Team
Em Johnson
Director of Strategy
Building community is to the collective as spiritual practice is to the individual. - Grace Lee Boggs
Through measured and deliberate work, Em has been leading rural innovation through social enterprises and systems thinking with Blue Sky Center since 2016. She is motivated by holistic community investment that uses celebratory tools of art and creative community engagement, often bringing people together over food. In the Cuyama Valley, Em connects people to resources, developing a self-sufficient model by blending entrepreneurial initiatives to reclaim the power of rural resiliency. Prior to her current role, Em served as Chief Operations Officer from 2016-2018 and Executive Director from 2018-2022.
Jack Forinash
executive director
Data is sovereignty. - Lori Pourier
Jack’s role at Blue Sky Center - and in the Cuyama Valley as a community member - has focused on seeking a definition of Cuyama that is quantified, verified, and self-determined. With an attention to detail and a love of spreadsheets, Jack focuses rural development discussions on the importance of data in communicating the human experience of a place. For the past sixteen years, Jack has preferred to make his home in towns of 1,000 or less, believing that by having the opportunity to know everyone by face and name we have the best chance to exhibit a civil society.
Sandra Uribe
Land Steward
With an eye for detail and profound knowledge of the inner lives of both people and plants, Sandra diligently attends to the flourishing and development of our land, while establishing programming reflecting her expansive community involvement. Sandra is dedicated to cultivating connections between Cuyama residents and the ecology of the place they call home, believing that a little dirt under your fingernails is all it takes to stir the beginnings of lifelong commitment to caring for the land.
Mayela Rodriguez
ARTS PROGRAM MANAGER
Mayela Rodriguez is a social practice artist born and raised in Santa Barbara, California. As Blue Sky Center’s Arts Program Manager, Mayela helps facilitate opportunities for creative expression throughout the Cuyama Valley. She does this through nurturing direct engagements between community members, local partners, and visiting artists. Mayela first fell in love with the Cuyama Valley when she was a Blue Sky Desert Fellow in 2019. During her fellowship, Mayela held cartonera-making workshops for the residents of the Cuyama Valley. Additionally, Mayela worked with the community to convert the display case behind New Cuyama’s C&H Market into a community art gallery.
Melanie Shaw
Hospitality MANAGER
Melanie Shaw is a longtime resident of the Cuyama Valley and loves all things hospitality. She brings to the team a wealth of knowledge about the region, experience from her directorship of the Cuyama Valley Recreation District, and a background in agriculture business management from Bakersfield College. Melanie is excited about leading our hospitality initiatives and continuing to develop spaces at Blue Sky Center for memorable events and retreats that benefit our neighbors across Cuyama.
Noé Montes
Artist and Arts Advisor
Noé Montes is an award-winning artist based in Los Angeles. For more than 20 years, Montes’ work has documented underrepresented communities to effect change through storytelling, education and advocacy around social, economic, and environmental issues. Noé has been working with Blue Sky since 2017, as an artist, fellow, and advisor.
Liz Fish
Creative Coordinator
Liz is a documentary photographer based in Ojai, CA. She brings her background in photography, film, and event-making, and as an entrepreneur who helped create a small media company. Liz loves to collaborate on meaningful experiences to energize people, dream, keep, and share memories. She has worked with artists, families, farmers and students to create portraits, stories, and short-form video. She is always learning in life and work. She is a board member of the organization Seeds of Belonging, which promotes anti-bias learning and inclusive spaces for children. She is excited to get to know the people, places, artists, and entrepreneurs of the Cuyama Valley.
Tara Saylor
Business Operations Manager, Resiliency Projects Manager
Tara brings a rich tapestry of expertise to her role, drawing from her substantial background in architecture, operations, disaster management, and nonprofit leadership. Transcending conventional business operations, she skillfully integrates environmental sustainability into the core of our rural economic and creative endeavors. Tara's strategic mindset ensures that our community not only anticipates but effectively adapts to the shifts of nature, turning challenges into opportunities for innovation. Her leadership is a testament to the belief that in the symphony of community resilience, every note must resonate with both urgency and harmony, crafting a future that honors our environmental heritage and nurtures our collective potential.
Anthony Fonseca
Made in Cuyama Program Manager
Anthony is a lifelong resident of Cuyama. His role includes advancing community economic development initiatives including the Recharge Our Community Economy (ROCE) and Start, Grow, Revive Your Business (SGR) programs. His work fosters sustainable growth and facilitates small business support and entrepreneurship within the community. With a deep-rooted commitment to enhancing local economic opportunities, Anthony leverages his extensive knowledge of local dynamics to empower businesses and drive impactful initiatives that contribute to Cuyama’s prosperity and vitality.
Brooke Swertfager
american Connection Corps Member
Brooke Swertfager is currently in a year of service through American Connection Corps, where she focuses on economic development and broadband. She recently graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. Born and raised in California’s Central Valley, Brooke is proud of her Fresno roots. In her role, she collaborates with stakeholders to better understand and address broadband access needs in rural communities while fostering local economic development initiatives. Brooke recently moved to New Cuyama and is excited to contribute to the valley's growth and community-driven progress.
Board of Directors
Learn more about how our board operates and inquire to join here.
