Courtesy photo.
SANTA BARBARA — Family Service Agency (FSA) of Santa Barbara County is pleased to announce Katya Armistead and Cole Kinney as co-presidents for the 2017-18 Board of Directors.
FSA and Santa Maria Valley Youth & Family Center (SMVYFC) merged July 1 to form one countywide organization that will provide mental health counseling, basic needs assistance and case management services to more than 28,000 individuals annually. The merged organization appointed new co-presidents, one from each agency. Cole Kinney most recently served as president of the SMVYFC board; Katya Armistead most recently served as co-president of the FSA board.
“We are thrilled to kick off our merger with the co-leadership of both immediate past presidents of the organizations,” said Executive Director Lisa Brabo. “Katya Armistead and Cole Kinney show their commitment to community service every day, with their passion for supporting and working with nonprofits.”
Katya Armistead, Ed.D., has served on the FSA Board of Directors since 2007. She has been employed by the University of California, Santa Barbara for over 25 years, serving as Dean of Student Life since 2015.
Armistead brings over 30 years of experience in community leadership throughout the county, including co-founding Youth Making Change, a Santa Barbara County non-profit organization for teens through the Fund for Santa Barbara. She co-facilitates the Leadership Challenge for Leading From Within’s Emerging Leaders Program, is a Katherine Harvey Fellow alumna, past co-president of UCSB’s Professional Women’s Association, former board member for the American Red Cross, a mentor for the Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse’s (CADA) Fighting Back Program, a former AYSO soccer coach, and an advisor to UCSB’s Black Student Union.
Cole Kinney has served on the SMVYFC board since 1996. He has worked in the insurance industry specializing in helping non-profit organizations for over 30 years, and as the Nonprofit Practice Leader at San Francisco-based G2 Insurance Services since 2012.
Kinney was an integral leader in developing insurance programs for California Regional Centers and CARF (Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities) accredited organizations. He is from Santa Maria, attended local schools and community college, and earned a BS in Marketing from California State University, Fresno.
According to Brabo, board members from both agencies have joined together for effective governance as the nonprofits begin operating together as one countywide organization.
The full slate of 2017-2018 board officers are Co-Presidents Armistead and Kinney; Jane Santos Sweeney, Vice President of Programs; Marni Cooney and Christina Pizarro, Co-Vice Presidents of Development; Robert Manning, Treasurer; and Terri Zuniga, Secretary.
About Family Service Agency of Santa Barbara County: The mission of Family Service Agency (FSA) is to strengthen and advocate for families and individuals of all ages and diversities, helping to create and preserve a healthy community. FSA is regarded as one of Santa Barbara County’s most reliable and effective nonprofit human service organizations. Established in 1899, FSA improves the health and well-being of our community’s most vulnerable children, families and seniors by ensuring access to food, shelter and other basic needs, as well as providing youth mentoring, case management, substance abuse treatment, advocacy, and a wide-array of mental health programs. For more information, visit www.fsacares.org