CWC is pleased to welcome our newest board member, Amber Blakeslee, who brings 20 years of experience in strategic budgeting, fiscal oversight, and collaborative decision-making to our organization. Amber is the Associate Vice Chancellor for Budget Analysis and Planning at UC Santa Cruz, where she oversees complex financial planning and resource allocation, as well as institutional research, data management, analytics, and reporting functions. Amber was previously part of the budget and finance office at California State Polytechnic University (Cal Poly), Humboldt for 16 years, including serving as the Executive Director of Budget & Financial Planning.
Amber has a personal passion for the outdoors, including running, surfing, hiking, paddle boarding, scuba diving, and playing soccer. “Growing up in Humboldt County, I spent countless hours on or near the water, running on levies, paddling in lagoons, and surfing where rivers met the ocean,” Amber said. “This taught me firsthand how vital healthy watersheds are to our natural ecosystems and community well-being.” Her experience instilled a deep appreciation for healthy natural environments and community access to them, which drew her to CWC’s work. Amber has a master’s degree in public administration from California State University, San Bernardino and a bachelor’s of science in business administration from Loyola Marymount University.