Key Initiatives
- Assist in attracting new female leaders in our community to Westmont and involving them in the life of the college
- Engage alumnae, parents and friends who’ve become leaders in their chosen fields by strengthening their connection to each other and to the college
- Offer special activities and events on campus and in the community that discuss contemporary issues relating to women
Featured Speakers
Teresa Goines (2016)
Kathy Ireland (2017)
Shauna Niequist (2018)
Megan Alexander (2019)
Tamika Catchings (2020)
Lupita Knittel (2023)
Natalie Taylor (2024)
Henrietta Fore (2025)
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“We hope that leaders in our community will join with us in supporting young Westmont women. Your involvement will enrich and empower these women well beyond the years they spend as students at the college.”
Current Council Members
Member
Santa Barbara, CA
A Santa Barbara Realtor since 2007, Kim co-leads the top producing Crawford Speier Group at Village Properties. With a background in real estate development and passion for service, she brings leadership and heart to her work and community. Kim enjoys time with family, travel, and entertaining. She is a Westmont graduate, 2000.
Member
Santa Barbara, CA
Founder and Owner of Channel Islands Fiduciary Group. As a private professional fiduciary, Courtney serves as a crucial decision-maker in estate planning and trust documents. Her work frequently involves navigating complex assets and sensitive family dynamics, all while prioritizing advocacy and the wishes of her clients. Courtney is also the proud mother to two teen daughters, one of which is a current Westmont student.
Member
Santa Barbara, CA
Denice earned a bachelor’s degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo before working in Sacramento as a volunteer coordinator for Sutter Health and as a district executive for the Boy Scouts of America. Locally, she has held many positions, include as Dos Pueblos PTA president and board member on the Santa Barbara Education Foundation. Denice her husband, Steven, have two grown daughters.
Member
Santa Barbara, CA
Hannah Buschbom is the Chief Transitional Wealth Planner at The AmeriFlex Group®, where she ensures that the firm, its clients, and partner advisors receive comprehensive Transitional Wealth Planning services. Her comprehensive expertise is backed by her four professional designations, including the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®), Certified Private Wealth Advisor (CPWA®), Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA™), and Certified Financial Fiduciary (CFF®) certifications. She co-founded The W Source®, a platform dedicated to empowering female professionals to connect, engage, and grow their professional networks.
Hannah and her husband, Brett, and daughter, reside in Santa Barbara where they enjoy the vibrant community and beautiful surroundings.
Member
Santa Barbara, CA
Jess is an Executive Managing Partner at Mercer Advisors overseeing 20 offices in the firm’s west division while leading a national focus on client experience. She works to ensure Mercer Advisors delivers on its promise of a “family office for your family” to all its clients. In addition to her leadership roles, she continues to directly advise a number of families. One of the firm’s employee shareholders, she is a member of the firm’s investment committee and serves on the subcommittee focused on value-based investing strategies.
Since joining Mercer Advisors in 2007, Jessica has garnered experience across the firm’s operations, working as a client service specialist, financial planner, wealth advisor, director, and managing director. She was part of the group that founded InvestHERs, the Mercer Advisors initiative to make the firm a leading wealth manager of choice for female investors and one of the best workplaces for women in the financial services profession, where she particularly worked to create its mentorship program. A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional, Jessica graduated cum laude from Westmont College with a degree in economics and business.
Member
Santa Barbara, CA
Megan earned her Bachelor of Arts in Economics with an emphasis in Accounting from Westmont and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). She began her career in public accounting at Damitz, Brooks, Nightingale, Turner & Morrisset and later served as Accounting Manager at Select Staffing. Megan joined AppFolio at the time of its IPO and became Corporate Controller, leading efforts to scale financial operations, ensure accurate and timely financial reporting, and implement public company initiatives, including SOX 404(b) compliance. After stepping away from her corporate role to focus on family, Megan has continued to apply her financial expertise in the nonprofit sector. A longtime Santa Barbara resident, Megan is passionate about community impact and women’s leadership. She lives locally with her husband Josh and their two children.
Chair
Santa Barbara, CA
Vice-Chair
Santa Barbara, CA
- Hannah Buschbom '10
- Jessica Caruso '07
- Kim Crawford ’00
- Courtney DeSoto ’94
- Denice Fellows
- Anna Grotenhuis
- Sherry Nasseri ’00, chair
- Drew Parisi ’05, co-chair
- Megan Stichter '05
HONORARY
- Anna Grotenhuis, founding member
- Anne Towbes
- Sarah Camp, Assistant Vice President of College Advancement
- Janay Marshall ’01, Director of Alumni Relations
- Reed Sheard, Vice President of College Advancement and CIO
- Mary Pat Whitney, Director of Public and Advancement Events
- Trevor White, Assistant to the AVP of College Advancement
The current council builds on the extraordinary contributions, energy and passion of its past members:
- Amy Eddy ’02
- Anna Grotenhuis, co-chair
- Penny Jenkins, co-chair
- Andria Kahmann, co-chair
- Cheryl Miller
- Kirsten Moore, Women's Basketball Head Coach / Associate Athletic Director
- Mindy Wolfe '94
- Kim Yim' 94
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Contact
To learn more, please contact:
specialevents@westmont.edu