News Release
September 16, 2011
Contact: Alixe Mattingly
(805) 880-9390
The Santa Barbara Foundation & KEYT Announce the
69th Annual Man & Woman of the Year:
Clifford W. Sponsel and Gerd Jordano
The Santa Barbara Foundation and KEYT are pleased to announce the 69th Man and
Woman of the Year recipients, Clifford W. Sponsel and Gerd Jordano. This important
award highlights the spirit of volunteerism by honoring those who have made significant
and positive impacts in our community through their volunteer efforts. These two
exceptional individuals were honored for enriching our lives through their generous spirit
and long-standing community involvement.
Selected from a diverse pool of candidates, Cliff and Gerd join the ranks of Santa
Barbara's most dedicated civic leaders who have received this honor, a part of Santa
Barbara's history since 1942. Previous award winners include David Anderson, Pearl
Chase, Léni Fé Bland, Lotte Lehman, Eli Luria, Peter MacDougall, Michael Towbes, and
Thomas M. Storke.
Both recipients were genuinely surprised by the honor, which was kept a closely guarded
secret until being unveiled in front of hundreds during a dinner at the Coral Casino.
Awards were presented by KEYT Evening Anchor, Paula Lopez, and Santa Barbara
Foundation President & CEO, Ron Gallo. “Gerd Jordano and Cliff Sponsel are true
volunteer leaders whose selfless actions have inspired many to do more to help others.
Volunteerism is crucial to keeping people, communities and businesses healthy and
productive. We should all be proud to have people like Cliff and Gerd in our midst,” said
Ron Gallo.
About the Santa Barbara Foundation
The Santa Barbara Foundation is a community foundation established in 1928 to enrich
the lives of the people of Santa Barbara County through philanthropy. As one of the
largest private sources of funding for area nonprofits, agencies, and college bound
students, the Foundation makes funds available to identify and strategically address
critical community issues – to strengthen the nonprofit sector, to encourage collaboration
and partnerships and to engage and align philanthropic capital with community needs in
order to positively impact the county’s common good.
About KEYT
KEYT-TV serves as the ABC affiliate for California’s Central Coast, serving over
500,000 homes from Thousand Oaks to San Luis Obispo with quality news, sports, and
entertainment broadcasting. KEYT is involved with youth-oriented community service
projects, and produces several local telethons every year, as well as two weekly programs
focusing on local news and community service. KEYT is now celebrating more than 50
years of service to Santa Barbara County.
Contacts:
Alixe Mattingly
Vice President of Communications and Marketing
(805) 880-9390
amattingly@sbfoundation.org
Jessica Tade
Communications and Marketing Manager
(805) 880-9391
jtade@sbfoundation.org
# # #
Clifford W. Sponsel
Clifford W. Sponsel has been an active and devoted volunteer and passionate
philanthropist for over 50 years. Nonprofits seek out people who give at least one of the
following – time, talent and treasure. Every now and then, they find someone who is
willing to give all three and that is Cliff Sponsel.
Cliff has given millions of dollars to a wide variety of nonprofit organizations. But he
does not just sit back and write checks. He has led many nonprofits to financial maturity,
as his stewardship has contributed to the stability and success of many nonprofit organizations,
enabling them to thrive and bring lasting benefit to our community.
Cliff’s financial acumen coupled with his interest in the business community, and his
enthusiasm for Santa Barbara, led him to actively participate in the Chambers of
Commerce of Santa Barbara and the Goleta Valley. One of his major contributions to the
Chambers was the founding of the Santa Barbara Area Economic Development
Association, which has been responsible for bringing a number of thriving businesses
into the community.
His knowledge of finance and investing were tremendous assets to every organization he
so nimbly and generously served. As a former Santa Barbara Foundation Trustee (19751985) and Chair of the Finance, Nominating, Personnel, and Salary and Building
Committees, Cliff was most proud of his ability to lead the Foundation into the era of
modern portfolio management, continuing his involvement as a supporter and donor. His
contributions paved the way for the tremendous success the foundation enjoys today.
Cliff has also served as a trustee for the B. Paul Moser Trust. In this position, he helped
to direct the distribution of millions in donations to area nonprofit agencies and hundreds
of scholarships for vocational school students.
His business advice and leadership served many organizations, as he led the way for
economic vitality in our region. He has served on the executive committee of the Santa
Barbara Chamber of Commerce; was elected president of the Goleta Valley Chamber;
has been president of the Hope Ranch Association; was a board member for 12 years of
La Cumbre Mutual Water Company, an organization created to solve local water issues;
board member of the Mission Council Boy Scouts; board member and executive
committee member of Planned Parenthood, where he has also served as vice president;
and board member and Research Committee member for the California Avocado Society.
He was president of the Santa Barbara Club; president of the Rehabilitation Institute at
Santa Barbara (now Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital); and member of the Cosmopolitan
Club. He has served on the Board of Directors for Old Spanish Days and is a University
of California, Santa Barbara President Affiliates Life Time Member. He has served as
Santa Barbara City College Foundation director and is a member of the President’s Circle
and Scroll Society.
Cliff’s leadership enabled the completion of the Visiting Nurse and Hospice Care
Administration Building and the Hospice residential facility Serenity House, both of
which are named in his honor. He continues to be a tireless champion to the Scholarship
Foundation of Santa Barbara; Visiting Nurses Association and Hospice Care; Planned
Parenthood of Santa Barbara, Ventura & SLO; and the Foundation for Santa Barbara City
College; to name just a few. Cliff is also a founding organizer of the Concours
d’Elegance, which raises funds for student scholarships and has established scholarships
for students in the field of engineering at the Santa Barbara Scholarship Foundation.
