Caitlin Barringer ✧ ’11 B.A. CommunicationBy Pamela Dean
You could say Caitlin Barringer was destined for a life dedicated to helping others.
The third generation Santa Paula native grew up watching her grandparents serving
their community in multiple ways.
Barringer’s grandfather was on the Santa Paula City Council and president of the Santa
Paula Chamber of Commerce. Her grandmother founded the Santa Clara Valley Hospice
and was on the board of Interface Children & Family Services. As a child, Barringer
often helped them at fundraising events.
The CI alumna graduated in 2011 with a degree in Communication and set about forging
her own path in service of others. She worked in fundraising for a few nonprofits
before landing her current role as program manager for Food Share of Ventura County.
“I really learned compassion for my community and to be involved through my grandparents,”
Barringer said. “I think it is only natural that for my career, I work in an environment
where I believe in the mission and I feel good about what I do. Working for Food Share
has been a great experience.”
At Food Share, Barringer creates and oversees programs to assist vulnerable populations
in the community, such as a diaper distribution program and a program to ensure farm
workers and their families have culturally appropriate food.
According to Barringer, Food Share serves 250,000 people a year in the county. The
diaper distribution program helps more than 3,800 infants a month.
In addition to her day job, the St. Bonaventure High School graduate has also volunteered
with numerous nonprofits and commissions including her current role on the CI Alumni
& Friends Board. She is the past chair of the Santa Paula Chamber of Commerce, was
on the board of the Santa Paula Rotary International, a Santa Paula Measure T commissioner,
a City of Santa Paula Parks and Recs commissioner and even ran for Santa Paula City
Council in 2020.
Despite her busy schedule, Barringer found time to complete her Master of Public Administration
degree from N in 2019. Recently married, she and her husband now live in Ventura.
She plans to spend the next few years focusing on starting a family, but doesn’t rule
out returning to her volunteer roots sometime in the future.
“Give me 5 to 10 years to see where I am at,” Barringer said. “I’m not ruling anything
out.”