SBCC Foundation Welcomes Four New Members to its Board of Directors

The SBCC Foundation recently welcomed four new members to its board of directors: directors-at-large Daniel Emmett, Madeleine Jacobson, Ben Scott, and ex officio member Dr. Kathy Scott. The SBCC Foundation board of directors provides strategic leadership to the Foundation. The board is currently composed of 11 community leaders who serve voluntarily and 5 ex officio members who serve by virtue of their leadership positions at the college.  

Daniel Emmett is CEO of Next Energy Technologies, and has spent 25 years working at the intersection of energy and the environment with a focus on solutions to improve energy efficiency in commercial buildings and adoption of renewable energy. Daniel was Managing Director of Innovo Energy Solutions Group, specializing in bringing clean technologies to market. He also served as the Executive Director of Energy Independence Now, overseeing programs in policy and advocacy to address petroleum dependence and climate change. Prior, Daniel led a portfolio-wide energy efficiency and conservation program for one of Southern California’s largest owner/operators of Class A commercial office buildings. Daniel also worked on clean fuels and energy conservation issues as the Energy Programs Director at Environment Now Foundation, and in Indonesia and Central America doing conservation-based development for U.S.AID and Conservation International. He holds a B.A. from the University of California Santa Cruz in Environmental Studies and Economics, and an M.A. in International Development Policy from Stanford University. Daniel serves on the boards of the Environmental Defense Center and the UCLA Law Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.

Madeleine Jacobson moved to Santa Barbara with her husband Peter 15 years ago from the Boston area. In Boston, while raising their two sons, she was a member of the Children’s Hospital League, which was a fundraising organization for Boston Children’s Hospital. She had many roles on the League’s Board of Directors including president and chairperson for the annual fundraiser.

After settling in and familiarizing herself with Santa Barbara’s many non-profits, she decided to become a Court Appointed Special Advocate with the CASA organization. It was a difficult but quite rewarding volunteer effort, and her first case lasted five years.

Madeleine’s husband, who was teaching Modern Middle East History, initially introduced her to SBCC. She was invited to join the Foundation’s board of directors toward the end of her CASA tenure and that became her focus for the next 10 years. As a passionate advocate, she participated in many fundraising and community awareness efforts during her tenure on the board, and served as board president, chair of the governance committee, and development chair.

Madeleine grew up in a suburb of New York City. She graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Communications.

Ben Scott is the Senior Vice President, Director of Commercial Banking at Montecito Bank & Trust. In this role, he is responsible for the bank’s commercial banking including all commercial lending activities with investors, operating businesses and non-profit organizations. He has been in financial services for nearly 20 years, the last 13 years in Santa Barbara with Montecito Bank & Trust.

Active in the community, Ben is currently a member of the Board of Directors for the SBCC Foundation, the United Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara County and Jordanos, Inc.

Ben graduated from Carpinteria High School and received his bachelor’s degree in government and economics from Claremont McKenna College. He lives in Carpinteria with his wife Sara and their two children, Izzy and Walker.

Dr. Kathy Scott, Interim Executive Vice President, Educational Programs, has an extensive background within the California Community College system. For the last four years, she served as the Executive Vice President, Academic Affairs at Long Beach City College. Prior to LBCC, she served as the Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs at Pasadena City College and at Ventura College as an Instructional Dean, Title V grant director, and the Dean of Institutional Effectiveness. 

Prior to becoming an administrator, Dr. Scott was a tenured faculty member in English at Ventura College, serving also as Department Chair, member of the Curriculum Committee, and an officer of the Academic Senate. She has also been the Accreditation Liaison Officer at two institutions. Dr. Scott holds an MA in Literature from CSUN, with her thesis in the area of African American literature. She earned her Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership from Cal Lutheran University with her dissertation in the area of accelerated instruction. Dr. Scott is excited to be joining the SBCC family and looks forward to working collaboratively with the faculty, staff, administrators, and students.

About the SBCC Foundation

The SBCC Foundation has provided Santa Barbara City College with private philanthropic support since 1976, serving as the vehicle through which individuals and organizations may invest in the college and its students.

As an independent 501c3 nonprofit organization and partner to SBCC, the SBCC Foundation awards more than $5 million annually for student success programs, scholarships, book grants, emergency funds, and other critical needs of the college. For more than four decades, the resources raised and managed by the SBCC Foundation have supported SBCC students as they prepare for careers, transfer to four-year universities, and pursue lifelong learning goals.

In 2016, the Foundation launched the SBCC Promise, offering all recent, local high school graduates the opportunity to attend SBCC full-time at no cost. The SBCC Promise relies entirely on private support and covers all required fees, books, and supplies for up to two years. To date, more than 5,000 local students have participated in the SBCC Promise. By removing financial barriers, the SBCC Promise ensures that SBCC’s life-changing educational programs are fully accessible to all local students.

For more information, visit http://www.sbccfoundation.org