Here are the Red Cross California Central Coast AmeriCorps NPRC Team Members for 2011-2012!
Ben King
Preparedness and Response Coordinator
Ben is from Bryson City, NC, a small town located in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina. He graduated from Western Carolina University with a BSBA in Marketing. After graduation he decided to look towards the service/non-profit sector and was led to AmeriCorps and the American Red Cross. Ben is here to further develop his professional skills and knowledge, participate in disaster relief, as well as prepare for his career after AmeriCorps. Even though all of his friends and family are 2500 miles away he felt the National Preparedness and Response Corps would be a great way to develop personally and professionally! Eventually Ben plans on returning to graduate school to get an MBA and further his business skills. He looks forward to getting to know all of the volunteers and staff here in the Central Coast Region!
Ben will be working as the preparedness coordinator out of the Santa Barbara County Chapter office. His duties will consist of training, mentoring, and being the point of contact for volunteers in the Emergency Services Department. He will also be an active member of one of the local Disaster Action Teams, and assist on a national level if disasters occur.
Ben loves the ocean and the mountains, which is what made Santa Barbara a great place to start after graduating. He love being active: hiking, backpacking, swimming, volleyball, basketball, snowboarding, soccer, surfing (on the list). He also likes to cook and watch the food network! He loves being in his new community and helping out in whatever way that he can.
Jessica Matthew
Community Engagement Coordinator
Jessica is originally from Iowa but was raised in Bakersfield, California. She graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2008 with a BS in Business Marketing Management and a minor in Microbiology. After college she moved to Santa Barbara where she managed avocado and lemon ranches for three years. Realizing that her passion was to help people, she developed a strong interest in non-profit organizations, specifically the Red Cross. Jessica also has a strong interest in international relations and disaster relief. She loves San Luis Obispo and is very excited to be back in the happiest city in America!
Jessica will be working in Community Services based out of the San Luis Obispo office. She will be focusing on volunteer recruitment and hopes to make the American Red Cross more of a presence in this county. She wants to be very involved in the community by building lasting relationships and maintaining the ARC’s strong, positive image.
Jessica is a strong believer in having an active and healthy life. She has played soccer most of her life and enjoy snowboarding, hiking, and the beach. She also really enjoys traveling and learning new cultures, especially about the food! Jessica is a social creature and loves people, animals and the environment. She has a Rhodesian Ridgeback named Tanner who is bigger than her!
Christa Macdonald
Community Engagement Coordinator
Christa Macdonald was born and raised in Santa Maria, California. She attended Fresno State University and received her Bachelors degree in Kinesiology. She is a new member of the AmeriCorps and has always been highly interested in working with the American Red Cross on disaster relief and preparedness.
Christa will be working with the Community Services and Emergency Services departments in the Santa Barbara office. Her primary focus will be on volunteer recruitment and community outreach. She is excited for this new opportunity and hopes to recruit and train many new volunteers in our area.
The most interesting thing that people learn about Christa is that she cannot taste or smell!
Andi Bankson
Preparedness and Response Coordinator 
Andi Bankson grew up in Sonoma County, California, and graduated from UC Santa Cruz in June 2010. Her interest in the Red Cross developed while living and studying abroad at the University of Ghana, West Africa. While there, she immersed herself in work at a Liberian refugee camp, and orphanages serving children inflicted with HIV/Aids. These experiences inspired her to embark on a career path in humanitarian aid.
As an Americorps member for the San Luis Obispo County Chapter, Andi will be working in Emergency Services to provide support with disaster readiness and response functions. She will also be working to expand the Community Disaster Education Program and Training programs provided by the Red Cross.
In her spare time, Andi enjoys playing the flute, reading, photography and soaking up the San Luis Obispo sunshine!
Sheila Pande
Community Engagement Coordinator
Sheila Pande grew up in North Houston, TX and attended the University of Texas in Austin (Hook ‘em!). She graduated with a BS Psychology and BA Anthropology with a minor in Biology. She likes to read about new cultures especially the differences in how they interpret health.
Sheila’s passion for others stemmed from traveling in Honduras and the Dominican Republic with groups of doctors and humanitarians. Through her travels she realized the importance of public health, health education and prevention.
Sheila is working in the Ventura County office as the Community Engagement Coordinator, getting new volunteers on their feet in this large organization. She hopes that her work with the Red Cross will give her a better understanding of how they interact with other public health organizations, locally and nationally. She also hopes to takes some Red Cross classes that pertain to their international organization.
Sheila hopes get her Master’s in Public Health to learn more about how to create health education programs and understand other’s health behaviors, nationally and globally. Her future goals also entail practicing medicine globally. Sheila loves to travel and is excited to see where disaster relief takes her this year and what she will learn. When not working she can be found at the beach and enjoys swimming and baking delicious treats.
Jimmy Meadowcroft
Preparedness and Response Coordinator
Jimmy is from Fayetteville, North Carolina. He brought his whole life from NC for the next year; packed up his car and drove west. He had always entertained the idea of living in California and upon graduation decided to look for a job here. Luckily he found one and is already getting excited for the rest of the year.
Jimmy is an Americorps worker, but more specifically his job is disaster preparedness coordinator. His first day of work was August 8, 2011 and he will continue at the Red Cross for one year. He really looks forward to the next year in this professional role.
Things that Jimmy loves equally: cooking Southern Food and French Food (they are more similar than you may think), hip-hop, and getting to know people from all kinds of backgrounds and settings. He’ll probably bring in his family’s Eastern NC Barbecue some time during the year!
