A.S. Executive appointed to IVCSD Board of Directors

Associated Students External Vice President for Local Affairs, Noah Luken, was appointed to the Isla Vista Community Services District Board of Directors at its Aug. 11 meeting, creating a direct link between the two governing bodies.

Luken, a fourth-year economics and philosophy double major, was elected as Associated Students (A.S.) External Vice President for Local Affairs (EVPLA) for the 2026-27 academic year and will serve on the Isla Vista Community Services District (IVCSD) board until Dec. 2028.

The EVPLA, a position unique to UC Santa Barbara, serves as a liaison between A.S. and local governing bodies, such as the IVCSD and the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors. They also represent the student body on local issues such as housing and safety resources. 

This is the second time an active A.S. executive has served on the board and the first time an EVPLA has held the position, according to IVCSD Director Spencer Brandt.

“I think the asset of someone like [Luken] is self-evident,” Brandt said. “It really helps make the relationship between ourselves and the Associated Students that much more stronger.”

On June 30, then-IVCSD Director and UCSB alum Edward Pilotte resigned after graduating; Luken will now serve out the remainder of Pilotte’s term. 

Four other people applied for the position: third-year economics major Jonas Hoffman and I.V. residents Jeffrey D. Everhard, Matthew Fox and Lorraine Listokin. While Listokin attended the meeting virtually, she could not be reached when the board began interviewing applicants.

A majority of the four present board members had to agree on a candidate in order to appoint them. Voting was conducted in rounds, wherein board members first discussed the candidates then voted for their top choice, then the candidates with the fewest votes were eliminated until only one remained, or the board made a unanimous decision.

After interviewing each candidate, followed by a first round of voting, the board narrowed down its decision to Luken and Everhard.

Everhard emphasized that he would bring “institutional memory” to the position as someone who was involved with the creation of the IVCSD in 2017, earning him support from Directors Carrie Topliffe and fourth-year anthropology and global studies double major Annabelle Sipos.

Brandt and Board President Katherine Carmichael voted for Luken in the first round largely because of his position in A.S.

After further discussion, Topliffe changed her vote to Luken, giving him majority support and the appointment. 

In an interview with the Daily Nexus, Luken said that he applied to the board to create “continuity” between A.S. and IVCSD in order to more effectively tackle the issues he is prioritizing as EVPLA, including I.V. cityhood and improving living conditions in I.V. He added that he is not worried about the additional time commitment and plans to join IVCSD committees “that best supplements the initiatives [he’d] like to pursue this year.”

“This is a pretty exciting step for Isla Vista and for Associated Students in particular to have more of a direct voice in local governance,” Luken said. 

Luken signed the official oath paperwork on Aug. 14 and will be sworn in at an upcoming board meeting.