“Cliff Sponsel is an excellent role model for all of us. He came from humble beginnings,
worked his way through college, and used his education as a platform to develop and
grow a number of successful companies,” said Colette Hadley, executive director of the
Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara. “At the same time, he always reached out to
help his employees and the community, by volunteering his time and giving his funds.
Cliff has been a supporter of students for several decades through his scholarship fund at
the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara. His generosity has had a lasting impact on
Santa Barbara.”
Cliff has won numerous awards including the 2008 Philanthropist of the Year from the
Association of Professional Fundraisers for the Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties.
Born in Cambria, New York, Cliff was raised on a fruit farm where he developed an early
affinity for automobiles. He was driving at the age of five, and not much later learned to
work on machinery. These early skills have stood him in good stead both in his career as
an executive in major manufacturing firms, and in his hobby as a collector, restorer, and
driver of antique autos. Cliff attended Northeastern University in Boston and earned his
Bachelor of Science degree at Tri-State College in Angola, Indiana, in 1931. He earned
his college money selling fruit from the family farm and the apples, peaches, grapes,
plums, and apricots were welcomed in Buffalo by local residents who had become
talented amateurs in the manufacture of wine and white lightning. After college, Cliff
worked for General Motors Corporation, Glenn L. Martin Company, Bell Aircraft
Corporation, and Ryan Aeronautics Corporation, and later started an electronics firm
called Spectral Dynamics. He specialized in aircraft design and production engineering
during the war years. In 1952, Cliff moved to New York where he headed the aircraft
and railroad passenger car operations for American Car & Foundry. The aircraft
involved was the B47, used in the Korean conflict. Cliff is also the inventor of the
modern day thermostat, which was an important breakthrough for the American
automobile industry. He invented the thermostat on his own time and gave it to General
Motors with no reward to himself.
Now 101 years old, Cliff is a man with a giant heart – full of integrity, honesty and
dignity. He is an enviable example of a man who enthusiastically gives back to a
community he loves and shows it through active involvement.
Gerd Jordano
For more than 25 years, Gerd Jordano has made a positive impact on the Santa Barbara
community through her volunteer efforts and service to many important community
causes. Her informed and effective leadership and strong sense of caring and compassion
have made significant positive impact.
Gerd has devoted much time to being an active volunteer with Cottage Health System.
During her tenure, she has served on the Board of Directors, chaired the Nursing
Committee, and served on the Executive Committee among many additional committees.
She was a fully committed volunteer supporting the philanthropic effort that raised
$110.8 million for the rebuilding of Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. Her efforts as a
Campaign Cabinet member were particularly felt with corporate and business leaders,
and also with key philanthropists and foundations.
“It is to Cottage’s great benefit that Gerd has served as a community volunteer for over
25 years. Her wisdom and perseverance in support of the causes she cares about so
deeply are an ongoing inspiration to our Board of Directors and our leadership team,”
said Ron Werft, president and CEO of Cottage Health System. “Gerd worked as a
nursing professional for over 10 years. There is a well-known saying within the
profession that ‘nursing is a progressive art such that to stand still is to go backward.’
Gerd has never stood still. She has welcomed every opportunity to support our
community’s hospital.”
Gerd has also been involved with Westmont College for over 20 years. In 1994, she was
one of the four founders of the Friends of Westmont, a broad-based group of Santa
Barbara residents who believe Westmont is a critical educational jewel in our town. As a
charter member of the Westmont Foundation board, Gerd co-chaired the Community
Relations Committee from 2003-2005, and subsequently presided over six Westmont
President’s Breakfasts. Her energetic and enthusiastic leadership has helped the breakfast
sell out every year, becoming a popular and much-anticipated, educational event. Past
speakers include David McCullough, Thomas Friedman, Fareed Zakaria, Walter
Isaacson, Vicente Fox and Condoleezza Rice. Each year, Gerd and Peter also sponsor the
Golden Eagle Awards Banquet to honor Westmont’s top scholar-athlete in each varsity
sport.
Furthermore, for the past 25 years, Gerd has been actively involved with Hospice of
Santa Barbara (HSB). As a member of the Board of Directors (board president from
1987-1989) with a health care background, she was a pioneer of the Compassionate Care
Visitors Program, which provides volunteers who sit at the bedside of dying patients.
She continues today as a friend of HSB, sharing its services with others in the community
and supporting HSB's work.
Gerd has been a board member for the Santa Barbara Scholarship Foundation and
CALM. She is active with the American Heart Association, Tri-Counties Division, the
Santa Barbara Zoo, and the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission (SBRM). She is a founding
member of Citizens for a Balanced Community, one of the original grassroots
organizations dedicated to monitoring growth. She belongs to the Montecito Association,
the Channel City Club and the Toastmasters Unity Speakeasy Chapter. She has also been
an advisor to the Junior League of Santa Barbara and provided volunteer leadership to
the Santa Barbara Girls Club (now Girls, Inc.), as well as the local chapter of the
American Lung Association.
Gerd has received many honors over the years for her energetic and gracious service to
the Santa Barbara community. In 2006, she received the Westmont Medal and in 1995,
she and her husband, Peter, accepted the Santa Barbara News-Press Lifetime
Achievement award. The Jordanos have been roasted by the Arthritis Foundation and
recognized as Alumni Couple of the Year by Santa Barbara High School. In addition,
Gerd was chosen to be a torchbearer for the Santa Barbara stretch of the 1996 Olympic
torch relay. When he was a California state senator, Jack O’Connell selected her as
Woman of the Year.
Born in Sweden, Gerd grew up in Santa Barbara and attended local schools, including
Santa Barbara City College and UC Santa Barbara. She worked as a realtor from 19691982 and was named Realtor of the Year in 1974. Since 1983, she has devoted her time
to community service.