Ben Johnson & Dale Tylor

Regular

Sponsors: Marc Soares (R), Robert Kopf (R), Marc Bienstock (R), Scott Loncki (R)

The Johnsons are a family of four who have been living in Santa Barbara since 2017. 

Ben Johnson is originally from West Virginia and attended elementary school in Pittsburgh. His middle and high school years were spent in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. After completing college in New York at Columbia University, he moved to Los Angeles to teach high school science as part of the Teach for America program, and he eventually attended medical school at UCSD where he met his wife, Dale Tylor. He completed a surgical internship at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, and radiology residency at Stanford as well as post residency fellowships in the Bay Area. When not working, Ben is a hobbyist, spending time cooking pizza, roasting coffee, making wine, coaching his kids, watching sports, and constantly dreaming up new projects to work on at home.

Dale is originally from Montreal, Canada and completed all of her school years there, culminating with medical school at McGill University. She then moved to the US in 2002 for residency in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at the University of Florida, and then made her way to San Diego where she completed a fellowship in complex pediatric otolaryngology. She was an assistant professor in otolaryngology at Vanderbilt University in Nashville TN for several years. She relocated to the Bay Area for Ben’s training where she was a general and pediatric otolaryngologist. She is a co-founder and co-owner of Riviera ENT since 2020 and is a comprehensive and complex pediatric otolaryngologist. Her patients often travel long distances to seek her expertise. She loves to be active and is currently coaching her daughter in AYSO soccer for the 4th year while training for her next half marathon. She is also exploring painting and other artistic endeavors.

After Ben finished his training in radiology, he and Dale settled in Santa Barbara with their son, Wyatt (age 12), and daughter, Josephine (age 10), and have become active members in the community. The children attend St Raphael school. Each child is active in sports, having won medals in jiu jitsu, and participating in local sports leagues in soccer, flag football, basketball, baseball, and now tackle football. They each have been practicing piano for years. Wyatt is a voracious reader, and Josie is an avid artist. The Johnsons have a love of being active and traveling, and in recent years have built wonderful memories in such faraway places as Belize, Malaysia, Iceland, England and France.

Ben began golfing at medical school, taking advantage of UCSD’s La Jolla zip code to play resident twilight golf at Torrey Pines. The family golf game is very much a work in progress, but it is their intention to all improve and spend more time outside playing golf together for many years to come. Additionally, they would love to learn how to play tennis, particularly getting the kids involved in the La Cumbre tennis community. Finally, both children love the water and have participated in junior guard programs and would like to consider exploring swim team offerings.

For about 7 years, the Johnsons were members of the Cathedral Oaks Athletic club and enjoyed the community feel there and the friends that they made swimming at the pool with other families. Now that the kids are older, they are looking for a similar community with a more comprehensive set of offerings, and are excited for the member events, dining, and athletic experiences that La Cumbre will offer. They have a number of friends, many through the tight knit Santa Barbara physician community, who are members that have raved about their experience at the club. The Johnson family feels that they are a great fit for this community, and they are looking forward to the decades of memories that will be made there.

Joe Eckert

Associate

Sponsors: Mark Manion (R), Barry Waters (R), Josh Macaluso (R), Tom Parrish (R)

Joseph “Joe” Nyman Eckert, is a lifelong Santa Barbara local with deep family roots in the community and a longstanding connection to La Cumbre Country Club.

Joe’s mother, Kathryn Romasanta-Eckert, comes from a family that has lived in Santa Barbara since the 1940s. His maternal grandfather, Tony Romasanta, was a longtime member of La Cumbre, and some of Joe’s favorite early memories include waking up before school to walk around the lake at the Club with his grandfather, sharing conversations, wisdom, and mentorship along the way. Joe’s father, Chip Eckert, also comes from a family with a long Santa Barbara history dating back to the 1920s. His grandfather, Chuck Eckert III, was the first attorney to open an office in Goleta, and his great-grandfather, Charles Eckert Jr., opened Goleta’s first pharmacy.

Joe is the youngest of three siblings. His sister, Antonia Eckert, was married at La Cumbre in 2014. She is a mother of four, a practicing attorney, a licensed real estate broker, and the owner of EIPM, a property management company. His brother, Vinny, is a father of two and a general contractor. Golf has also long been part of the family, with several family members being avid players.

Joe attended Laguna Blanca School beginning in seventh grade and graduated in 2013. He began college at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where he studied political science and management, before transferring home to UC Santa Barbara. Continuing a family tradition of attending UCSB, Joe graduated in 2019 with a degree in History.

His work ethic developed early. Beginning at age 13, Joe spent his summers working for the family business, Eckert Investments, performing apartment maintenance. At 18, while attending college in San Luis Obispo, he earned his real estate license and worked as the onsite property manager for the 36-unit College Gardens apartment complex. After returning to Santa Barbara to attend UCSB, he worked both in the office at EIPM and in outside services at the Valley Club of Montecito.

After graduating from UCSB, Joe joined Pure Glass, where his background in maintenance, real estate, and hands-on work led him to develop a passion for the glazing trade. After several years of apprenticeship and experience, he earned his C-17 glazing contractor license and founded Excellence In Glass in 2023. The company has grown primarily through word-of-mouth referrals and repeat clients, including Casa Dorinda in Montecito, as well as local general contractors, real estate professionals, and property owners.

Joe is proud of his family’s long history in Santa Barbara and looks forward to continuing the Eckert and Romasanta families’ connection to the La Cumbre community.

Melisa Pollack – Significant Other of Scott Vincent 

Regular

Boston Born, Los Angeles Raised, Santa Barbara since 2024. Melisa has worked in the Beauty and Entertainment business since 2010 and currently is an agent representing top stylists in Hollywood.

At La Cumbre she enjoys participating in social events, swimming & taking fitness classes.

Her hobbies include: going to concerts, the beach, and boating. She also enjoys hiking, playing with her dogs, cooking, arranging flowers and spending time with family. She has enjoyed making new friends at La Cumbre and looks forward to meeting many more.

Jodi Barrett – Significant Other of Mark Magid

Regular

My name is Jodi Barrett, I am 38 and a third generation Santa Barbara native with a deep love for the local community. I was born at Cottage Hospital and raised in San Roque. After graduating from Dos Pueblos High School, I attended Arizona State University, where I competed in collegiate waterskiing. Following graduation, I returned home to Santa Barbara. I spent the past 15 years living in the Mission Canyon area and recently moved to Hope Ranch with my fiancé, Mark.

Santa Barbara has always been home to my family. My grandmother attended Santa Barbara High School, and my dad attended San Marcos High School and has spent his career working locally as an HVAC contractor. My parents still live in San Roque and run a small business downtown. I also have a younger brother, Daniel, who is a teacher at Peabody Charter School. I feel incredibly fortunate to have grown up surrounded by family and to now be building the next chapter of my life in the same community that has meant so much to us for generations.



Professionally, I work as a registered nurse with nearly 20 years of experience in healthcare and aesthetics. I currently work locally in both medical aesthetics and the operating room. One of the things I value most about my work is the personal connection it allows me to have with others and the relationships I’ve been fortunate to build with patients and families throughout Santa Barbara.

I’m very grateful for the opportunity to introduce myself and sincerely appreciate your consideration.