By Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara
Tessa Kaganoff, a former policy analyst who went on to direct prospect research at UC Los Angeles (UCLA), has joined the Board of Directors for the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara.
A native of Goleta, Ms. Kaganoff received a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Vassar College before earning a master’s degree in public policy at Duke University and an MBA at UCLA. She began her career as a policy analyst at the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, where she conducted qualitative research across a number of areas, including education, the arts, and defense. Following a two-year stint as a program officer with the children’s advocacy organization First 5 LA, Ms. Kaganoff joined the fundraising staff at UCLA, serving first as a principal gifts research analyst and later as director of prospect research. She retired from the latter position in May 2022. Her community service efforts have included volunteer work and board service on behalf of Upward Bound House in Santa Monica, Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles, and Congregation B’nai B’rith, among others.
“Tessa’s impressive background perfectly aligns with our organization’s stated purpose. Specifically, we are eager to put her considerable fundraising skills to work as we seek to provide Santa Barbara County students with greater levels of financial assistance. We are very pleased to welcome her,” said Interim Scholarship Foundation President and CEO Mary Dwyer.
The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara is the nation’s largest community-based provider of college scholarships, having cumulatively awarded more than $140 million to some 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.
