MOXI museum adds board members, honors emeritus first member

By MARILYN MCMAHON NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

Graham Bell, Jamie Nash and Kristen Nesbit have been appointed members of the board of directors of MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation, which is also honoring Jill Levinson as the first emeritus board member in honor of her dedicated service.

New officers for 2023 include Andy Winchester, board chair; Susan McMillan, vice chair; Justin Anderson, treasurer; and Kirsten McLaughlin, secretary. Also on the executive committee are Alixe Mattingly, immediate past chair, and Kelly Almeroth, member at large.

This leadership team, along with the entire volunteer board, works directly with Robin Gose, the museum’s president and chief executive officer, to oversee and support the organization’s mission to ignite learning through interactive experiences in science and creativity.

“Our board is growing with the right people at the right time,” said Ms. Gose. “Their experience and perspectives will help us navigate the challenges and opportunities ahead. This is an exciting time as we continue to dream up ways to build and enhance new STEAM experiences for families and curious minds of all ages.”

Mr. Bell is a senior vice president and private client advisor at Bank of America. His nonprofit interest began early in his career and continues as he assists clients in meeting their philanthropic goals. A Southern California native, Mr. Bell and his family moved to Santa Barbara in 2015 and enjoy time at the beach and sailing out of the Santa Barbara harbor.

Ms. Nash is an experienced global marketing professional, most recently with Procore Technologies. She began her career with a coveted internship for the White House and went on to develop and transform marketing teams.

An alumna of UCSB, Ms. Nash settled back in Santa Barbara in 2016 after exploring the world and working in San Francisco and New York City. Her career has included positions in the Office of Public Liaison at the White House Bloomberg L.P. in

New York and AllianceBernstein and BlackRock in San Francisco.

Ms. Nash has been active in the nonprofit world, including Hospice of Santa Barbara, Women in ETFs, American Society of Nephrology and Kidney X.

Ms. Nesbit brings more than 12 years of experience in finance, strategy, and operations in early stage, entrepreneurial environments, and global organizations. After earning her bachelor’s degree and MBA at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, she spent her career in the Bay Area before relocating to Santa Barbara in 2021, where she enjoys spending time at the beach with her husband and daughters.

Ms. Levinson is a native of Santa Barbara and is happy to be raising her three children in her hometown, close to family and friends. After earning her bachelor’s degree at Stanford University, she worked as a publicist and producer in the entertainment industry in San Francisco, most notably with Industrial Light and Magic, Lucasfilm, and her own production company, Big Fish Entertainment.

Organic popping corn

While you will not encounter freshly harvested sweet corn until the summer months, you can purchase some fresh organic popcorn from Roots Farm at the Saturday Santa Barbara, Tuesday Santa Barbara and Wednesday Solvang farmers’ markets. I find this corn best when popped in a large pot with a covered lid, then finished with olive oil or melted butter once popped and seasoned. This week I prepared brown sugar and chili seasoned popcorn as the Fix of the Week. Absent an abundance of butter, popcorn makes for quite a healthy snack that is low in calories, a good source of dietary fiber and protein, as well as delivering iron, potassium, copper, magnesium, zinc, and B-vitamins. Certified organic is available. Price is $10 per pound.

In 2001, Ms. Levinson and her husband Neil returned home to start their family. She is an active volunteer in the Santa Barbara community, including involvement at Visiting Nurse and Hospice Care, Storyteller Children’s Center, Food Bank of Santa Barbara County and serving as a trustee of Lotusland and trustee and president of Crane Country Day School.

At home, Ms. Levinson spends her time cooking, hiking, reading, gardening or curled up on the couch with a bowl of popcorn for family movie night.

“I’m honored to be part of the MOXI team and this wonderful philanthropic community, who worked together for more than 20 years to turn a bold vision into a reality,” said Ms. Levinson, MOXI chair emeritus.

“MOXI has far exceeded our expectations in delivering innovative, hands-on science education to all members of our community, and it has limitless possibilities to grow in the coming decades.” email: mmcmahon@newspress. com

Western Hole avocados

This is one of the more unique varieties of avocado you will encounter throughout the year, you can actually consume the black skin in unison with the flesh when ripe. As they reach maturity, which will notice when shaking this variety, the pit becomes quite loose within.

Grown by Rancho Santa Cecilia of Carpinteria, Western Hole avocados are sold at the weekly Saturday Santa Barbara, Sunday Camino Real, Tuesday Santa Barbara Wednesday Solvang and Thursday Carpinteria farmers’ markets. They have a nice balance of sweet, earthy and peppery notes.

They’re quite different in texture and flavor than the more common Hass avocados. Smaller in size than most other varieties, they cost $3.50 per pound.

Fresh parsley

Last week I highlighted fresh cilantro, which is quite prolific during the winter months. Another fresh herb that does quite well this time of year is fresh parsley, which is available at all weekly Santa Barbara certified farmers’ markets from several area farmers. There are two types of parsley that are available, curly leaf and flat leaf, with the Italian flat leaf type being much more readily available and more desirable for culinary purposes. Parsley is best when used in its raw form, added at the end of the cooking process, ideal for delivering a refreshing earthy flavor to soups and stews, potato dishes, cooked meats, sauces and grain bowls. Certified organic is available. Price averages $2.50 per bunch.

Sam Edelman is general manager of the Santa Barbara Certified Farmers Market Association and host of “Farm to Table,” which airs live 9 a.m. Thursdays on KZSB AM 1290. Sam Edelman photos

Fix of the Week

SAM EDELMAN PHOTO or making allow the corn to cook and burst into a fluffy edible product, I prepared a sweet and savory version using a little seasoned salt, brown sugar, and chili powder. quick

I do have much use for one since as I prefer the culinary results of a conventional oven, outdoor grill, using pots or pans on the stovetop, or even preparing a meal in the slow cooker. For myself, the microwave oven would just take up too much regular counter space in comparison to the amount of limited times I would use one.

I would imagine that one of the most common uses for a microwave in many households comes on movie night, when the craving for freshly popped popcorn sets in. With the absence of a microwave oven, I still pop popcorn quite regularly in my household, done in a large pot right on the stovetop.

There are several ways this can be accomplished with some choosing to pop the popping corn in oil or doing more of a dry pop with just the dried kernels themselves in the pot. I tend to pop my corn absent of oil, then finish with an array of seasonings, depending on the mood. Olive oil or melted butter, seasoned salt or brown sugar, dried or fresh herbs, curry powder or chili powder, there is a long list of seasoning combinations that can result in a very unique and flavorful popcorn, perfect for movie night.

This week I scored some organic dried popping corn from Roots Farms of Los Olivos.

Cooking this dish in a large pot with a lid to

Leftover popcorn can be stored fresh in a sealed container of gallon sized plastic sealable bags.

BROWN SUGAR AND CHILI SEASONED POPCORN

2 cups dried popping corn.

2 tablespoons brown sugar.

1 teaspoon seasoned salt.

1 teaspoon chili powder.

Olive oil (or melted butter).

In a tall pot with a lid, add popping corn and turn to medium-high heat. Cover and let cook for a couple of minutes, then mix. Continue until the kernels begin to pop, after about 7-8 minutes of cooking time. Once they start to pop, the kernels will mix themselves as the kernels that have yet to pop drop to the bottom and fluff popped corn coming to the top.

Cook until you hear the kernels significantly popping less and turn off heat. Mix the brown sugar, seasoned salt and chili powder.

Once the popcorn is popped, place it in a large mixing bowl, drizzle it liberally with olive oil or melted butter and add seasoning to taste.

Yield: Serve about 6.