Christine Bisson earned a Bachelor of Science in nutrition at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and graduated from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science with a Master of Science in nutrition. She completed a dietetic internship program in Denver and became a Registered Dietitian and member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She was formerly at the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in Santa Luis Obispo County, as well as a member of the statewide WIC Nutrition Education Committee, participating in the development of a strategic plan and developing and reviewing curriculum and educational materials. Christine participated in the development of the Santa Barbara County Food Action Plan as a workgroup member, leading to involvement in the Higher Education Impact Group in collaboration with colleagues from Santa Barbara City College, UCSB and Westmont College. This evolved into the Higher Education Working Group of the Santa Barbara County Food Action Network, in which Christine continues to participate as a member. Christine is currently an associate professor and coordinator for the Food Science and Nutrition Program at Allan Hancock College, where she has been teaching since 2000. In her role as a nutrition instructor, she developed an awareness of the challenges faced by the increasing numbers of students who are impacted by food insecurity. Her work with the college’s Food Security Task Force and Food Share Because We Care events, introduced her to the work of the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County, where she has been serving as a board member since 2019. Carol, my wife, and I relocated to Santa Barbara almost 10 years ago leaving New York as the Rudolph N. Schullinger Professor emeritus of Surgery and Pediatrics, Columbia University, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, where I was also Surgeon-in-Chief and Chair of Surgery at the Morgan-Stanley Children’s Hospital of New York. As director of the Charles Edison Laboratory for Pediatric Surgery, we became recognized for our work in neonatal lung injury, newborn oxygen delivery, and the use of novel artificial organs for prolonged neonatal life support. I was also responsible for educating pediatric surgery fellows, research fellows, pediatric surgery faculty and medical students. I am currently Visiting Scholar at UCSB, have an appointment at the University of Chicago, School of Medicine and am a consultant to the World Telehealth Initiative. I am an advocate for the well-being of children and their families knowing without good health, their future is most challenging. The mission and vision of the Foodbank is, for me, a logical continuation of that advocacy. I have embraced and am pleased to work with the Foodbank because of its central role in developing food security and food knowledge for the most vulnerable among us: the children and their families in our community. Food, and a few other things, mark their future! Jessica Moitoza, CPA, MST is a tax manager with Damitz, Brooks, Nightingale, Turner & Morrisset and has more than six years of experience in public accounting providing tax services. She specializes in nonprofit organizations and, as a manager, provides leadership and guidance to associate staff members on various projects. Jessica is a member of the California Society of Certified Public Accountants and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Jessica is currently a board member for California Society of Certified Public Accountants, Channel Counties chapter. Jessica graduated from San Diego State University with her Bachelors of Science in accountancy in 2009. She then attended California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo where she obtained her Masters of Science in taxation in 2010. Jessica joined the firm in the fall of 2010 and lives in Santa Barbara with her husband, Scott. Melissa Petersen, CPA, is a sole practitioner providing audit and tax services for local nonprofit organizations. With over nine years of specialized experience working with nonprofits, her exclusive focus on nonprofit communities allows her to delve deeply into the issues surrounding nonprofit organizations. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and is a member of the AICPA and California Society of CPAs. Melissa has served as past chair of the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County board of trustees and is currently in her second term. Peter N. Brown retired in 2021 from his position as partner in the Santa Barbara office of the law firm of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. At Brownstein, Peter specialized in the practice of land use, environmental and public law. Peter provided city attorney services to the City of Carpinteria for 29 years. He has served on the boards of directors of a number of nonprofit organizations, and in 2019 was honored as Man of the Year by the Goleta Valley Chamber of Commerce at the Goleta’s Finest Awards ceremony. Peter is a US Navy veteran. He received his undergraduate degree cum laude from Amherst College and his law degree from the University of Southern California. Peter and his wife Suzanne, a retired music teacher for the Goleta Union School District, are longtime residents of the Santa Barbara area. Peter is honored to serve on the Foodbank board of