Board of Directors
Dr. Peter Haslund was born in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1939 and lived there during the German occupation. He immigrated to the United States in 1949 and became a naturalized citizen in 1954. He was educated in Los Angeles, received an MA from Midwestern University, Texas, and completed a Ph.D. in political science at UCSB. He served on active duty in the US Air Force from 1963 through 1968, and was stationed in Southeast Asia from 1967-68. He served as Professor of Political Science and Global Studies at SBCC for 40 years and held Adjunct and Visiting Professorships at UCSB, Shandong University in China, and Hanoi University, Vietnam. He retired in 2009 and was elected to the Board of Trustees for Santa Barbara Community College District in 2010 and re-elected in 2014.
Shelby Arthur has served on the Board since 2016. She currently works in the International Student Support Program at Santa Barbara City College as a Student Advisor, and directs the SBCC Student Ambassador Program on campus. She completed a Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies at UCSB and a Master of Arts in Intercultural Relations at University of the Pacific.
Carrie Paine completed a Bachelor of Arts in Peace and Conflicts Studies from the UC Berkeley and is avidly interested in nonviolent communication and conflict resolution. Carrie currently works as the Program Director for the Day Reporting Center serving individuals on parole in Santa Barbara County. She has served on the Board since 2019.
Oscar Gutierrez considers himself lucky to have been born and raised in Santa Barbara, 'the American Rivera.' He is a proud alumnus of our quality local education system, having graduated with honors from San Marcos High School, followed shortly by graduation from the School of Media Arts at Santa Barbara City College where he earned three national awards. He went on to earn a degree from the University California, Santa Barbara where he received high honors in the Film Department, and won UCLA's Best Documentary award for his senior film project. His 19-year Journalism and Videography career spans workplaces from ABC, Warner Brothers, Univision, SBCC, and UCSB, among others, and he has received more than 30 national and regional nominations and awards. That career also involved working with local government and public service sectors, and media coverage of local politics. Those experiences prompted Oscar to step up and serve as the first millennial elected to the Santa Barbara City Council.
It’s his pleasure to represent his district and his hometown. As a bilingual member of Council, he is able to engage a large portion of Santa Barbara’s diverse population, including those who previously felt underrepresented. He strongly believes that one's career should be more than just a way to pay bills, it should also help to define a person.
Advisory Board
Rick Garcia is an award winning fine artist and has lived in Santa Barbara since 1983. He is a graduate of University of California at Berkeley where he studied Economics and Conservation of Natural Resources.
Vijaya Jammalamadaka, joined the Center for Global Dialogue in November 2011 and is a retired environmental specialist. She also serves on the League of Women Voters of Santa Barbara Board and is a docent at the SB Botanic Garden. Her past board service includes Fund for Santa Barbara, Community Environmental Council,The Sustainability Project and other local organizations.
Barbara Margerum is past President of the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles, State Director of California Common Cause, and member of the national board of both organizations. Worked at the SB Office of the County Superintendent of Schools as coordination ofcommunity conferences, Public Information Officer, Executive Director of Advocacy on Behalf of Children and Partnership for the Children. Co-founder of CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) and founder of the Adult Literacy Program. Has served on boards of Family Service Agency, CASA, Kids Network, and the Land Trust. She currently serves on the board ofVISTAS Lifelong Learning and tutors for the Literacy Program.