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About Us

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The Cal Community of Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties hosts a variety of activities for alumni, students, parents, and the public at large to promote the welfare of the University of California, Berkeley.

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Established in 2012, our board serves over 1,500+ members from Santa Maria to Thousand Oaks. Through the curation of 25 local events, we have established partnerships with a multitude of local organizations.

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Our community’s flagship event features faculty from UC Berkeley alongside local experts to discuss pressing issues affecting our community.

Board Members

Ohan Arakelian, BA '12

Ohan is the founder and president of the UC Berkeley Community of Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. After receiving a Bachelor's degree in Economics, he returned to his hometown of Santa Barbara to promptly relaunch the local chapter in order to share his strong passion for Cal and experience in building communities. He currently works in the construction/real estate field and is a LEED Accredited Professional.

Gail Anikouchine, BA '84

Gail Anikouchine is the past president of the former UC Berkeley Club of Santa Barbara. As a CPA and president of Anikouchine and Associates, she has over 25 years of experience in public accounting, primarily in the field of audit, accounting, and compliance services for non-profits, small businesses, and individuals throughout the Santa Barbara area. She is a former partner of MacFarlane, Farletti & Co LLP and started her career at KPMG Peat Marwick.

Thomas Kuo, BS '04

Dr. Thomas Kuo is the board's Regional Scholarships Chair, where he leads the process of interviewing incoming UC Berkeley students in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties for alumni awards and scholarships. An entrepeneur and full-stack web/mobile engineer, he is currently a Lead Software Developer at PowWow Energy developing new tools and technologies to help farms make better use of data.

Maggie Yates, BA '04

Maggie is a leading contributor in Santa Barbara's theatre community. With a Bachelor's Degree in Theater and Performance Studies and Master's Degree in Writing, she is currently a theatre artist, writer, editor, and a contributor for the Santa Barbara Independent and Broadway World, 

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