Hospice of Santa Barbara (HSB) welcomes Dana VanderMey as new Board of Directors Chair. Courtesy photo.
SANTA BARBARA — Hospice of Santa Barbara (HSB) welcomes Dana VanderMey as the new Chair of its Board of Directors along with the announcement of two additional new board officers. The two new board officers are Dianne Travis Teague as Vice Chair and Eryn Shugart as Secretary. Sam McCabe has also been re-elected as Treasurer.
About Dana VanderMey, HSB Board Chair:
Dana VanderMey is the newly appointed chairperson of Hospice of Santa Barbara’s Board of Directors. VanderMey is a retired RN with 49 years of varied nursing experience and has served on the HSB Board for 3.5 years. Previously, she was employed for a total of 17 years with HSB as Director of Volunteer Services before retiring in 2013. She was an RN Case Manager from 1984- 1989.
VanderMey is an active community volunteer and currently serves on 2 other boards of non-profit organizations, St. Francis Foundation and the Friendship Center. She also serves in various leadership positions in the Santa Barbara area including in her church, Hope Community Church. She has earned a number of certifications over the years as well as earning awards for her efforts.
In 1999, the Independent named her a “Local Hero” for her innovative work in starting the St. Francis Medical Center Parish Nursing Program, from the Catholic Health Association. In 2000, she was named a Public Health Professional of the year and given a special congressional recognition by Congresswoman Lois Capps. In 2016, HSB awarded her a Hero of Hospice Legacy award and in 2018, the Friendship Center gave her The Big-Hearted Award for her years of volunteer work with the board and with the center’s members.
Dianne Travis-Teague, HSB Board Vice Chair:
A graduate of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management & Marketing, Travis-Teague brings over 20 years of direct experience in both mid- and large-sized companies. She maintains extensive capabilities in project management, financial analysis, customer service implementation and training, and workshop/meeting planning.
As Director of Alumni Relations for Pacifica Graduate Institute for the last nine years, Travis-Teague has created and maintained pathways for alumni participation that advance the mission of Pacifica Graduate Institute; namely, to tend to the soul of and in the world. In this role, she collaborates with colleagues to identify, cultivate, and steward alumni giving in a multiplicity of ways.
In addition to her responsibilities as Director of Alumni Relations, Travis-Teague stays actively involved in community service as a national spokeswoman for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the Avon Foundation for Women: Breast Cancer Crusade, the National Breast Cancer Foundation, WomenHeart (the National Coalition for Women Living with Heart Disease), Mended Hearts, Inc., and the Women’s Heart Center.
Eryn Shugart, HSB Board Secretary:
Eryn is a Santa Barbara native who earned a PhD in Psychology from Claremont Graduate University. She has worked in senior management for local non-profit organizations serving both children and seniors for the past 15 years.
Shugart was formerly an adjunct faculty in Psychology and Nursing for Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) and was instrumental in bringing a Healthy Aging Skills Competency Award and associate degree program to SBCC.
She currently is the Major Gifts Officer of the Santa Barbara Education Foundation, as well as a 2017 graduate of the Courage to Lead Program. She additionally serves as an Ambassador for the Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce and is on Leading from Within’s Alumni Committee. Prior to joining the board, Shugart served on HSB’s Wellness and End of Life Committee for two years.
Sam McCabe, Re-elected as HSB Board Treasurer:
Sam McCabe began his career in Technology in the late 1990’s at the height of the ‘dot com’ boom and eventually grew to manage a global team of 20 while traveling extensively. After, McCabe pursued his goal of attending business school and graduated with his MBA; subsequently working in various business intelligence, market research, and sales and marketing development roles. In 2014, he founded his own consulting business and focused solely on the SMB and NP verticals.
His passions include spending time at the beach and in the mountains with his wife and daughter, flyfishing, cooking, volunteering, reading, skiing, golfing, and seeking out playgrounds in any new city.
Hospice of Santa Barbara — Hospice of Santa Barbara provides professional counseling, support groups, and patient care services free of charge to individuals and families who are grieving the death of a loved one or experiencing the impact of a life-threatening illness. Hospice of Santa Barbara also provides counseling in our offices and on fifteen local junior and high school campuses to children and teens who are grieving the loss of a loved one. For more information about Hospice of Santa Barbara, including volunteer opportunities, call (805) 563-8820 or visit www.hospiceofsantabarbara.org.