About us
The Beekeeper's Guild of Santa Barbara
As one of the largest supporting networks for beekeepers in the Tri-Counties, the Santa Barbara Beekeeper's Guild partners with researchers, industry experts, exhibitors and your fellow beekeepers to bring you all of the latest in best practices, bee health and how you can become a backyard beekeeper.
Membership in the Beekeeper's Guild supports Santa Barbara Tri-Counties bees and beekeepers. Since 2007, The Guild has coordinated with over 20 schools and local organizations to provide support, education, and resources for young and emerging beekeepers around the state. The Guild is a voice of beekeepers in Santa Barbara area, working closely with local beekeepers and policymakers to promote safe and engaging ways in which we can educate our communities about the dangers of pesticides and the importance of planting bee friendly gardens, the first and best step to keep our ecosystems thriving.
Your support and membership of the Beekeeper's Guild helps support its activities, including:
- visiting local schools and organizations to teach beekeeping and the safety.
- printed materials to promote honey bees, bee friendly plants and bee health.
- bringing in local citizen expertise to teach ways to battle honey bee pests.
- monthly beekeeping meetups where we bring in nationally renowned speakers, authors and dozens of vendors to educate and serve hundreds of beekeepers.
- active part of working with state and city wide guidelines to promote the safety and care of the bees.
- annual fall harvest festival that brings beekeepers together from all around the state.
The Beekeeper's Guild of Santa Barbara supports beekeepers and beekeeping. You membership helps support the Guild.
Meet the board of directors
Laurie Rasmussen
Laurie Rasmussen
Laurie Rasmussen
Laurie began beekeeping in 2016.
A constant learner, Laurie has achieved the level of Apprentice in the California Master Beekeeper Program. She serves as president of the Beekeeper’s Guild of Santa Barbara and gives presentations to area schools, bringing live bees into the classroom. Observing her colonies throughout the cycle of the year brings new perspectives and gives her even greater appreciation for these buzzy little miracles of our natural world.
Jay Hall
Laurie Rasmussen
Laurie Rasmussen
Jay first discovered the joy of bees while watching them pollinate his garden and the avocado orchard in which he lives, soon realizing they should have a nearby place to call home. Jay has spent the last decade exploring emerging and alternative streams of revenue in the digital economy, and now leverages that expertise in web development and fundraising as the VP of the Beekeeper's Guild of Santa Barbara. Outside of the office, you can find Jay spending time with his partner Ben, taking care of their hives and traveling the world in search of new and tasty varieties of honey.
Pamela Wilkinson
Laurie Rasmussen
Pamela Wilkinson
Pam is an organic gardener who was introduced to beekeeping when her then-12-year-old son wanted a hive. After he went to college, a swarm took up residence in the old hives and bees have been in the yard ever since, bringing us joy and honey.
Ann Dusenberry
Juanita Collins
Pamela Wilkinson
In 2015 Ann began replacing her lawn with a food forest, and by 2017 she got her first beehive. Ann’s background is in theatre arts, including a successful career in Los Angeles. Retiring from Hollywood, but never the stage, Ann moved to Santa Barbara in 1992 to raise her family. Ann is forever grateful to the honeybee for all they share, blessed to live along the coast here in Santa Barbara, and so fortunate to be an active member of BGSB and to serve on the this board.
Barbara Hughes
Juanita Collins
Juanita Collins
Barbara began her love affair with bees in 2010 when she saw an advertisement for a beekeeping class offered by a local beekeeper and thought it sounded interesting. Little did she know how it would change her perceptions of the natural world. Now she gets to share that love with kids throughout Santa Barbara teaching them about the importance and magic of bees.
Juanita Collins
Juanita Collins
Juanita Collins
Juanita has lived in Santa Barbara for over twenty-five years and has kept
bees for the last seven. She has had up to ten hives which produced over
twenty gallons of honey in 2019. After taking Apprentice and Journeyman
classes online from the University of Montana, she has received her
Journeyman certificate for beekeeping. The next challenge she looks forward
to is to study with the University of Montana once again to work towards her
Masters in Beekeeping.
Aran Klingensmith
Aran Klingensmith
Aran Klingensmith
Aran’s love of nature started with a yearly hiking trip to the end of Angel’s Landing in Zion National Park. That passion followed her home one day, and now she seeks to recreate that natural beauty in everyday life. “It all starts with pollinators,” says Aran “the flowers we love, the diverse foods we enjoy— it all starts with bees.” Aran brings her many years of experience planning events and fundraising and serves as a Director on the Board of Directors for the Beekeeper's Guild of Santa Barbara.