OUR MISSION
At Spotlight Santa Barbara, our Mission is to provide a forum “within which hard thought, and therefore strong disagreement, independent judgment, and the questioning of stubborn assumptions, can flourish in an environment of the greatest freedom.” University of Chicago, Statement of Principles.
Creating such a setting in Santa Barbara has never been more important.
National media and algorithm-driven platforms build echo chambers instead of informing the public. Dogma has replaced discourse. Civility is in decline, and anger is on the rise. We must take steps now to ensure Santa Barbara bucks these trends.
Spotlight Santa Barbara’s speaker series seeks to strengthen our community by provoking thought and inspiring change. We want to breakthrough our sometimes vitamin D-induced apathy and get people talking to each other, rather than past each other. We want to foster community and maybe—just maybe—find common ground built on common sense. We hope you’ll join us in our journey.
Brian Goebel is an Adjunct Professor of Public Policy at Pepperdine University’s Graduate School of Public Policy, where he teaches courses on Data Analysis and Immigration Policy. Since 2018, Brian has served as an elected Director for both the Montecito Water District and Groundwater Sustainability Agency. He is a recognized expert on homeland security, immigration, data analysis, and water policy. Brian has written for CNN, The Santa Barbara News Press, The Orange County Register, Noozhawk, The Washington Post, and many more publications. His COVID-related pieces for Noozhawk rank among the most widely read in that publication’s history.
Brian and his family moved to Santa Barbara in 2014. Since then, he has been an active member of the community. Brian has worked with several nonprofits, coached youth baseball, and been instrumental in several initiatives for the Carpinteria Educational Foundation and Carpinteria High School Athletics.
Brian’s full professional bio can be found here.
Several of Brian’s pieces for Noozhawk can be found here.
OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM
Spotlight Santa Barbara was founded by Jeff Giordano and Brian Goebel, two Santa Barbara residents who care deeply about their community and the importance of informed civic engagement and civil debate.
Jeff Giordano is a recovering Attorney and veteran Marketing and Communications executive. His experience brings with it expertise across a variety of disciplines including DtC Marketing, Media, Data, Entertainment, Ad-Tech, and Venture. Jeff has built, sold and been the CEO of a variety of successful businesses and has held leadership positions in Start-up and Fortune 500 environments. He is a Past Chairman of the Electronic Retailing Association and a former Director of the Interactive Television Alliance whose articles have appeared in Target Magazine, DM News, Response Magazine, and other trade publications. Jeff is also a weekend opinionator—it’s his passion play—whose self-described “Rants” have appeared in the Montecito Journal and other Santa Barbara publications.
Jeff and his family moved to Santa Barbara in 1998. Since then, Jeff and his wife Nanette have been active
members of the community serving, at various times, on for profit and non-profit boards.
Jeff’s full professional bio can be found here.
Jeff’s various Rants can be found here.
