Rolf Geyling, President, Santa Barbara Rescue Mission, Growing Edge Leaders Growing up in an upper-middle-class community in New Jersey, Rolf Geyling had what he describes as a privileged childhood. It wasn’t until he left for Stanford that he began seriously…
Luis Esparza, Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge-Elect, Katherine Harvey Fellows Luis Esparza grew up on the Mesa, in the same Santa Barbara home where he lives today. His parents, who emigrated from Mexico, taught him by example, the value…
Sigrid Wright, CEO/Executive Director, Community Environmental Council, Growing Edge Leaders Program, Katherine Harvey Fellows, Courage to Lead Sigrid Wright never imagined her future in Santa Barbara, or at the helm of one of the Central Coast’s most respected environmental organizations…
Zahra Nahar-Moore, Associate General Counsel, Blue Shield of California, Emerging Leaders Program When Zahra Nahar-Moore left her litigation career at a New York City law firm in 2012, she was ready for a change. After more than four years handling…
Becca Solodon, Leading for Community Impact, Senior Director of Operations, Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation When Becca Solodon was sixteen, she was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive cancer in her foot. Within months, she underwent chemotherapy and a below-knee amputation that…
Lauren Trujillo, Executive Director, Santa Barbara Library Foundation, Katherine Harvey Fellows Program, Growing Edge Leaders When Lauren Trujillo landed her first job in development, she was sure it would be her last. Fresh out of UCSB and working in gift…
Michael Medel, Dean of Business, Scheinfeld Center, Media Arts, & PE Katherine Harvey Fellow (2013-14) It was being called into the principal's office—the kind of moment that usually spells trouble—that unexpectedly set Michael Medel on a path towards teaching and,…
Rachel Johnson Emerging Leaders 2017, Growing Edge Leaders 2024-25 Rachel Johnson’s role as Chief Program Officer at Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) Foundation combines her passions for accessible education, the arts, and social justice. Born in Toronto, she came to…
Jeff Bochsler, Senior Vice President of Mortgage Lending Katherine Harvey Fellows Jeff's career path as a senior vice president of Mortgage Lending feels almost destined. His father was in the mortgage industry, which despite Jeff’s reluctance, paved a potential early…
Mario Mendez, Community Awareness Accountability & Action Manager/ Senior Field Staff Wilderness Youth Project, Emerging Leaders Cohort 8 After a childhood marked by movement, from Colombia to Saudi Arabia to the Netherlands and finally to the United States, Mario Mendez…