Veronica Sandoval of Santa Ynez is the foundation executive for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians.
Family: I’m married to Sean Foy, and the mother to Sophia, Greyson and Rue – not to mention Shadow (black Lab) and Juneau (Alaskan malamute).
Favorite movie: “The Greatest Showman”
Favorite Book/Author: “Three Little Words” by Ashley Rhodes-Courter, a memoir about the nine years she spent in 14 different foster homes.
Favorite Music/Musician: Nothing compares to ’90s hip-hop and R&B – you know, the tunes that get you up and dancing!
Hobbies: Attending my kids’ sporting events, reading, and traditional basket weaving. I also like to paint, but only under the direction of Gypsy Studios.
Your Bio in One Paragraph: With more than 23 years of experience working for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, I’m currently serving as foundation executive for the Chumash Foundation – a role I have served for more than nine years. In my role, I manage the tribe’s philanthropic programs, with responsibilities such as administering grants, sponsorships and in-kind donations to local nonprofit organizations, overseeing multi-year commitments, developing community partnerships, and overseeing our employee volunteer program (Team Chumash).
How I believe I have made an impact in the SYV: I have a long history in the Santa Ynez Valley, and I descend from the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. I’m active in both my tribal community and the local community, and I serve as a College School District Board of Trustee, a position I’ve held since 2011.
I also served as a board member for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Santa Barbara County from 2013 until 2015. I took a brief break from CASA in 2015 when I was appointed to the Child Welfare Safety Net Task Force. As a Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors’ appointee, I, along with three other task force members, were responsible for examining the Child Welfare System to ensure that it was performing at its highest level to serve Santa Barbara County foster youth.
I am a former foster turned adoptive parent, and I rejoined the CASA board in November 2016 to continue the important work of advocating for Santa Barbara County’s most vulnerable children.
Pet Peeves: Onions!
Road to the Santa Ynez Valley: Fortunately for me, my road has never led me too far from the Santa Ynez Valley, and when it did, I always managed to find my way back home.
For Sean and I, it was important for us to raise our kids in the small, quaint town that we grew up in. Our kids go to the same schools that we did (Go, Bobcats!), and when our oldest was in high school (Go, Pirates!), there was no shortage of SYHS football coaches keeping a watchful eye on her. That is what small-town living is all about, and we couldn’t imagine raising our beautiful family anywhere else.
Favorite Local Place: Pony Baseball Fields, SYHS football field, SYHS gym, YMCA basketball courts, and Nojoqui Horse Ranch — pretty much any place in the valley where our kids are involved in their activities.
