SB Museum of Natural History Announces 2021 Board of Trustees
The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History is proud to announce Board of Trustees Executive Committee Officers for 2021 as well as new Trustees, Melissa Fassett and Corinne Laverty. Officers were confirmed by vote at the trustees meeting on January 26, 2021.
Continuing officers include Terrence Valeski as Board Chair, Chris Knowlton as Immediate Past Chair, and Salvatore “Tory” Milazzo as Vice Chair for Finance. New officers include Brad Willis as Secretary, Susan Parker as Vice Chair for Development, Vanesa Faciane as Vice Chair for Governance, and Hank Mitchel as Member at Large.
Mr. Valeski shared, "We are pleased to add such diverse and competent talent to our Board of Trustees. During this difficult time we have engaged our Board in meaningful decisions on how your Museum moves forward safely and with a long term view. We are a core component in what constitutes the key values of this community and our mission is to serve the community and provide a foundation of natural history, learning, and a place to call home."
Melissa Fassett is an attorney who has practiced in Santa Barbara for more than 25 years. She is a partner with the law firm of Price, Postel & Parma LLP. Her practice emphasizes advising and representing management in all aspects of labor and employment law and intellectual property. Ms. Fassett has advised many non-profits in the Santa Barbara community and she has been an active board member/volunteer on local boards, including the Lobero Theatre Foundation, the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Barbara, and now the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. She and her husband reside in the Santa Barbara foothills and enjoy the many outdoor activities offered by the Santa Barbara area, and support the goal of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History to preserve and bring its nature and history to others.
Corinne Heyning Laverty is a research associate and fellow at the Natural History Museum, Los Angeles County, an associate of the Santa Cruz Island Foundation and a member of the All Eight Club, a geographic organization that tracks the people who have ever set foot on all eight Channel Islands. She holds undergraduate and graduate business degrees, from the University of Virginia, and University of Southern California, respectively. She retired from MUFG Union Bank, N.A. where she spent most of her professional career as a lender and in risk management and Treasury. Throughout the years, she has been active in various conservation organizations including serving on the Board of the Aquarium of the Pacific and Marine Conservation Research Institute. Corinne is the author of the Los Angeles Times bestselling nonfiction book, North America’s Galapagos: The Historic Channel Islands Biological Survey. She and her husband enjoy hiking, golfing, cooking and visiting with their children.