We are thrilled that our national search for the next president and CEO of the Santa Barbara Foundation (SBF) has culminated in naming Jackie Carrera to the role. Jackie, an exceptional and proven leader, will takes over the reins of this iconic 92-year-old community foundation after serving as interim CEO since January. She will break ground as the first female president/CEO in the organization’s history.
Carrera, who has 30 years’ experience in nonprofit leadership, has been with the Santa Barbara Foundation for almost two years as its chief revenue and business development officer. During that time, she helped marshal community resources to achieve the organization’s strategic priorities and to recover from the Thomas Fire and subsequent debris flow.
Carrera assumes the role at a critical time as the organization deals with the crippling fallout from the global coronavirus pandemic. As the crisis has unfolded, Carrera has played a pivotal role in mobilizing the emergency effort to bring together a funder’s collaborative of 26 members, and raising $2.3 million to address the needs of individuals, families and nonprofits through an emergency grant program.
Carrera’s appointment concludes a national search during which The 360 Group connected with many local stakeholders and formally interviewed 50+ people in order to help identify the characteristics of the ideal candidate and address the diverse needs of Santa Barbara County.
“We reached out for input in order to fully embrace and recognize the value of our many community partners,” said Steve Hicks, search committee chair.
The 360 Group is a long-time partner and fan of the Santa Barbara Foundation having placed outgoing CEO, Ron Gallo, there 11 years ago. We are very excited for what the next chapter brings under Jackie’s leadership, and look forward following SBF’s critical work and expanded impact in Santa Barbara County.
For more about the Santa Barbara Foundation, visit SBFoundation.org.