Kyra Rogers, Board Chair
Kyra is the mom of three WYP boys. She serves on the Board of Directors for Storyteller Children’s Center and the Executive Board for the Golden Rule Family Foundation. She has her Masters in Social Work from USC and B.A. in Organizational Psychology from Claremont McKenna College. After working for four years as an information systems consultant for Andersen Consulting (now Accenture), Kyra shifted to work in the non-profit sector. She was the Director of the Even Start Family Literacy Program in El Paso, TX. While in El Paso, she served on the board for Centro Mujeres de la Esperanza, a non-profit provider of health and mental wellness classes to women in low-income communities. While earning her masters, she interned with the Los Angeles County Mental Health Department, then UCLA. She has also served on the board of The Seasons Way, a non-profit dedicated to supporting local preschools who teach compassionate communication in an outdoor setting. She has backpacked through Denali National Park in Alaska, the Wind River Wilderness in Wyoming, and throughout California. She loves hiking, surfing, SUPing, reading, and bird language.
Past President: Arnold Jaffe
Arnold S. Jaffe (Arno) has been a Santa Barbara resident since 1977 and is an attorney/mediator, specializing in immigration law. He has extensive board experience, he’s served with the Santa Barbara Middle School, The Rythmic Arts Project and Fighting Back Mentoring Program. He spent 22 years in the food industry with New York Bagel Factory and Paradisio Sorbet, is the father of two sons Joss and Bowie, and an avid practitioner of being in the now.
Treasurer: Diana Pereira
Diana Pereira is the Founder and President of Balance Financial Management, a business management consulting and accounting firm that specializes in growing companies. In addition to founding Balance, Ms. Pereira is currently the Chief Compliance Officer of Morton Capital Management, an investment advisory firm with over a billion in client assets. Prior to joining Morton, Ms. Pereira was the Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Financial Officer of West Coast Asset Management, a registered investment advisor focused on private equity, real estate funds and separately managed accounts in Montecito. Prior experience encompasses business and financial operations within private equity, hedge funds, investment banking, international trade, insurance, and technology start-ups. Ms. Pereira received her B.A. in Business Economics from UC Santa Barbara, her Juris Doctorate at the Santa Barbara College of Law, studied at the Universitaì di Bologna in Italy and is fluent in Italian. Ms. Pereira is a member of the State Bar of California and a Partner of Social Venture Partners Santa Barbara.
Most importantly, Diana is the mother to twin boys who love everything outdoors and WYP summer camp! Diana and her family spend most of their free time camping, hiking, biking and enjoying the natural beauty and resources of Santa Barbara. When not enjoying the outdoors, Diana can be found volunteering in our community.
Secretary: Anthony Rogers, M.D. – Family Practice
As a father of three WYP boys, Dr. Rogers brings his commitment to family health to his role on our Board of Directors. After receiving his B.A. in French Literature from Pomona College and his M.D. from Texas Tech School of Medicine, Dr. Rogers returned to California to do his training at Harbor-UCLA Family Medicine Residency, one of the top residencies in the country for urban, underserved, primary care medicine. Dr. Rogers received the “Resident Teacher of the Year” award while at Harbor-UCLA, an honor awarded by the Society for Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM). Dr. Rogers is board-certified in Family Medicine. He joined the Santa Barbara Public Health Department in 2004 at the Franklin Health Care Center, then moved to the Santa Barbara Health Care Center in 2007. He is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Matt Dobberteen
Matt Doberteen is the Alternative Transportation Manager with the County of Santa Barbara and has been involved in government planning for his entire 30-year career. He has extensive experience working with nonprofits through his current role as advisor to the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition and COAST. He has also served as a board member to Fairview Gardens and the Sustainability Project. Matt is an Eagle Scout and a lover of the natural world. He enjoys backpacking, camping and bicycling for transportation and fitness. Matt is deeply passionate about WYP’s mission. He has joined the fundraising committee and is eager to help increase awareness in our community about the many benefits of nature connection.
Julie Meers
Julie and her family have loved WYP since her son started camp in 2008. As a local Pediatric Occupational Therapist, Julie is committed to creating and supporting services to make the outdoors accessible for all. Julie works to support sustainability programs in the area and was recognized by Looking Good Santa Barbara as Neighbor of the Year in recognition of work she did to improve recycling and water conservation in her area. In addition, Julie and her family are volunteers at the Ty Warner Sea Center in Santa Barbara and are working to teach others about the local marine life, ecosystems and the care of the ocean.
Julie was born and raised in Massachusetts. She fell in love with the west coast and after many years in San Francisco, Julie moved to Santa Barbara in 2001. Julie loves the outdoors and exploring all the local sites here in Santa Barbara and up the coast with her partner Dan and son Henry. When not cheering on her son at local sporting events , Julie can be found exploring her favorite spots around More Mesa, local beaches, Gaviota, Montana De Oro and the Big Sur Coast.