trustees. Ted Bruckner was born and raised in Santa Barbara. He has worked locally in the construction industry for over 35 years and is currently the senior project manager at Young Construction. Ted has managed the construction of many commercial and multi-family residential projects throughout the central and south coast. Before joining the Foodbank of Santa Barbara board of trustees, Ted volunteered in the warehouse and with food distribution. Ted currently is a member of the Foodbank’s building committee which is overseeing improvements to the new Goleta warehouse facility. I have only recently become a member of the board of trustees of the Foodbank, but I have served as a board member for a number of not-for-profit organizations, usually on finance and/or audit committees. I graduated from UCLA in 1967 and earned an MA in philosophy at UCSB in 1971, was employed as a social worker with Santa Barbara County for 10 years, and then switched careers to accounting and became a CPA in 1981. I was then controller and later CFO at Santa Barbara Bank & Trust until I retired in 2006. A long-time resident of Santa Barbara, my spare-time activities include hiking, travel, photography and raising tomatoes. I have been so impressed by how much the Foodbank has served the communities in this county as we have all been beset by the COVID pandemic. I look forward to assisting in this important contribution. Barry M. Spector retired in 2021 from a 25-year career in investment banking, leading companies in merger and acquisition transactions. His specialty was restructuring and turnarounds. Before that, his business career was devoted to food processing and distribution. He served as the CEO of Acme Foods Company in Baltimore, Maryland. Educated at Ohio University and Johns Hopkins University, he also completed Harvard Business School’s OPM Management Program. Barry is a past Chair of the Foodbank’s board of trustees and is currently serving his second six-year term as a trustee. Yvette Cope, MSN, RN has over 30 years of nursing experience, having risen from the ranks as a Certified Nursing Assistant, to bedside nursing in a variety of roles and is now in executive leadership as the Chief Nursing Officer at Lompoc Valley Medical Center. In addition to providing outstanding nursing care to the patients she serves, she is committed to steering her community to a healthier future. A forward-thinking growth strategist and a compassionate leader, Yvette is a culturally astute and seasoned executive with an unprecedented understanding of hospital operations – from the waiting room to the C-suite. Yvette graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Kent State University, Kent, Ohio. She then attended California State University – Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA where she obtained a Master of Science in Nursing Administration. It is a personal and professional goal of Yvette to expand her reach into areas that are not traditionally the purview of a nurse leader. Lompoc is listed as one of the areas in the county with the highest rates of both overall and child poverty. Having access to many of the professional services that are a part of a regional healthcare organization, Yvette plans to play a significant role in helping the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County move the community from hunger to health. David is an acknowledged expert in the media industry around the world and has been at the forefront of three major industry revolutions – DVD, Blu Ray, and Digital Distribution. David is now compassionately committed to accelerating individual, team, and organizational performance. His passion for building high-performing teams and coaching executives has helped create a cadre of effective leaders in companies David holds a graduate certification in Executive and Organizational Development from Columbia University. He is a strategic advisor and fellow at Harvard University’s Institute of Coaching, where he co-authored a research study/e-book entitled “Leading With Humanity: The Future of Leadership and Coaching”. He is a former chair and current board member of The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. He is a former board member of the End Hunger Network where he and Jeff Bridges co created an entertainment industry focused campaign that raised 20 million dollars. Mónica J. Solórzano was elected in 2022 to serve as a Carpinteria City Councilmember representing the City’s First District. She has worked at UC Santa Barbara for nearly 17 years in Office of Government Relations and the Faculty Senate, and prior to that she worked for former Congressman Xavier Becerra in his Washington, DC office. Mónica is also President of the Aliso Elementary School’s PTA, and a Board member of the Carpinteria Education Foundation and the Carpinteria Cultural Foundation. Mónica received her BA in History from Princeton University, and her Masters in Education from Columbia University. She lives in Carpinteria with her husband, Ruairi, and their two daughters.Christine Bisson
Board Chair
Charles J.H. Stolar, MD
Vice Chair
Jessica Moitoza
Treasurer
Melissa Petersen
Secretary
Peter N. Brown
Ted Bruckner
Donald E. Lafler
Barry Spector
Yvette Cope
David Bishop
Mónica J. Solórzano
Executive & Compensation Committee Charter
Committee charters are available upon request, please email gvang@foodbanksbc.org.