Mission:
To
Vision:
To
UNIVERSITY CLUB BOARD & COMMITTEES 2023-2024:
BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
President Jean Pfeiffer
Past President Lacy Taylor
Vice President Susan Bradley
Secretary Kostis Protopapas
Treasurer Gail Anikouchine
Craig Alexander
Steve Epstein
Jack Heine - Finance Chair
Cynthia McClelland
Michael Porter
Edward Savage
John Thyne
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:
Jean Pfeiffer - Chair
Kostis Protopapas
Gail Anikouchine
Susan Bradley
FINANCE COMMITTEE:
Jack Heine - Chair
Craig Alexander
Gail Anikouchine
Bob Monk
Jean Pfeiffer
Jack Skidmore
MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE:
Susan Bradley - Chair
Charles Feinstein
Janet Malki
Liz Muench
Joanne Payne
Debby Rexford
Eve Savage
Paul Wendt
FOOD & BEVERAGE COMMITTEE:
Patrick Day- Chair
David Ackert
Kay Fitzgerald
James Gazdecki
Suzanne Oliver
Stephanie Petlow
Kostis Protopapas
Joan Rutkowski
Deborah Schwartz
Brandon Twigden
Isabel Wendt
FACILITIES & PLANNING COMMITTEE:
Michael Porter- Chair
Melvin Oliver
for their service on the Board of Directors to:
Jack Heine
Kostis Protopapas
John Thyne
Liz Muench to those ending their terms
Charles Feinstein
John Margolis for their service on the Membership Committee to:
MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT:
Dear Members,
As I wrap up my first year as President of our beloved Club, I could not be prouder of all that has been accomplished, of the resilience, support, and enthusiasm of our members, and the dedication of our incredible team. What an inspirational and productive year we have had.
Reflecting back, I am reminded of our collective resilience – remembering how we started this year off weathering the unprecedented storms and flooding, for example. No amount of rain or adverse weather could keep us down or dampen our Club spirits. In fact, we were able to stay up and operational despite sustaining storm damage, with members rallying to utilize and support the Club. It is this camaraderie and fellowship, our vibrancy and positive energy, which define us and set our Club apart.
I am also thankful for the unwavering dedication and ongoing work of Sarah and her team as they manage the changes and challenges inherent with keeping such a historic Clubhouse up and running. They do a wonderful job balancing private events and member initiatives with day-to-day and overall operating costs. As we can see in the Treasurer’s Report, it is also a good time of year to reiterate the importance of our memberships, both in terms of our Club’s vibrancy as well as our dues which help cover 38% of our operational costs.
On that note, I am very excited for the next phase of our Club’s development. If our post-pandemic years were focused predominantly on growing the Club, increasing membership, and solidifying ourselves as a member-driven and member-led community with a full calendar of member events and activities, then the next step is providing our existing membership with the best Club experience available. As we head into the next fiscal year, we will focus on working to improve our Clubhouse,
enhancing our exclusive member offerings, and providing even more opportunities for our members to connect professionally and socially with one another and the community at large.
In line with this commitment to expanding the ways we serve our members and the wider community, I am thrilled to announce the creation of a new foundation. This foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, public benefit corporation, dedicated to engaging in charitable and educational activities. The foundation’s mission is to focus on preserving the rich local history and architectural heritage of Santa Barbara. It will support the restoration, preservation, and maintenance of historically and architecturally significant buildings and structures in the area, including our very own historic mansion, which is recognized as a building of historic merit.
This new initiative is a testament to our Club’s long-standing values of community engagement, cultural preservation, and education. We are confident that it will not only enhance the legacy of our Club but also contribute meaningfully to the broader public by preserving important historical landmarks for future generations.
Together, we are ensuring that our Club remains a vibrant and growing community for all of our members, and we are excited for the many opportunities and accomplishments that lie ahead.
