In an announcement made last week, Montecito Association Executive Director Sharon Byrne will be stepping down from her position in order to assume leadership of the Women’s Liberation Front (WoLF), a national feminist organization. “It’s long been a dream of mine to advance the cause of women’s rights in the United States, and globally. I’ve […]

Teresa McWilliams, born in Warsaw, Poland in 1937, relocated to Santa Barbara in September 1949 and has been a resident of Montecito for longer than many of us have been alive. Reflecting on the community’s transformation, McWilliams reminisces about a Montecito from a past era. “I’ve lived here for a long time, over 70 years, […]

Deep in the Ojai Valley hills sits Shepherdess Land & Livestock Co., along with their youngest recruit, Crane School alumna Regan Williams. Regan had a long-standing interest in farming and working with animals, recently picking up classes in holistic land management. But it wasn’t until Regan met her new boss Cole Bush, founder of Shepherdess […]

Dr. Charlotte A. Gullap-Moore, a local healthcare professional and professor with extensive credentials, finds Montecito’s green environment and simplicity more impactful than its poshness. Coming from North Philly, she emphasizes the need to empower future generations and advocate against injustices faced by Black people. “It’s not the poshness of Montecito that blows my mind, it’s […]

Meet Diane Warren Stewart, the owner of Stewart Fine Art, located in the Upper Village of Montecito. With her exceptional collection of fine art, she has cultivated a devoted following. “I think I offer a unique collection of fine art. I’ve been in the business for over forty years and so I have people that […]

One of my favorite types of articles are the industry-insider sort of stuff. What do experts know that we don’t know? Unfortunately, I couldn’t get an expert this week, so I asked my friend Jakob Hammer to join me instead. (Only kidding!) Please enjoy our light-hearted conversation about the behind-the-scenes of culinary school.  Q. You […]

Twenty-year-old Isa Johanson is a current sophomore at UC Berkeley and an alumna of MUS, Santa Barbara Junior High, and Santa Barbara High School. From her first Earth Day and subsequent internship with Kathi King of Community Environmental Council to the 2018 mudslides, Isa describes the influence growing up in Montecito had on her current […]

In a remote corner of Northern Uganda, African Women Rising has been making waves as a force for change, led by its founder, Linda Eckerbom Cole. With an approach focused on listening, engaging local leaders, and being responsive to the unique needs of each community, the organization has worked with 25,000 people and touched the […]

This is the motto of Girls Inc, founded in 1864 as a movement called the Girls Club of America in Waterbury, CT, and tasked itself to help young women migrating from rural areas to find a job after the Civil War. Fourteen charter clubs were joined into a national organization [1945] by Rachel Harris Johnson, and changed […]