Laurie Ashton, Palmer Jackson, Jr., and Alvin Walker Join SB Foundation Board

Laurie Ashton, Palmer Jackson, Jr., and Alvin Walker were recently elected to the Board of Trustees of the Santa Barbara Foundation. They each begin a three-year term in January 2011.

The Santa Barbara Foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees whose members are drawn from all areas of Santa Barbara County.

Selected for their diverse interests, experience and leadership in both professional and volunteer arenas, our board members establish policy, set priorities and are responsible for guiding the Foundation’s activities.

Laurie Ashton is currently Of Counsel to Keller Rohrback in Seattle and Phoenix, where her practice has included transactional work, environmental litigation, business reorganizations and fiduciary litigation. She has been a legal writing instructor, a law journal editor and taught semester law school. Ms. Ashton served on the Arizona State Bar Ethics Committee and is the author of many published articles, as well as co-author of a book on limited liability companies and partnerships. She earned her B.A. in Economics from UCSD and a JD from ASU Law School. Growing up in a family with many foster children, Ms. Ashton has had a lifelong passion for serving youth. She currently serves as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for children, as well as on the board of The Children’s Project, a nonprofit in Santa Barbara County. Ms. Ashton is an active and lead partner in Social Venture Partners Santa Barbara.

Palmer Jackson, Jr. currently serves as chief operating officer for Cogi, a technology start-up he co-founded in 2007. Prior to joining Cogi, he was chief operating officer for Ideocore, a marketing and brand launch consultancy. His professional experience also includes CallWave, Inc., a Santa Barbara based Internet Telecommunications Company.

Palmer Jackson, Jr. is a fourth-generation Santa Barbara native and an active member of the Santa Barbara business and nonprofit community. He is a founding organizer and former director of American Riviera Bank; immediate past president of the board for the Lobero Theater Foundation; president of the Board of Trustees at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History; and board secretary for the Ann Jackson Family Foundation. He was also active on the boards of Santa Barbara Boys & Girls Club, Crane County Day School, and the Montecito Community Foundation. He received his MBA from UC Berkeley and his B.A. in American Studies from Yale University.

Al Walker is the principal shareholder and senior member of the Lompoc CPA firm Walker, Wilson & Hughen, specializing in real estate, taxation, and trust and estate planning. He is an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the California Society of Certified Public Accountants. He has also served as lecturer and instructor at Allan Hancock College, LaVerne University, Golden Gate University and United States International University. Mr. Walker earned his B.A. from California Polytechnic State University and his MBA from Golden Gate University.

An active member of the community, Mr. Walker was chairman of the Lompoc Parks and Recreation Commission; founding member and president of the former Lompoc Boys Club (now the Boys & Girls Club); and served on the advisory boards of the Lompoc Pops orchestra, Cabrillo Aquarium Project and Arts Outreach. He is chair of the Investment Committee of the Lompoc Hospital Foundation and recently completed terms as the public member of the Santa Barbara County Treasurer Oversight and as a member of the Santa Barbara Foundation Lompoc Affiliate.

Mr. Walker was named as Lompoc’s Man of the Year in 1996 and Lompoc Parks, Recreation & Urban Forestry Department Recognition Grove recipient in 1991.

The Santa Barbara Foundation is a high impact community foundation with over 80 years of success in strategically enhancing our communities by providing funding to area nonprofit agencies and college bound students. Through partnership and personalized philanthropic services, the Foundation supports the day-to-day charitable passions of hundreds of fund holders and assists others in creating philanthropic legacies.

With over $250 million in assets under management, the Santa Barbara Foundation is top ranked for investment performance and financial stewardship. A leader in providing rigorous evaluation in distributing funds, the Foundation awarded over $20 million in grants and $2 million in student loans in the 2009 fiscal year.