchini Cooking Classes” to teach children to cook healthy meals.
With a degree in communications, Don Katich has an extensive background in advertising and marketing following many years working in local media producing and managing thousands of commercial campaigns promoting local businesses and nonprofits. Mr. Katch is the former director of news of the News-Press. He is currently a real estate agent at Village Properties.
Mr. Dobbins co-founded the Coastal View News, Carpinteria Valley’s only local weekly printed and online newspaper as well as Carpinteria Magazine, a regional lifestyle publication. Mr. Dobbins has served as an advisory board member at TVSB for more than two decades.
Ms. Brand hosts and produces TV shows and digital videos for TVSB and for many active social media platforms. She has been recognized as one of the top hired YouTube influencers in the world. Ms. Brand also owns and operates Rebecca Brand Productions MEDIA, a local production company.
Ms. Helene has served on the board since 2015, previously holding the role of treasurer. An internationally recognized video producer and current artist in residence at the Santa Barbara Center for Art, Science and Technology, Ms. Helene works for the IBM Data Science and AI Elite team and has a long track record supporting STEAM in the community, also currently serving as Fishbon’s board treasurer.
“We are very excited to welcome this awe-inspiring group of talented individuals with long track records of success in media, technology and the arts,” said Ms. Helene. “As we expand our impact in the community through new initiatives and programs, we hope we can truly empower Santa Barbara to make media that matters.”
TV Santa Barbara is a nonprofit organization which operates two community access television channels, 17 and 71. TVSB’s mission is to empower people to make media that matters. TVSB does this by providing residents with the knowledge, resources and tools to create their own original programming. TV Santa Barbara has served as the local media access center since 1974.
With studios at 329 S. Salinas St., TVSB provides members with access to video production equipment and electronic media resources to facilitate public dialogue, free speech and participatory democracy; to foster local creativity, education and culture; and to reflect our diverse and amazing community.
email: mmcmahon@newspress.com
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For more information about TV Santa Barbara, visit www.tvsb.tv.
