Board Members

Members of the Board of Directors
Meeting Dates
Mission Statement

The District is governed by a five-member Board of Directors, the members of which are elected by the registered voters of the District to staggered four-year terms. The current directors, their occupations and the expiration dates of their terms are set forth below.

Directors	Expiration of Term	Occupation
Jan E. Abel *Director*	December 2012	Community Volunteer
Sam Frye *Director*	December 2010	Ranch Foreman
Douglas Morgan Vice President	December 2012	Retired Economics Professor
Richard Shaikewitz President	December 2010	Retired
Larry Wilson *Director*	December 2012	Retired

The District was enlarged on December 6, 1995, when the Summerland Water District was formally dissolved and merged with the District. At the November 7, 1995 election, the voters of the Summerland Water District approved the dissolution of the Summerland District and the reorganization for the Montecito Water District to assume the assets, obligations and responsibility for water service in the Summerland area.

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Meeting Dates

The Board of Directors meets once a month, the third Tuesday. The meetings are held at 2:00 p.m. in the District's Office Board Room (583 San Ysidro Road).

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Mission Statement

The mission of the Montecito Water District is to provide an adequate and reliable supply of high quality water to the residents of Montecito and Summerland, at the most reasonable cost.

In carrying out this mission, the District places particular emphasis on providing outstanding customer service, conducting its operations in an environmentally sensitive manner, and working cooperatively with other agencies.

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Jan E. Abel - *Director*
	Jan Abel has been a Montecito resident for 39 years. Jan was elected to the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA). ACWA is the largest coalition of public water agencies in the United States and it represents 90% of all municipal and agricultural water delivered in California, through its 435 member agencies. Ms Abel has served on the ACWA Board for nine years representing the coastal water agencies from San Francisco to Santa Barbara. Jan also serves as President of the Cachuma Conservation Release Board and is the Immediate Past President of the Cachuma Operation and Maintenance Board, both regional joint powers agencies that deal with water rights, fishery
issues, and the operation and maintenance of the Cachuma Project. The Cachuma Project is the primary source of water for the Carpinteria Valley, Montecito, Goleta and Santa Ynez River Water Conservation District ID#1 water districts, as well as the City of Santa Barbara. She serves on the Public Information and Appeals Committees of the Montecito Water District. Ms. Abel has served on the Montecito Water District Board since 1991.

Jan has been a community volunteer in Santa Barbara for over 30 years. She has served on the Boards of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Family Service Agency, Santa Barbara Symphony League, Casa Dorinda, UCSB Art Affiliates and Las Positas Park Foundation. Jan has also served as President of both the Junior League of Santa Barbara and the Las Aletas Auxiliary of the Assistance League of Santa Barbara. Ms. Abel has been a trainer and facilitator for the Association of Junior Leagues International in the Western States, Canada and Mexico, and for non-profit agencies in Santa Barbara.

Samuel Frye - Director

Sam has been a Montecito resident since 1980. He is the Manager of Rancho San Carlos, a lemon and avocado ranch. Most recently, he served as President of the Santa Barbara County Farm Bureau. Sam currently serves on the County Agricultural Advisory Committee and the Farm Bureau Executive Committee and Board of Directors. Since its inception in 2003 Sam has served as a board member of the Southern San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties Agricultural Watershed Coalition. The Coalition represents five agricultural entities in the development and implementation of voluntary, cost effective, producer-directed programs to protect and enhance water quality in the Southern San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara County watersheds. Sam joined the Board of Directors of the Montecito Water District in December 2006.

Sam currently serves on the Montecito Water District Board's Operations Committee.

W. Douglas Morgan - Vice President

Director Morgan was formally sworn in as a District Director at the Board’s meeting of March 20, 2007. He brings a significant professional background in economics and water resources to the District. Doug retired in 2007 from UC Santa Barbara where he had been a professor of economics since 1967. He received degrees from UC Berkeley and UCLA.

Doug and his wife have been residents of Montecito for over 30 years. He has been an adult leader for Boy Scout Troop 33 since 1978 and was instrumental in rebuilding the original Scout House at Manning park into the current Youth Center.

Doug serves on the Montecito Water District Board's Finance Committee.

Richard Shaikewitz - President

Richard joined the Montecito Water District Board in December 2006. He was a trial lawyer in the Midwest for 35 years before he retired to Montecito. He currently serves on the boards of Sansum Diabetes Research Institute and the Montecito Association, and is president of the Butterfly Beach Association. Richard has been secretary of the Montecito Association Board for four years, and has chaired its Land Use Committee.

Previously, Richard headed the Music Academy of the West's Wine Auction and Summer Fund Raising Festival, and has served on the Boards of the American Institute of Food and Wine and the Lobero Theatre.

For the past eight years he has been a non-commercial wine maker.

Currently Richard serves on the Operations and Public Information Committees of the Montecito Water District Board, and is its representative to the Central Coast Water Authority.

Larry Wilson - Director

Larry Wilson was appointed to the Board of Directors on December 22, 1994, and was subsequently elected to the Board of Directors of the Montecito Water District in November 1995. He is a retired Engineering Manager formerly with Pacific Telephone and AT&T.

He was an active observer at District Board meetings for four years prior to being appointed to the Board. He also voluntarily assisted the District by conducting a survey of private well owners within the District. He is married with one daughter and two grandchildren.

Currently, he serves on the Finance Committee of the Montecito Water Board, and on the Santa Barbara Specials Districts Board and LAFCO.