Penny Jenkins

“Community coalitions are one of the most promising and effective tools we have today in the fight against substance abuse. By bringing together leaders who have the power to shift public policy and make changes in the sectors they lead, the Santa Barbara Fighting Back coalition has been able to make significant systems changes in our community across all of the sectors that impact this issue: law enforcement, the media, city and county government, social services, business, health care and education. When all of these leaders unite in a common cause, the effect is exponentially more powerful than any one agency's efforts alone. CADCA has been a strong voice for community coalitions at the national level and has provided invaluable training and support to our local efforts."—Penny Jenkins

Penny Jenkins, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse since 1985, is a Phi Kappa Phi graduate of the University of Utah. In addition to postgraduate work at Antioch University and Harvard Medical School, she is a Certified Employee Assistance Professional (C.E.A.P.) and Diplomat of the American Psychotherapy Association (D.A.P.A.) As Project Director of Santa Barbara (California) Fighting Back since 1990 (one of twelve selected cities by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation), she recruited a Task Force of 60 community leaders committed to the goal of reducing the demand for alcohol and drugs in the Greater Santa Barbara Community. She oversees a staff of 120 employees of the Council who have worked with more than 200 agencies, businesses and individuals to develop a plan that specifically addresses issues relevant to the citizens of Santa Barbara.

Jenkins was honored by the community as Santa Barbara's 1993 Woman of the Year as well as the 1993 Woman of the Year by the Business and Professional Women, and the Soroptomist International 1993 Woman of Distinction, and named a Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary International. In 1999 she was the recipient of the Westmont Medal given by Westmont College for her leadership in enlisting the resources and commitment of community leaders to participate in a citizen’s task force to confront the problem of alcohol and drug abuse in Santa Barbara. She received the Women’s Economic Ventures Outstanding Woman Award in 2001 and the Fighting Back National Directors Award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in 1998 and the Community Health Care Hero Award from the Santa Barbara Community Clinics in 2005. The Santa Barbara Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Jenkins in 2008 for her work in alcohol and drug abuse.