Sincerely,
Jean Pfeiffer President, University Club of Santa Barbara
MESSAGE FROM OUR GENERAL MANAGER:
Dear Members,
I do believe this past year has been our busiest and most exciting to date since I started here five years ago. With the growth in membership since reopening post-pandemic, and so many of you active and involved in the Club, it has become a truly bustling and exciting hub for members to connect, celebrate, and grow together.
Looking back over some of the highlights of this past year, I am struck by just how much we have grown, and what an incredible place our Club has become for our members, your families, friends, clients, and more. Our Club has become synonymous with fun, engaging activities; a vibrant and connected ambiance; fantastic communal spirit and camaraderie; and top-notch service. With a full calendar of member events, social clubs, and exclusive opportunities with community partners, as well as singular private dining, business options, and more, we have truly grown into our vision of being the place to be in Santa Barbara for social and professional connections and opportunities. I could not be prouder of the hard work and dedication we have all put into making our Club what it is today. Our Club thrives because of each and every one of you – our wonderful members.
On that note, I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the members who lead and contribute to our vibrant array of member social clubs and societies. From Wine & Spirits Society to our three book clubs to the Writers’ Society, from backgammon and Mah Jongg to photography, and everything in between, your dedication enriches our community and enhances our collective experience. Thank you to all of you who have volunteered to serve on committees, including our Membership Committee, our Finance Committee, and our newly formed Food and Beverage Committee. We are immensely grateful for all of your passions and leadership. Thank you also to
everyone who joined us for the many member activities, events, meals, field trips, classes, drinks, and fun at the Club this past year. Thank you to all of you who come to us with your ideas and interests, helping to spearhead ever-more member-driven activities, events, and exceptional opportunities for social and business connections, celebrations, and growth. Thank you to all of you who volunteer your time, expertise, and efforts on behalf of the Club and your fellow members. Thank you to everyone who enjoyed one another’s company at our communal tables, everyone who raised a glass together, danced, laughed, and connected, and everyone who so warmly welcomed new members into the University Club family. Your participation in Club life, and your Club spirit, is cherished and appreciated.
A special thank you also to our esteemed partners throughout the community for generously making possible many of the wonderful private tours, discounted group tickets, and speakers University Club members are privy to throughout the year.
As we come close to reaching another Club milestone – selling out of proprietary memberships for the first time in our Club’s history – we look forward to focusing our attention on a new kind of growth: growing our member offerings, focusing on enhancing our services for members, and bringing even more amazing, exclusive events and opportunities to the Club for our members to enjoy. I am excited for the coming year ahead, and all that awaits us at our beloved University Club of Santa Barbara – the place to be!
Sarah Rudd General Manager Sarah.Rudd@uclubsb.org
A YEAR OF GROWTH & EVOLUTION:
We are pleased to present the Annual Report for the year 2023-2024 – a year of growth, evolution, and meaningful developments, particularly in the areas of membership, dining, and service. As we reflect on our journey and look forward also to what lies ahead, we are proud to share a few of the highlights that showcase our commitment to exceptional member experiences and vibrant Club life:
MEMBERSHIP
39 New Members: We are delighted to have welcomed so many new members from across the community this past year, enriching our Club with fresh perspectives and ideas and making possible ever-more social and professional connections and growth.
New Website & Member App: We were excited to launch our new and improved website and exclusive Member App, with an updated look and more intuitive navigation experience. The new website and mobile app have been very well received and are helping us to better serve our members and guests, and significantly enhance member experiences and engagement.
Membership Campaign: Our 2024 Member Recruitment Campaign successfully launched with a mass mail out to the community, targeted advertising, and tremendous member involvement. The overall aim is to sell out of Resident Memberships for the first time in our Club’s history. Underpinning this effort is the drive to maximize revenue from dues and to shift our focus to even more member engagement and enhanced member experiences moving forward.
Member Engagement: We continued to build on our fun and engaging member appreciation happy hours, as well as member recruitment evenings, making them quarterly occurrences.
