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Board of Directors & Advisory Board

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Rob Tadlock, President
Intellectual Property Counsel, Patagonia

Rob is Intellectual Property Counsel / Director of Brand Protection at Patagonia  where he is responsible for Patagonia’s intellectual property portfolio, litigation, and legal support for marketing and advocacy.  He is a member of Patagonia’s Grants Council and advises the company on its environmental advocacy programs.  Prior to joining Patagonia he was a litigation partner in a San Francisco law firm.  He and his family moved to Santa Barbara in 2014.

David Powdrell, Treasurer
CPA

A Certified Public Accountant by trade, David has served on a number of nonprofit boards, most recently as board chair for the Carpinteria Arts Center, 2009-2019. David was voted “Carpinterian of the Year” in 2014. Photography, playing music, writing books and adventure travel are his “happy places”.  A former surfer, David spent decades photographing the Gaviota Coast.  Zaniest adventure; David kayaked a plastic sit-on-top kayak from Oregon to Mexico with some surfing buddies. Environmental issues are paramount to David and his wife, Valerie. Preserving and protecting our incredible open spaces are among David’s greatest priorities.

Lauren Trujillo, Vice President
Foundation Director of Santa Barbara Public Library

Lauren Trujillo first came to Santa Barbara to attend UCSB where she received a B.A. in History. She received her Masters in Library and Information Science from UCLA and has worked with several nonprofits in Santa Barbara including the Isla Vista Memorial Project, the Santa Barbara Mission Archive-Library, the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Santa Barbara  Historical Museum. She sits on the board for Santa Barbara Women’s Literary Voices, the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara, United for Libraries, Association for Fundraising Professionals, Northside Optimist Club, and volunteers for the Junior League of Santa Barbara. 

Gerardo Ayala

Gerardo Ayala
Health Advocate

Gerardo is a proud Santa Barbara native who has recently returned to social services after almost 20 years in the arts.   He is a Health Advocate with the Santa Barbara County Education Office.   Previously, he spent 10 years working with the homeless community in Santa Barbara as a School Liaison for homeless families.  He has served on a broad range of non-profit boards in Santa Barbara including the Fund for Santa Barbara, The Children’s Creative Project, and Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).  

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Richard Francis
Attorney

Richard, appointed to the Board in September, 2012, has been a community activist for all of his 30+ years in Ventura. Richard co-founded and authored the SOAR initiatives which protect agriculture and open-space, putting him at the forefront of environmental protection issues throughout the county. As the former Mayor of Ventura, and the owner/director of his own multi-attorney law firm, he brings a unique skill set to the Board. Richard enjoys being with his wife, Nancy, a Planning Commissioner for the City of Ventura, traveling and being “empty nesters,” having raised their twins Hannah and Dillon, each currently attending different UC campuses.

Vijaya Jammalamadaka
Environmental Specialist

Vijaya comes to EDC with a wealth of environmental experience as a planner and as both an air quality and energy specialist. She has served on nonprofit boards and committees for more than a dozen local organizations over the last two decades in Santa Barbara. In addition to EDC’s board, she currently serves on the League of Women Voters of Santa Barbara board and is a docent at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.

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Jim Salzman
Donald Bren Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law

Jim is the Donald Bren Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law with joint appointments at the Environment School at UCSB and the UCLA Law School. A graduate of Yale College and Harvard Law School, he has written more than eight books and eighty articles. He frequently appears as a media commentator and has lectured on environmental policy on every continent except Antarctica. Active in policy debates, he serves on EPA’s National Drinking Water Advisory Council and on the Trade and Environment Policy Advisory Committee. He has been a visiting law professor at Columbia, Harvard, Stanford, and Yale as well as at five foreign universities.

Leanne Schlinger
Environmental Activist, Owner of Full Moon Farms

A passionate environmental activist with a deep concern about climate change, Leanne joined EDC’s Board in 2018. Leanne founded Santa Ynez Vacation Rentals immediately after graduating UCSB and spent 15 years managing numerous agricultural ranch properties with prominent clients in Santa Barbara County. In 2016 Leanne was awarded “40 Under 40” by the Pacific Coast Business Times and in 2019 Women’s Economic Ventures named her Entrepreneur of the Year. Beyond EDC, Leanne serves on the board of MOXI, the Granada Theater, and on the President’s Council for the Community Environmental Council.

Sabrina Venskus
Attorney

Ms. Venskus’ is the principle of Venskus & Association APC, a litigation practice in Los Angeles and Ventura counties which includes environmental and natural resources, land use and zoning, housing rights, historic and archeological resources preservation, energy regulation, and open government law.  Ms. Venskus graduated with honors from UCLA and received her law degree from Northwestern School of Law of Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon, earning a certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law.

Advisory Board

Bruce Anticouni

Michael Behrman, M.D.

Yvon Chouinard

Neil Dipaola

Paul Franz

Joyce Howerton

Craig Madsen

Marc McGinnes

Lessie Nixon-Schontzler

Bob Ornstein

Pauline Abbe, In Memoriam

Susan Bower, In Memoriam

Harriet Miller, In Memoriam

Selma Rubin, In Memoriam

Herman Warsh, In Memoriam

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