Natalie Orfalea. Courtesy photo.
CARPINTERIA — Girls Inc. of Carpinteria is pleased to announce the 2016 honorees of its annual Women of Inspiration Awards: Natalie Orfalea, Co-Founder and Chair of the Orfalea Foundation; Geri Ann Carty, an active volunteer in the community; and Patsy Hicks, Director of Education at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.
The community is invited to join in recognizing the accomplishments of these powerful women at Girls Inc.’s Women of Inspiration luncheon on Monday, April 4th from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at 5315 Foothill Road in Carpinteria.
Girls Inc. of Carpinteria members Noelia and Ana will emcee the luncheon and present the 2016 Women of Inspiration Awards to the honorees.
As the Co-Founder and Chair of the Orfalea Foundation, Natalie Orfalea has provided vision, inspiration, and strategy driving the foundation’s initiatives in early childhood education, food system reform, youth development, education, and disaster readiness. (http://www.orfaleafoundation.org/)
An executive coach, business person and philanthropist, Orfalea is also currently a member of UCSB’s Council for Arts & Lectures, a board member of Impact Partners, and a member of Women Moving Millions, which supports the advancement of women and girls. She formerly served on the boards of the Good Night Foundation, Montana Yellowstone Expeditions Foundation, Direct Relief, and All Kinds of Minds.
She has been honored with several awards including the H.O.P.E. (Helping Out Public Education) Award from the Santa Barbara Education Foundation, the Abercrombie Community Excellence Award from United Way of Santa Barbara County, and Santa Barbara County Philanthropist of the Year from the Association of Fundraising Professionals. In 2013, she was named an Honorary Alumna of UCSB in recognition of her advocacy work in education.
Following the sunset of the Orfalea Fund in December 2015, Orfalea continues to pursue her interests in philanthropy with the launch of the Natalie Orfalea Foundation in January 2016.
Geri Ann Carty has lived in Carpinteria for 34 years, a place she fondly and proudly calls home. She spends her time working as a nurse, doing art and volunteering for various nonprofits and community organizations.
Carty is a former Girls Inc. of Carpinteria executive board member and currently serves as an executive board member of the Plaza Playhouse Theater, Carpinteria Women’s Club executive board member, Carpinteria Woman’s Club Building Foundation committee member, co-chair of Hospice of Santa Barbara’s tree lighting ceremony, Rods and Roses committee member, co-chair of the Orchard to Ocean registration, Christmas and Fourth of July parade committee member, and as an active volunteer for the City Triathlon.
She is married to Mayor Gregg Carty and has two daughters, Caitlin and Angela.
Patricia (Patsy) Hicks has worked at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art for the past 20 years, serving as Teen Programs Coordinator, Manager of Academic Programs, and Assistant Director of Education before taking on her current position as Director of Education in 2008. She has more than 15 years of experience as a junior high and high school teacher.
Hicks has served on the Board of Trustees of Cate School in Carpinteria, Crane School in Montecito, the Arts Fund of Santa Barbara, and the State of the Arts Advisory Committee for the City of Santa Barbara. She continues to serve, since its inception, on the board and steering committee of the Visual Arts and Design Academy of Santa Barbara High School, and is a member of the Board of the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara. She was appointed to the Santa Barbara School District’s Measure H committee, an oversight committee for the use of parcel tax funds in the high schools, and in 2012 was asked to serve on the Measure I committee, which serves the same function for the elementary schools. She is also a member of the UCSB Graduate School of Education P20 committee, which works to further Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education in schools.
Her work in museum education and for the community was recognized by the Independent which named her a Local Hero in 2011. Hicks was selected as Woman of the Year by the Junior League of Santa Barbara in 2014 for her work with literacy development and English language learners.
She is married to Stephen Hicks and has two children, Andrew and Katy.
Arlene Samen, the Founder of One Heart World-Wide, will serve as the keynote speaker for the luncheon.
Tickets to Women of Inspiration are $85 and proceeds will support the mission of Girls Inc. of Carpinteria to inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and bold. Girls Inc. of Carpinteria currently serves more than 700 girls ages 5-18 each year through a variety of programs, motivating them to take risks and master physical, intellectual and emotional challenges.
For tickets or more information, please contact Ericka Loza-Lopez at (805) 684-6364 or Ericka@girlsinc-carp.org or visit www.girlsinc-carp.org.
About Girls Inc. of Carpinteria: Girls Inc. of Carpinteria is a member of Girls Incorporated®, a nonprofit organization that inspires all girls to be strong, smart, and bold. With local roots dating to 1864 and national status since 1945, Girls Inc. has responded to the changing needs of girls through research-based programs and public education efforts that empower girls to understand, value, and assert their rights. We provide programs for girls 6 to 18 years old that focus on science, math, and technology; health and sexuality; economic and financial literacy; sports skills; leadership and advocacy; and media literacy. To learn more, become a volunteer or offer support, please visit www.girlsinc-carp.org/.