Eight standout organizations and individuals were honored at an awards ceremony that grossed a record $310,400 for the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara. The 2023 South Coast Business & Technology Awards ceremony took place June 7 at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort. The annual awards recognize innovation, leadership, and success in the area’s business and technology sectors. Net proceeds from the event benefit the Scholarship Foundation.
“Since 2001, South Coast Business & Technology Awards ceremonies have provided more than $3 million in scholarships to more than 1,100 students throughout Santa Barbara County. This year alone, we awarded an unprecedented 163 SCBT scholarships totaling $383,000,” said Interim Scholarship Foundation President and CEO Mary Dwyer. “We very much appreciate this generous support from our local business and technology community.”
More than 500 people attended the June 7 ceremony. Serving as event co-chairs again this year were Janet Garufis, chairman and CEO of Montecito Bank & Trust, and Kirsten McLaughlin, market vice president at Cox Communications.
This year’s honorees included John Greathouse (Pioneer Award); Foodbank of Santa Barbara County (Excellence in Service); Elizabeth Cholawsky of HG Insights (Executive of the Year); Yardi (Company of the Year); Guillaume de Zwirek of Artera (Entrepreneur of the Year); and CrossnoKaye, Parker Clay, and Sun & Swell (Rising Stars).
The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara is the nation’s largest community-based provider of college scholarships, having cumulatively awarded in excess of $150 million to more than 60,000 county students since its founding in 1962. A nonprofit organization, the Scholarship Foundation also provides free financial aid advising services. For additional information, visit www.sbscholarship.org.
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