L to R: Kathy Logan, Alison Butler, John Martinis, Lars Bildsten, Sandy Seale, Amir Abo-Shaeer, Lisa Daniels, Gary Simpson.

Amir Abo-Shaeer (DPEA Director, ex-officio) graduated from UCSB with a Bachelor’s degree in Physics and Master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Education. He has taught science and engineering at Dos Pueblos High School since 2001, and currently teaches Engineering Physics, AP Physics, and Engineering 2/Robotics. Before becoming a teacher, Amir was a mechanical engineer working on research and development in academia, the aerospace industry, and the telecommunications industry.

Sandy Seale (DPEA Foundation President) has a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Princeton University and a Master’s degree and PhD in Civil Engineering from MIT. She works as a Research Seismologist for the Institute of Crustal Studies at UCSB. She has experience working as a mechanical engineer for the aerospace industry and as a computer programmer in the software industry. Sandy served on the board of the Montessori Center School, where she was president for four years, and on the Hope Ranch Board of Directors, where she was vice-president for two years.

Lisa Daniels (DPEA Foundation Treasurer) is a graduate of UC Santa Barbara with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematical Science. Lisa works as Assistant Dean in the Division of Humanities and Fine Arts in the College of Letters and Science at UC Santa Barbara. Her non-profit board experience includes president of the Santa Barbara Chapter of the National Charity League and president of the Santa Barbara Children’s Chorus Parents Guild.

Kathy Logan (DPEA Foundation Secretary) is a graduate of California State University, Long Beach, and the University of Southern California. She has worked in consumer products sales and marketing as well as non-profit development. Kathy has served on several non-profit boards including the Santa Barbara Museum of Art Docent Council, Westmont Art Council, Marymount School, and the National Charity League.

Lars Bildsten has a Bachelor’s in Engineering Physics from Ohio State University and a PhD in Theoretical Physics from Cornell University. He is a permanent member at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics and a professor in the UC Santa Barbara physics department, where he carries out research and teaching in theoretical astrophysics. Lars serves on national committees advising the federal government on science policy and technical issues, and just completed his service on the National Science Foundation’s Mathematical and Physical Science Advisory Committee.

Alison Butler was an undergraduate at Reed College and received her PhD in Chemistry at UC San Diego. She was a postdoctoral fellow at UCLA and Caltech before joining the faculty at UC Santa Barbara in 1986 in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Alison held the position of Associate Dean for Bioengineering at UCSB from 2000 to 2003. In her laboratory, Alison’s research focuses on bioinorganic chemistry and metallobiochemistry.

John Martinis is a graduate of UC Berkeley with BA and PhD degrees in Physics. He worked as a physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, Colorado before moving to Santa Barbara three years ago. John is a professor of physics at UCSB doing experimental research to build a quantum computer.

Gary Simpson has a Bachelors in Naval Engineering and Nuclear Physics from the U.S. Naval Academy and an MBA from Pepperdine University. After serving 5 years in the Navy, he worked for 28 years for a global consumer products company in Product Supply Operations and currently does business consulting. Gary serves on the board of The First Tee Central Coast and has been active in mentoring and a number of community service activities.