Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra Adds Trio to Board of Directors

Dean Axelrod, Dawn Long, and Kristan O'Donnell have been elected to the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra Board of Directors. Each will serve a three-year term.

Mr. Axelrod earned a bachelor's degree in English from Boston University, and a law degree and an MBA from the University of Arizona. Prior to joining Edward Jones as a financial advisor in 2014, he did legal work and was a small-business consultant. Mr. Axelrod has served as president of the Goleta Valley Junior High School PTA and as a Board member of the Mesa Neighborhood Association and the Santa Barbara Rotary Club Foundation. His volunteer efforts also have included Partners in Education, Women's Economic Ventures, the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition, and Santa Barbara Open Streets. He serves on the SBCO Board's planned giving advisory and development committees.

A graduate of the University of Southern California, Ms. O'Donnell has supported numerous community organizations in San Juan Capistrano and more recently Santa Barbara, including Mission San Juan Capistrano, the J.F. Shea Therapeutic Riding Center, the Order of Malta, Casa Del Herrero, the Music Academy of the West, and the Santa Barbara Public Library Adult Literacy Program. A sustaining member of the Italian Studies Council at Chapman University, Ms. O'Donnell also is a Board member for the California Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums and the Italian Cultural Heritage Foundation of Santa Barbara. She serves on the SBCO Board's events committee.

Prior to being named director of information technology and quality at Direct Relief in September 2014, Ms. Long served as an IT consultant for more than 15 years, working with such companies as IBM, United Technologies (Pratt & Whitney, Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., and UTC Aerospace Systems), and Goodrich. A native of Santa Barbara, she earned a bachelor of music degree from UCSB and an MBA from UC Davis. Ms. Long serves on the SBCO Board's endowment advisory task force.

"We are very pleased to welcome three such accomplished and civic-minded individuals. The Chamber Orchestra is certain to benefit from their expertise, enthusiasm, and leadership. I am personally grateful for the opportunity to work with each of them and the other outstanding members of our Board," said SBCO Executive Director Kevin A. Marvin.

Founded in 1978, the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra is devoted to presenting concerts and programming of exceptional quality, and to fostering engagement with classical music among community members of all ages. The organization's reputation for excellence has long attracted musicians of uncommon achievement. Current and former SBCO musicians perform with the New York Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Opera, Pacific Symphony, and the Santa Barbara Symphony. Acclaimed conductor Heiichiro Ohyama has served as music director of the ensemble since 1982. For more information, visit www.sbco.org.

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