ACTIVITIES
Exciting, Exclusive, Engaging: We enjoyed a full, vibrant calendar throughout the year with a wide range of engaging events and activities for our members and their guests. Alongside Club favorites and traditions, we also added new experiences to the mix. One highlight this year was our fantastical Magic Mansion event – a spellbinding evening in line with our goal of further elevating our exclusive and inspiring member offerings.
throughout the community, we were able to offer our members discounted group tickets to Opera Santa Barbara performances, Ensemble Theatre shows, the symphony, chamber music, and more throughout the year (some with backstage passes to cast parties!), as well as private docent tours to Bellosguardo, Lotusland, the Botanic Gardens, and the Museum of Art.
New Member Clubs & Societies: Our members continued to come together to share their passions and learn and grow together. Members stepped up to lead even more social clubs and societies, including the new Backgammon Club, our Writer’s Society, and the innovative Book Lover’s Society.
Exclusive, Prestigious Guest Speakers : The University Club played host to an impressive line-up of singular speakers, expert panels, authors, and more, providing opportunities for intellectual growth, knowledge, and enrichment for our members and their guests, as well as community members from partner organizations. This year in particular, we enjoyed fruitful collaborations allowing us to exclusively host distinguished experts from across the nation as well as from abroad.
Performing Arts Special Offers & Private
Cultural Tours: Thanks to our diverse and wellconnected membership, as well as our partners
New! Boutique Wines & Spirits Tasting Room: Bringing more of the finest of Santa Barbara County to the Club, our Wine & Spirits Society unveiled the new University Club Tasting Room this year, with quarterly events showcasing wines from small production wineries who do not have their own local tasting rooms. Members and their guests reveled in the opportunity to sample and purchase their favorites while enjoying a lovely evening out being pampered and sharing camaraderie.
NETWORKING & COMMUNITY
Networking & Business: Over the past year we began laying the groundwork to further solidify the University Club as the place for exclusive networking opportunities; a hub where individuals from diverse backgrounds converge to exchange insights, share perspectives, and foster personal and professional growth. Our member programming and accessible meeting spaces inspired both organic and structured networking throughout the year. Highlights included collaboration with The Santa Barbara Executive Roundtable for monthly breakfast speakers and special Legacy Networking events.
Community Partnerships & Collaborations:
In line with our strategic goals and commitment to community engagement, and the role of the University Club as an active cornerstone of the community, we continued to implement new partnerships with community organizations in the areas of speaker events and Club activities.
DINING & SERVICE
Food & Service Survey: As part of our ongoing commitment to continually improve our service, and to ensure the best possible dining experience for our members and guests, we once again undertook an extensive Food & Service Survey to better understand our strengths, identify areas for improvement, gauge member satisfaction, and provide a means for member requests and feedback.
New! Food and Beverage Committee: To further assess our food and beverage program and culinary services on an ongoing basis via vital member input and ownership, we established a Food and Beverage Committee. The Committee has been instrumental in gathering member feedback and advising on culinary matters.
specials, now announced to membership via email each week. We also revamped our menus to better highlight our delectable selections and the various dishes suited to a variety of dietary needs.
Kitchen Upgrades: We invested in our facilities by installing new conventional ovens in our kitchen as well as professional heating lamps, enhancing our capacity to provide exceptional dining experiences.
Staff Expansion & New Positions: We expanded our service staff to keep pace with our growing and active membership –including a new bartender and additional kitchen staff. Other staff changes included the addition of a host(ess) during busy periods and a change in the Executive Chef position, with the promotion of Chef Tony Figueroa to lead the kitchen moving forward.
New! Seasonal Menus, Weekly Specials, & Updated Menus: We are proud to have introduced our new seasonally changing lunch, dinner, and cocktail menus this year, inspired by local flavors and accents and complimented by our selection of local and imported wines and specialty cocktails, as well as our non-alcoholic selections. Most recently, we added weekly
Staff Training: Our front of house was provided with regular comprehensive trainings throughout the year, particularly focusing on areas for improvement highlighted during our Food and Service Survey, and as advised by our Food and Beverage Committee. Similarly, our current kitchen crew has also set up a regular training schedule for kitchen staff. Some of the trainings undertaken included food handling and sanitation practices and seasonal menu tastings and reviews. We also implemented monthly front of house trainings on topics such as wine service, service etiquette, and more.