Kelly Schmandt Ferguson
Board Member
President
Ventures Circle Member
Kelly draws upon 15+ years of experience in public/private partnerships focused on solving environmental challenges through community engagement and emerging technologies. With a diverse career spanning work with startups, establishing private sector companies, tribal, and city governments, as well as non-profits, Kelly has honed the ability to work with and across stakeholder groups to implement transformative environmental programs and clean mobility pilots. By day she works to make dense urban cities safer, healthier, and less congested as Chief of Staff of the curb management startup Automotus and previously spearheaded the launch of the nation's first Zero Emissions Delivery Zone in Santa Monica as the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator's (LACI) Director of Pilots. When not focused on curbs and delivery trucks, Kelly spends her time enjoying California native plants and habitat, beekeeping, learning the ancient art of mead making, and spending time with her son and husband in Santa Barbara.
Katerina Barilov
Board Member
Treasurer
L88 Circle Facilitator
Katerina joins Blue Sky out of her work on the L88 airstrip circle, where she helped obtain a grant towards the development of the airport and Blue Sky campground. She lives and works out of a small airport in Santa Paula in Southern California. Along with a team of engineers based in Silicon Valley, she is growing a start-up that is building an electric aircraft that will help first responders get to the scene of an accident in remote areas quicker and safer. A former aerobatic competition pilot, she now flies her modified Piper Colt all over the West. She is passionate about how aviation facilitates public land access, exploration, and adventure. She hopes that as more people discover the freedom of aviation, they grow a deeper connection to our land.
Carmen Sandoval-Aqimowon
Board Member
Top Circle Facilitator
Carmen Sandoval (Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians) is an artist, consultant, educator, jewelry designer, painter, printmaker. Carmen resides in New Cuyama. She grew up on the Santa Ynez Indian Reservation. Carmen’s art is rooted local Chumash tradition, craftsmanship, and integrity. She incorporates traditional design elements into her work, honoring a distinguished legacy of Chumash creativity. A Sʰamala Chumash language teacher, Carmen has traveled with the Sʰamala singers and shared traditional gifts of Chumash dance, music, and song with audiences of all ages.
Savannah Fox
Board Member
(bio pending)
Ambassadors
Our team is always on the lookout for new advocates and allies! A great ambassador uses their strengths and connections to help advance our mission. It’s a flexible professional volunteering opportunity. To learn more click here.
Current Blue Sky Ambassadors:
Chris Cohen
Chris is passionate about helping forward-thinking leaders and activists use business, cooperation, and creative projects to drive positive social and environmental change. As a founding board member of Blue Sky Center and practicing lawyer, Chris uses his Blue Sky Ambassador role to provide context and training on innovative corporate models that support rural resilience.
F. Paul Chounet
A former Cuyama school superintendent and alumni member of Blue Sky’s Top Circle (board of directors), Paul is passionate about the opportunities in the Cuyama Valley for all-ages education and rural entrepreneurship. Paul’s role as an ambassador is that of a connector — on community priorities surrounding rural broadband access, school system support, and water — along with contributing regularly as an all around handyman with facility maintenance.
David Kietzman
(David served a term as a board member and President through 2021.) David is an expert in solving problems through communications. In the last two decades, he led four organizations and launched multiple social impact enterprises often drawing local and national recognition for his work. He taught art abroad in Central America and locally in Los Angeles before entering the social impact sector. David has launched various nonprofit and business ventures, his latest venture with Momentum Solutions allows him to mix creativity, a social impact leadership background and a professional coaching certification when working with their clients. David has an authentic dedication to the values of inclusion, creative leadership and innovation. He serves clients, donors, civic leaders and community residents that share his values. Past clients range from family foundations, Fortune 1000 businesses, nonprofits to coaching individual leaders. He continues to teach in the areas of nonprofit and marketing strategy as a guest lecturer and trainer at CSULA, USC, UCLA, CSUN, Executive Service Corps, Annenberg Foundation, New Leaders Council and other institutions. Recently, he became a founding member of the Make Change Awards and L.A. Latino Giving Circle. When he isn’t working, David enjoys exploring the many communities that make up the City of Angels with his family.
Cecilia Lopez
(Cecilia served a term as a board member and Treasurer through 2021.) Having grown up in the Central Valley, Cecilia is sensitive to the fact that the national narrative often excludes rural communities. Few urbanites venture out of the cities to experience the cultural and natural beauty present in rural towns. As a result, politicians and businesses ignore these small towns, leaving them to fend for themselves. Cecilia joined the Blue Sky Center board to draw attention to and address the needs of rural areas by focusing her efforts in the Cuyama Valley. Cecilia envisions Blue Sky Center as a space where locals and visitors can come together, get to know each other and contribute to each other’s well-being. The facilities can provide spaces for locals to practice their crafts, earn revenue, and create employment opportunities.
Steve Sappington
A pilot, PCT section hiker, and traveler with experience in engineering as well as manufacturing, quality, and operations management in small and medium size companies, Steve offers Blue Sky Center his passions to help keep open and sustain L88 — Cuyama Valley’s only open airstrip — as a local and regional asset. Steve lends his time and energy to raising funds, recruiting fellow pilots to be volunteers, and coordinating with aviation agencies to meet the critical needs of the community and develop opportunities within the region.
Partners
Anna Dulaney
The Apiary
Caltrans
Cereal Box Studio
County of Santa Barbara
Cuyama Buckhorn
Cuyama Homegrown
Cuyama Joint Unified School District
Cuyama Valley Family Resource Center
Cuyama Valley Recreation District
GM Fabrications
Garage 6
High Desert Print Co.
Holiday Studio
Jan Smith
Noé Montes
PlaceBase Productions
Quail Springs
Rock Front Ranch
Rural Community Assistance Corporation
Santa Barbara Pistachios
Santa Barbara County Office of Arts & Culture / Arts Commission
Sociocracy for All
Warrior Wagons
Donors
View all donors (by year) via our Annual Reports. Those donating $5,000 or more in a year are listed in our annual Form 990.