Natalie Orfalea promotes the foundation’s initiatives in early childhood education, scholarships, promotion of individualized learning, transition to real food in schools and preschools, establishment of outdoor classrooms and school gardens, community partnerships like Thrive Santa Barbara County, improved emergency and disaster readiness; as well as the experience-based youth development program for teens known as REACH. Following a successful career at Xerox Corporation, Natalie ran an independent product development firm and raised two sons, who now participate on the Orfalea Family Foundation’s board. Natalie formerly served on the University of California Santa Barbara Chancellor’s Council, and on boards or councils for Direct Relief International, the Santa Barbara Children’s Museum, UCSB Arts & Lectures, and the national learning organization All Kinds of Minds. Natalie is passionate about discovering and providing opportunities for youth and family empowerment.
Board of Directors
Board of Directors
Frost’s professional background includes 16 years of nonprofit management with the Pacific Conservatory of Performing Arts (PCPA) at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, where she served as Managing Director. Frost began her nonprofit board service in 1990, and currently serves as a trustee and officer of the Santa Barbara Foundation, PCPA Foundation, Allan Hancock College Foundation, and the Santa Maria Branch of the American Association of University Women. In addition, she has served on the committees for the Foodbank Empty Bowls event for Santa Maria Valley and the Northern Santa Barbara County United Way Mayor’s Ball.
Dr. Peter MacDougall served as superintendent/president of Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) from 1981 to 2002. His extensive background in education includes positions at Los Angeles Community College District, Los Angeles Pierce College, Rutgers College and The Pennsylvania State University. In addition to his many professional accomplishments, MacDougall also has an impressive record of community involvement. He has served in a leadership capacity on the boards of Cottage Health System; Santa Barbara Partners in Education; United Way of Santa Barbara County; Fighting Back; Beyond Tolerance; Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce; Channel City Club; Private Industry Council; and Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. MacDougall presently holds the post of Chair of the Santa Barbara Foundation Board of Trustees.
Keenan Orfalea holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication, Legal Institutions, Economics and Government; and a Masters of Science degree in Sustainability Management from American University in Washington D.C. He is currently a Communications Fellow at Smart Growth America, where he develops and implements communications strategy for the news and commerce website Urbanful.org.
Saxon built and ran First American Records Management (FARM) Company for eleven years as co-CEO with his partner, Tom Bird, a classmate from Stanford Business School. In 1999, they sold the company to Iron Mountain, a publicly traded industry consolidator. From 1996 through today, Saxon and Bird have made more than 20 angel investments and sat on the boards of a number of small private companies. These days, Ken's primary affiliations are in the nonprofit sector. He founded and runs a leadership and renewal program for nonprofit Executive Directors called Courage to Lead (www.CourageToLeadNP.org). He has served on the boards of the Santa Barbara Foundation, the Eleos Foundation, and the Foundation for Santa Barbara City College, and he is Past President of the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara. In addition to the Orfalea Fund, he currently serves on the board of Santa Barbara Middle School.
Paul Orfalea founded Kinko’s in 1970, near the University of California Santa Barbara, with a simple idea: provide access to products and services otherwise unavailable to students and small businesses. From its modest beginnings, Kinko’s – now Fed Ex Office – became the world’s leading business services chain, with over 1,700 branches worldwide. Much of Kinko’s success can be traced directly to Paul’s unique business philosophy based on his free-thinking, creative style. In the year 2000, Paul retired from Kinko’s, and is no longer involved with the company, yet the empowering, democratizing organizational style he brought to Kinko's and many other entrepreneurial endeavors can be seen today in the culture and aspirations of the Orfalea Foundation. Paul now devotes his time to public speaking and teaching at various colleges and business organizations. Through the Orfalea Foundation, Paul encourages improvements in school food, quality early care, environmental practices, preventative oral health, and experiential education.