Hillside Appoints Three New Board Members

The Three Bring Experience, Expertise, and Energy to the Board

Hillside is pleased to announce the appointment of three new members to its Board of Directors. They are Kirk Gilbert, MD; Lucrezia DeLeon; and Alma Janabajab, MPA, CWDP. Each will bring experience, expertise, and energy to their new roles on the Board: Dr. Gilbert – family medicine; Lucrezia DeLeon – architecture, affordable housing, and sustainability; and Alma Janabajab – workforce development, marketing, and public relations.

In May of 2022, Kirk Gilbert, MD was unanimously voted onto the Hillside Board of Directors for a three-year term. For almost 40 years, Dr. Gilbert has practiced family medicine in Santa Barbara with experience in nursing and residential healthcare facilities. After the vote, Michael S. Rassler, Hillside’s President & CEO, expressed his approval, commenting that “We are honored to have Kirk join the Hillside family!” 

 For undergraduate studies and medical school, Gilbert attended the University of Washington. He completed an internship and residency in Family Practice through the University of California Los Angeles. After his residency, in 1983, he moved to Santa Barbara and started his own practice. After seven years as a solo practitioner, Dr. Gilbert joined Jerry Kay, MD and formed Family Practice Medical Group of Santa Barbara. He was one of the founders of the Santa Barbara Independent Physicians Association (IPA) where he served on the Board of Directors and was the Medical Director. In December 2019, he retired from these professional activities, but he was called back into administrative medical work. Currently, he is the President of Seaview IPA, which operates in Ventura County. 

Regarding his Board appointment, Dr. Gilbert says: “I have a good skill set to help provide oversight for Hillside, and I am grateful for the opportunity to serve.”

A mom of three and an advocate for housing and the homeless in Santa Barbara, Lucrezia R. DeLeon holds a Bachelor of Science degree in architecture with an emphasis on the sustainable built environment and socio-equity. With her thesis on Demographic Determinants on Health through the Built Environment, she explored cyclical housing through the National Housing Authority (NHA) guidelines, redlining, and the perpetuated socio-economic gap through housing. DeLeon works as an Architectural Designer with Vanguard Planning, Inc. Previously she was with RRM Design Group and focused on projects ranging from affordable multifamily housing to civic and community. All of her previous positions explored functional information and operations of housing development on multiple levels, with a special emphasis on homelessness, affordable housing, workforce housing, and public housing.

DeLeon currently serves as secretary on the Santa Barbara Beautiful Board of Directors. She is the Communications Chair and Board of Directors Officer for Democratic Women of Santa Barbara County. In January of 2023, DeLeon joined the Hillside Board of Directors saying: “Having been born and raised on the Central Coast, I am pleased my focus on affordable housing utilizing sustainable materials to improve society and provide for the most vulnerable can have an impact at Hillside.”

Alma Janabajab likewise joined the Hillside Board of Directors in January of 2023, and was also unanimously approved for a three-year term. Like Gilbert and DeLeon, she received a warm welcome from her fellow Board members.

In September of 2021, Janabajab was the keynote family speaker at the Hillside 17^th Annual Sunset Soirée – 75^th Anniversary Celebration. She shared that her sister Lana was thriving since moving into Hillside in late 2017. Janabajab added, “I am so grateful to TEAM Hillside. You are all amazing! Thank you for your dedication, compassion, and talents.” According to Janabajab, Lana is learning to speak more words, verbalizing her needs, regaining her ability to walk, and is clearly happier at Hillside than at any of her previous living arrangements.

For the past 24 years, Janabajab has worked for the County of Santa Barbara. Since July of 2009, she has been a dedicated staff member in the Department of Social Services – currently serving as the Business Services Strategist for the Workforce Development Board. Throughout her career, she has enjoyed making connections and bringing people together. In addition to her role in public service, Janabajab has chaired many committees for the Municipal Management Association of Southern California, and is currently their immediate Past President. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Business at California State University Channel Islands, and her Master in Public Administration at California State University Northridge.

About joining the Hillside Board, Janabajab says with an easy smile: “I want to be sure TEAM Hillside is appreciated and acknowledged for the great work they do. It takes commitment, compassion, caring, respect, and obviously amazing staff to provide this for the residents.”

For 78 years and counting, Hillside has served hundreds of individuals living with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Dedicated staff members care for residents as they strive to maximize their abilities; reach for their goals and dreams; and achieve their highest level of independence. 

Hillside continues moving forward with its visionary Community Project to create a diverse and integrated mixed-abilities neighborhood on its 24-acre property, with state-of-the-art, adaptive homes for residents, while also incorporating low-income, senior, and market-rate housing. It will be the first-of-its-kind planned community in the Santa Barbara area.

Please register for the Hillside Pickleball Tournament & Expo, on Saturday, April 15, 2023, 8:00 am – 8:00 pm, Cathedral Oaks Athletic Club, 5800 Cathedral Oaks Road, Goleta. For information, please visit hillsidesb.org or contact Lisa Wilcox at 805-453-1668. Proceeds benefit Hillside and the residents.

Please save the date for the Hillside 19^th Annual Sunset Soirée By-the-Sea set for Saturday, June 3, 2023, 5:00-8:30 pm, Cabrillo Pavilion, 1118 East Cabrillo Boulevard, Santa Barbara. Proceeds benefit Hillside and the residents.

For information, please visit hillsidesb.org or contact Cheryl Sweeney, Chief Development Officer, at 805-687-0788 x123 or csweeney@hillsidesb.org. To make a gift in support of Hillside and the residents, please visit hillsidesb.org/donate. Thank you.