• Tony Blair addresses the Santa Barbara Community
  • Engaged Preschool Teaching
  • CPR during a Masters of Disaster Lesson
  • School Food
  • Orfalea Early Childhood Director's Retreat
  • Jr. Chef Day
  • Kids Cook
  • Orfalea Outdoor Classroom Project
  • Local Harvest
  • Culinary Boot Camp
  • Paul speaks with President Bill Clinton
  • James Lee Witt speaks to Santa Barbara County
  • Learning Outdoors
  • Orfalea Early Childhood Directors Retreat
  • Main School Family Resource Center- Carpinteria, CA
  • Montana Yellowstone Expeditions
  • MYE Students hiking in Montana
  • Assemblyman Pedro Nava attends Preparedness Event
  • MYE Students at the Beach
  • Santa Barbara County Emergency Operations Center
  • Our Local Agriculture
  • Students eat food that they made
  • A Jr. Chef peels her tomato
  • A Jr. Chef peels his carrot
  • Playtime at local Family Resource Center
  • Playtime at local Family Resource Center
  • MYS Students visit the farm
  • Children at the farm
  • The Orfalea Family and Mr. Tony Blair
  • Getting creative outdoors
  • Junior Chefs checking out their final outcome
  • MYE Student having a good time
  • Student admiring local produce

Our Team

Administration

Tara Perillo Foundation AssistantTara@Orfalea.org| (805) 565-7550 ext. 116
Provides administrative support to general office and initiatives.  Handles public scheduling of the foundations’ conference room. 

Tom Blabey Operations Manager Tom@Orfalea.org | (805) 565-7550 ext. 102
Manages internal operations, Human Resources, and property management.

Nate Rogers Communications Manager
Nate@Orfalea.org | (805) 565-7550 ext. 108
Manages all Orfalea Foundations' websites, speaking requests, public messaging, events, and media promotions.

Barbara Andersen Strategic Partnerships Director Barbara@Orfalea.org | (805) 565-7550 ext. 112
Responsible for developing partnerships on behalf of each of the initiatives, as well as identifying funding streams and opportunities for future investment by the foundations.

Montana Yellowstone Expeditions and Explore

General Information for MYE and Explore Website: www.MYEConnect.org

Laurel Anderson Explore Initiative Director Laurel@Orfalea.org | (805) 565-7550 ext. 104 
Oversees the Montana Yellowstone Expeditions Foundation and the Explore outdoor education program. Main contact for general MYE information (i.e. program activities, curriculum, scholarships, and staffing).

Ken Gates Montana Yellowstone Expeditions Outdoor Instructor explore@MYEConnect.org | (805) 565-7550 Ext. 117
Develops and teaches California-based outdoor education programs.

s’Cool Food Initiative

General Information for s’Cool Food Website: www.scoolfood.org
Email:  info@scoolfood.org
Phone: 805-565-7550 ext. 111

Kathleen de Chadenèdes s'Cool Food Initiative Director Kathleen@orfalea.org | (805) 565-7550 ext. 109
Directs all s’Cool Food Initiative programming and public speaking. Provides leadership to SFI team and s’cool Gardens partnership.

Eric Cárdenas Farm to School Consultant ec@ericcardenas.com | (805) 886-0355
Works with Santa Barbara County Schools to develop local procurement and other special projects.

Melissa Bishop s’Cool Food Initiative Programs Manager Melissa@Orfalea.org | (805) 565-7550 ext. 111
Oversees content of all s'Cool Food Initiative programs; cross-pollinates programs for greater synergy; acts as primary contact for school administrators and other organizations involved in educational activities.

Maria Caudillo Implementation & Events CoordinatorMaria@Orfalea.org| (805) 565-7550 ext. 114
Coordinates logistics for educational programming, community outreach events and volunteers. Ensures environmental-friendliness of events, and offers general support to SFI team.

Pamela Lee s’Cool Food Initiative Culinary Advisor Pamela@Orfalea.org | (805) 565-7550 ext. 109 (Leave Message)
Conducts school kitchen site visits and provides technical support and ongoing culinary education for school food service personnel throughout Santa Barbara County.

Aware & Prepare Initiative

General Information for Aware & Prepare Website: www.orfaleafoundations.org/go/our-initiatives/aware-prepare

Javier Moreno Aware & Prepare Initiative Manager Javier@Orfalea.org | (805) 565-7550 ext. 115
Manages key areas of the initiative with a focus on non-profit organizations.

Early Childhood Education Initiative

General Information for Early Childhood Education Website: www.orfaleafoundations.org/go/our-initiatives

Adrianna Foss Early Childhood Education Director Adrianna@Orfalea.org | (805) 565-7550 ext. 103
Manages early childhood education strategy and related programs, and grants focused on children from birth to age five. Implements Retreat for center directors and teachers.

Eric Nelson Director of The Outdoor Classroom Project cec@caltech.edu | (626) 840-3014
Oversees outdoor classroom project implementation, conducts site visits and trainings, and manages project budget and reporting.

Theresa Embry Coordinator of The Outdoor Classroom Project Theresa.embry@gmail.com | (626) 689-2338
Conducts site visits and training, oversees project administration, and guides implementation.

Executives

Lois Mitchell President Lois@Orfalea.org | (805) 565-7550 ext. 101
Directs overall foundation planning and marketing, large scale initiatives, collaborative campaigns, and strategic partnerships of national projects.

Catherine Brozowski Vice President Catherine@Orfalea.org | (805) 565-7550 ext. 100
Directs foundation strategy, education and critical community needs grantmaking, and financial management. Acts as primary liaison with community foundations and MYE.