DonateEric Cárdenas
‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.’
— Margaret Mead
Eric Cárdenas is the first-ever director of impact and advocacy at Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. On behalf of the Garden, he advances the use of native plants and strengthens advocacy efforts in support of biodiversity across the central coast of California.
After graduating from University of California, Santa Barbara with degrees in political science and environmental studies, Eric set to work in the community on the issues that matter most to him. He has lived in Santa Barbara for more than 30 years and has spent his entire career working on conservation, social justice, and community-building initiatives.
As co-founder and managing partner at LOACOM, Eric spent 15 years working with a range of clients building brands, designing impact campaigns, and leveraging business as a force for good through communication and storytelling, partnerships, and a triple bottom line approach to business management. Prior to co-founding LOACOM, Eric worked at the Orfalea Foundation as the agriculture and infrastructure manager for s’Cool Food Initiative, a Santa Barbara County–based initiative focused on reforming school food programs countywide. He also spent a decade at the Environmental Defense Center running the Central Coast Environmental Health Project, focused on reducing pesticide use at the agricultural/urban interface through education, advocacy, and policy work.
Eric’s areas of interest and expertise are facilitation, strategic planning/visioning, diversity and equity work, and addressing the climate crisis through an intersectional approach that involves and values communities disproportionately impacted by climate change. Eric currently serves as the chair of the board of directors for the Fund for Santa Barbara and board secretary for the Johnson Ohana Foundation.
For fun, Eric enjoys the beach, live music, and living the Santa Barbara lifestyle with his wife, kids, and incredible community.
