Staff Report

July 1 marked new additions and new roles for the Partners in Education board of directors, including Dr. Susan Salcido, Santa Barbara County Superintendent of Schools, taking the helm as board president.

Longtime board member and founder of D.D. Ford Construction, Doug Ford, will serve as the board’s vice president.

Salcido attended UCSB, where she majored in English and later earned her master’s degree in education. She began teaching at Dos Pueblos High School and subsequently served as assistant principal of San Marcos High School and principal of Santa Barbara Junior High School, before joining the Santa Barbara County Education Office.

 She completed the USC doctoral program at the Rossier School of Education, where she focused on organizational change, leadership, and student equity. Salcido joined the Partners’ board in 2017.

“Partners in Education is a vital part of our community, providing volunteers and career readiness training for our youth. I am honored to serve as this year’s board president as we continue to guide the programs and services Partners offers in Santa Barbara County,” Salcido said.

Doug Ford
Santa Barbara County Education Office

Ford majored in industrial arts with an emphasis in fine woodworking at Cal State Long Beach before starting one of Santa Barbara’s premier construction companies. He began participating in Partners’ Career Days nearly 10 years ago and is also the vice president of the TRADART Foundation, which is committed to job preparation programs for youth and the advancement of craftmanship training.

Jesus Terrazas is a brand new member of the board and an alum of Partners’ Internship Program. His internship took place at D.D. Ford Construction. Terrazas and his family also received a computer through Partners in Education’s Computer for Families program nearly 15 years ago.

Jesus Terrazas
Santa Barbara County Education Office

“Partners in Education is a wonderful organization that offers incredible support and opportunities to local students and their families. Being a recipient of its programs’ benefits, I am now thrilled to be involved as a member of the board,” Terrazas said.

He works as a manager at Merryl Brown Events and has a bachelor of arts degree in communication from UCSB.

Also new to the board, Dr. Jeffrey Milem is dean and professor at UCSB’s Gevirtz School of Education.

Jeffrey Milem
Santa Barbara County Education Office

Each year, Partners in Education coordinates thousands of volunteers —mostly professionals from local businesses — to participate in guest speaking, career days, mock job interviews, résumé coaching, and even classroom or afterschool tutoring.

The organization was formed by local business and education leaders in 1977 and is administered by the Santa Barbara County Education Office. More than 276,000 volunteer hours have been contributed at K-12 campuses and youth-serving nonprofits across Santa Barbara County; more than 12,300 computers have been delivered to families in need; and more than 660 high school students have received paid job-readiness training and internship experience in the workplace.

For more information, visit partners.sbceo.org.