Cat Allday and Dawn Seymour Join Santa Barbara Botanic Garden Board of Trustees 

Santa Barbara, Calif. Friday, January 5, 2024 – Santa Barbara Botanic Garden has added two new members to its 13-member Board of Trustees. Business leader Cat Allday is vice president of AI and Product Operations at AppFolio, Inc., and a member of the Garden’s Horticulture and Operations Committee. Dawn Seymour is managing partner of Katalyst Public Relations, and chair of the Garden’s “Beer Garden” committee as well as serving on the Marketing and Communications committee. 

The Board Trustees for 2024 are Mark Funk, chair; Helene Schneider, vice chair; Bibi Moezzi, treasurer; and Nancy Weiss, secretary. Additional Board members include Jeremy Bassan, Sharon Bradford, Frank W. Davis, Ph.D., John Gabbert, George Leis, William Murdoch, Ph.D., and Ann Steinmetz.  

Cat Allday has over 25 years of experience in the technology industry in Santa Barbara. As the vice president of AI and Product Operations at AppFolio, she leads the development of AI technologies that help property managers streamline their operations. Over the past few years, her teams have received several notable AI technology awards, including Most Disruptive Technology from the Central Coast Innovation Awards,

Artificial Intelligence Excellence Award, and Product of the Year from Business Intelligence Group. Before joining AppFolio, Cat held several leadership positions at Citrix and InfoGenesis. She has served as a member of the Garden’s Horticulture and Facilities Committee, and is a longtime volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters.

“Cat’s experience as a project manager and strategic leader is a huge asset in ensuring the Garden can implement our ambitious strategies to harness the power of native plants to conserve biodiversity,” said Steve Windhager, Ph.D., executive director of Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. 

Dawn Seymour has navigated the public relations and media landscape for nearly 20 years shaping a top roster of clients, building strategies, comprehensive public relations plans, and creating a strong media network. As a partner at Katalyst, she  focuses on building new business, community relations, and strategies for clients. Dawn started her career on the media side as a writer and editor, later joining a leading hospitality PR firm where

she directed campaigns for national lifestyle products and culinary brands. She holds a BA from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a master’s degree in communications and journalism from American University. She recently moved to Santa Barbara with her husband and two young sons. She is a committee member of White Buffalo Land Trust, board member of the Berry Good Food Foundation, and sits on the Garden’s Beer Garden and Marketing and Communications Committee.  

“Dawn has been a great leader at the Garden already, chairing the 2024 Beer Garden committee. Her background in public relations and marketing helps us better communicate about the importance of native plants, and her experience as a mother of two young children ensures we stay relevant and meet the needs of families,” said Windhager.  

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