Girls Inc. Announces New CEO

Nonprofit organization Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara has announced that longtime nonprofit fundraiser Barbara Ben-Horin will serve as its new Chief Executive Officer beginning January 2016. Former CEO of 20 years Monica Spear resigned from her post in May, and since then board member Tracy Jenkins has led the transitional period as interim CEO.

Ben-Horin has over 35 years of experience leading major local and national nonprofits. Since 2010, she has served as Director of Development at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art (SBMA). Prior to that, she organized and implemented development advancement programs at the Foundation for Santa Barbara City College as CEO. Her fundraising experience includes serving as the National Vice President for Planned Giving (a financial support branch of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem), where she designed and managed campaigns that procured donations of up to $20 million. Ben-Horin has also held executive positions at organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara, and Domestic Violence Solutions.

“Barbara is an experienced leader with deep roots in the community,” said Christi Sulzbach, president of the Girls Inc. board of trustees, in a prepared statement. “She is dedicated to women and children’s issues as well as education.”

Originally founded in 1958 as the Girls Club of Santa Barbara, Girls Inc. aims to empower young women to overcome the challenges associated with female experiences. Through educational programs, mentoring, and advocacy events, Girls Inc. focuses on gender equity in hopes to enable girls to pursue their passions and build upon their interests in a distraction- and comparison-free environment.