Who We Are
The Santa Cruz County Business Council is a 501c(6) advocacy organization that represents the largest employers in Santa Cruz County, with a primary focus on business and quality of life issues, including housing development, transportation, homelessness, and water infrastructure. The organization also serves as the general public affairs arm of the county-wide business community; joining coalitions, drafting letters of support, and working to place members of the business community into positions of influence or engage key stakeholders. The SCCBC boasts over 80 dues paying membership organizations, including a diverse executive officer team with member representatives from Google/Looker, UC Santa Cruz, Cruzio Internet, Marianne’s Ice Cream, and Kindpeoples.
The Business Council collaborates with members and partner organizations to support policies and projects that promote more affordable housing, denser and more walkable cities, and shortened commutes for members of the local workforce. Some of the initiatives we have supported include ballot measures (including Measures D, H, L, M (oppose), R, Y, and Z), larger land use plans like the Downtown Plan and Sustainable Santa Cruz County Plan, and specific projects like UCSC’s Student Housing West, the Mixed Use Library Project, 130 Center Street, 831 Water Street, and others.
Development is a highly intersectional issue and it impacts virtually every aspect of life here in Santa Cruz County, from workforce development to transportation to climate change to social justice and everything in between. The Business Council engages on issues if and when they impact the local economy and community at large.
Our Members
Member organizations are the driving force behind the Business Council. Made up of leaders from a wide variety of businesses within Santa Cruz County, members work together to identify, discuss, and promote solutions that further economic and community vitality. Within this member group, there are members who serve on our Executive Committee, Board of Directors, or the regular Council.
Want to shape the future of Santa Cruz County? Become a Member and enjoy benefits to help expand business opportunities and provide input on important local matters!
To become a member, please contact, Executive Director, Zoë G. Carter via email at zcarter@sccbusinesscouncil.com
Executive Committee
Each year, the SCCBC elects new officers to lead the organization and serve on a small team that works directly alongside the executive director. Officers are nominated and approved by the Board of Directors at the annual December Board meeting.
Shanna Crigger
Graniterock
Shanna Crigger is excited to be stepping into the role of Chair for SCCBC this year. She has served as Director of Communications for Graniterock since 2014. She previously worked at the Santa Cruz Sentinel for 10 years. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Stanford and communications degree from Sacramento State.
Shanna lives in Aptos with her husband and daughters.
Joe Foster
Kaiser Permanente
Joe has resided in Santa Cruz County for over a decade after arriving here from his native Little Rock, Arkansas, in 2010. Since then, he has held various external/government relations positions working closely with public- and private-sector leaders throughout Santa Cruz, Monterey and Santa Clara counties. Currently, Joe leads Kaiser Permanente’s public affairs strategy and initiatives throughout the Central Coast. From 2012-2014, he served as Executive Director of the Santa Cruz County Business Council.
Melissa Whatley
UCSC
Melissa serves as the University's liaison to elected officials and public agencies. She develops and maintains relationships, providing public visibility, awareness, and support for the University's mission and helps to link campus resources with public policy. This is accomplished through program services to the community, and in partnership with federal, state and local officials.
Peggy Dolgenos
Cruzio
Peggy Dolgenos is co-founder and co-CEO of Cruzio Internet. Founded in 1989, Cruzio was one of the first Internet Service Providers in the country, and it's still going strong. From dialup internet with noisy modems to quiet fiber optic connections at gigabit speeds, Cruzio does it all — and if we can't get the internet to you, you can co-work in our space and use ours! We serve facilities for some of the largest companies and government entities in Santa Cruz County, right down to small shops and popup cafes. We're often able to get internet to places that others can't.
Kristin Fabos
Cabrillo College
Kristin Fabos is the Director of Marketing and Communications and the Public Information Officer (PIO) at Cabrillo College, where she has led the marketing, communications, public relations, community relations, and government relations activities of the College since 2010. Prior to Cabrillo, she was the Executive Director of a national nonprofit. Before that, she was the Advance Press Chief for the Athens 2004 Olympic Torch Relay, and prior to that, she spent 12 years in high technology marketing and PR.
She serves on the boards of the Second Harvest Food Bank, the Aptos Chamber of Commerce, the Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce, and the Santa Cruz County Business Council. She is past president of the Watsonville Rotary Club and since 2022, has served as the Rotary Assistant Governor for District 5170, Area 7 (Santa Cruz County). She is past Chair of the Santa Cruz County Business Council. Kristin holds a degree in Communications and Journalism from Santa Clara University. She lives in the Santa Cruz mountains with her husband, and has two grown stepsons.
Zoë G. Carter
Santa Cruz County Business Council
Zoë joins us from Monterey County where she has spent years in policy, economic, and community development. Our friends across the Monterey Bay experience virtually all of the same issues as Santa Cruz County - unaffordable workforce housing, water shortages, land use and zoning complexities, old infrastructure and more. Zoë has grappled with these issues at the local, state, and federal levels through the lens of stakeholder engagement and coalition building. We could not imagine a better fit for our organization and countywide business community.