New Board Member at MFPD

At a board meeting on Monday, January 28, the Montecito Fire Protection District Board of Directors appointed a new director: Judy Ishkanian. Ishkanian takes the seat vacated by John Venable, who served for 16 years on the Fire District Board before announcing his retirement in December. Ishkanian will be required to run for the seat in the general election in 2020. 

Ishkanian has a long history of support for the Montecito Fire District, as well as service to Montecito’s special districts. She served on the Montecito Sanitary District Board of Directors for 12 years (and was board president several times) before last year’s mid-term election. 

Ishkanian, who has lived in Montecito since 1961, also serves on the Board of Directors of the Santa Barbara County Chapter of the California Special Districts Association (CSDA). She was a leader in the Neighborhood Defense League for the duration of the non-profit organization (2004 to 2015). Ishkanian has her PhD from UCSB in history and taught history as an adjunct professor at both UCSB and SBCC until 1998.

“I am pleased to be appointed, and I look forward to serving another special district in Montecito,” said Ishkanian, who joins fellow directors Michael Lee, Sylvia Easton, Abe Powell, and Peter van Duinwyk. 

For more info about MFPD, visit www.montecitofire.com.