PRIVATE EVENTS
Private Event Staffing & Resources: Our beautiful and ideally situated mansion continues to be a sought after event space for weddings,
private events, and meetings, for both members and non-members alike, with exceptional ratings and reviews. This past year three service staff members were promoted to Captain positions to further support our Front of House Manager during private events and weddings. We also added additional lunch buffet menu options for private meetings and events and purchased new banquet plates.
New Meeting Space Added! We have a new meeting/work space available to meet the ongoing demand. Our new Ocean Room is spacious and bright, boasting a large meeting table and 75” flat screen with apple TV. It is the ideal setting for small conference meetings, working lunches, and meetings with clients and joins our cadre of other meeting rooms on offer upstairs.
RIVIERA MANSION STEWARDSHIP
Preserving History: Building upon our 2019 designation as a Structure of Merit, we were able to finalize the establishment this year of a University Club of Santa Barbara Foundation. This foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, public benefit corporation, dedicated to engaging in charitable and educational activities. The foundation’s mission will be to focus on preserving the rich local history and architectural heritage of Santa Barbara. It will support the restoration, preservation, and maintenance of historically and architecturally significant buildings and structures in the area, including our very own historic mansion. Be on the lookout for more information on this exciting development soon.
TREASURER’S REPORT:
With the strategic plan in mind, we continued during this past year to make operational decisions to provide opportunities for our members and made great advancements to develop a plan to improve the building’s infrastructure.
We utilize two ovens, besides the pizza oven, to provide our meals. This year, the second of our ovens decided to retire after years of service and join the first one that retired last year. Some of you might have noticed part of the lawn was cut up as an aged sewer/water line gave up too. As they say, into every life, a little rain must fall. The Club was not alone with damage from the heavy rains earlier this year. Some our rooms were damaged and sadly we had to remove a cornerstone stone pine tree as well as an old oak showing signs of needing to lean on the Club for its future support. Other than the oven, these projects were emergencies, and thus unplanned; however, their completion leaves us in a much better position to address impending issues. The maintenance and safety of our Club facilities are of utmost importance, and these repairs were critical for the long-term health of our property. Fortunately, the Club had your support and the current year initiation fees of $98,700 covered 97% of these costs!
Finance Committee monitors costs, recognizing these activities are an integral part of the essence of the Club.
The Club did experience a net loss of approximately $70,000 compared to last year of $150,000, including the initiation fees as revenue. Private events continued to increase. The Club focused on smaller private events during the hours of operation which bolstered revenue. The Club anticipates fiscal year end 2025 to be comparable, if not exceed, the year just ended.
This upcoming year continues to have challenges. Consequently, the budgeted amounts for the primary revenue streams reflect 1) Dues: a steady growth of new members consistent with trends in the last quarter of the fiscal year end 2024; 2) Event Income: the budgeted number of events includes those actually booked for the first 6 months of the fiscal year 25 and an estimate based on actual for fiscal year 24; and 3) Food & Beverage: the increase is in members dining. Expenditures both capture the impact of inflation and the known cost increases such as payroll.
The Club continued to address member services. The focus remained on maintaining and also expanding popular programs, and adding a couple based upon member demand. We saw an increase in membership engagement which does make the Club an exciting place to be. The
Most importantly, what really drives the budget is the enthusiasm from the positive energy within the Club. As we start this new fiscal year, we have earmarked funds for the renovation of the handicap-accessible portion of our parking lot, slated for late 2024, and will ensure our facilities continue to be accessible and compliant with current standards. We are optimistic that membership will continue to grow, allowing the Club to focus on offering programs that enrich and inspire; on enhancing the membership experience; and on being a vibrant Club for all.
Consolidated Income Statement Statement of Cash Flows
2,549,016
2,022,859
2,191,426
$ (168,567) Consolidated Income Statement
Welcome To Our New Members!
New Members This Fiscal Year (Through August, 2024)
Marguerite Amer
Gina & Martin Bell
Hannah & Brett Buschbom
Sarah Cohn
Kim & Rob Crawford
Amanda Cruz & Rick Harman
Edward Dannemiller
Mikel Doyle
Patricia Duncan & Winston Peters
Trygve Duryea
Lisa Faitell
Forrest & Mary Flemming
Bunny Freidus
Elizabeth Kennedy
Sarah Fox & Dennis Klos
Nancy & Michael Gifford
Richard Hashim & Laurie Walter
Kathryn Hinsch & Benjamin Goetter
Corey McComb
Geoff & Maureen Needham
John Oglivie & Ashley Brook
Maria Owen
Rachel & Brian Quittner
Jennifer & Jason Siemens
Angelina Speier & Jackson Snyder
Natalie Sweeney & Thomas Parry
Kathryn Tarkington
Dale Tetalman
Christine Tumpson
Patty & Stephen Vignolo
Welcome Also New Members
September-October 2024:
Laura & Steve Clayton
Janet Colby & Tim Walker
James & Dagny Dehlsen
Madeleine Dossin & Etienne Droulez
David & Valerie Grace
Carol & Michael Linn
Eileen & Charles Read
Victoria Rightmire
Andrea Weir
OUR MEMBERS:
In Special Honor of Our Emeritus Members:
We proudly recognize our long-standing members who have been part of our organization for decades, embodying our values and contributing to our legacy:
Peter Jordano (est. 1961)
Rosita Arbagey (est. 1963)
Joe Dobbs (est. 1966)
Robert Monk (est. 1971)
In Memoriam:
We pay tribute to the cherished members we lost this year:
Chris Compogiannis
Timothy Matthew Hansen
Scott Newhall
David Peri
Susan Rosas
Total Membership As of October 2024:
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO
At the University Club we pride ourselves on being your Club, where members set the tone and bring their passions, expertise, and curiosity to life. Our member-driven clubs and societies connect those with similar interests, drawing members together to share experiences, bond over affinities and hobbies, have fun learning new skills, and build relationships. Members enjoy a host of opportunities to further your passions and curiosities, coming together with like-minded people, exploring new topics, and enjoying their favorite pastimes in the comfort of their own private Club.
A special thank you to the members leading our social clubs and societies:
BRIDGE CLUB
Judy Sturgeon
PHOTOGRAPHY CLUB
Helene Glassman
PERFORMING ARTS SOCIETY
Opera SB, Ensemble Theatre, SB Symphony, Lobero Theatre, SB Readers.
WINE & SPIRITS SOCIETY
Patrick & Donna Will, Leslie Thomas
MAH JONGG LUNCH BUNCH
Cynthia McClelland
BOOK CLUB OVER LUNCH
Frank Peters
BOOK CLUB AFTER DARK
Patrick Day
BOOK LOVER’S SOCIETY
Anne Luther
WRITER’S SOCIETY
Anne Luther
BACKGAMMON CLUB
Bruce Stark Thank
to the organizations and institutions we have partnered with in recent years on special events and offerings to our members & to the members who have been instrumental in fostering these connections.
Bellosguardo Foundation
Couture Pattern Museum
Ensemble Theatre Company
Fine Art Conservation Lab
Lobero Theatre Chamber Music Project
Ganna Walska Lotusland
SABER
Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
Santa Barbara Mah Jongg
Santa Barbara Maritime Museum
Santa Barbara Museum of Art
Santa Barbara Mission Archive-Library
Santa Barbara Newcomers Club
Santa Barbara Readers
Santa Barbara Symphony
Opera Santa Barbara
UCSB Department of Religious Studies
Waterhouse Gallery
