Michael Stephenson & Melania Coto 

Regular

Sponsors: Greg Moss, Jon Perkins, Josh Macaluso, Jane Lodas

Michael serves on the board of The Coto Foundation, supporting Southern California organizations including Discovery Cube LA, Children’s Hospital, Northridge Hospital, Loma Linda University, and Cal State Northridge Baseball.

He previously held sales and marketing roles at UPS, Baxter BioScience, and Stewart Title. A Southern California native, Michael earned a B.S. in Geology from Sonoma State University. He enjoys golf and tennis and is a member of The Reserve Club in Indian Wells, CA.

Melania is a self-made entrepreneur who immigrated from Costa Rica in 1983. She taught herself English, completed Cal State University’s Legal Spanish Interpreter Program, and built a successful career that led to multiple service-based ventures. She ultimately founded and served as CEO of the nation’s second-largest over-the-phone interpreting company, overseeing more than 3,000 interpreters nationwide. After selling her businesses in 2008, she became semi-retired and now focuses on investments and philanthropy through her private foundation.

Melania is a founding board member of Discovery Cube Los Angeles and serves on the Board of Directors for the Northridge Hospital Foundation. She is also a passionate animal lover and advocate for horse rescue organizations.



Michael and Melania each have two college-graduate daughters from previous marriages and enjoy spending time with their blended family.

Jim & Nicole Batchelder

Regular

Sponsors: Paul Portney, Peter Jeffrey, Sharon Jordano, Jane Lodas

Jim and Nicole Batchelder have been married for 33 years and recently relocated to Montecito after many years in the Bay Area. Their family has a strong affinity for Santa Barbara, and they hope La Cumbre will become a meaningful second home for their extended family.

Jim retired at the end of 2025 following a 37‑year career as a trial lawyer specializing in intellectual property law. He represented many leading global technology companies and spent the last 15 years of his career as a partner at Ropes & Gray, where he also served as Managing Partner of the Silicon Valley and San Francisco offices and completed a ten‑year term on the firm’s management committee. Nicole retired eight years ago after a successful career as a health and employment law attorney with Mercer and has since devoted significant time to volunteer and nonprofit work.

Jim and Nicole have been active volunteers with Peninsula Bridge for more than a decade, supporting students from under‑resourced communities through board service, mentorship, fundraising, and internship opportunities. Jim also maintained a strong pro bono practice, including work on protective orders for victims of domestic violence. Nicole has supported several nonprofit organizations through fundraising and volunteer service, including immigration naturalization clinics.

Previously, Jim and Nicole were active members of Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club for 15 years, regularly enjoying its golf, fitness, swimming, and dining offerings. After exploring several local clubs, they felt La Cumbre was the best fit due to its welcoming membership, outstanding golf course, and overall sense of community. They look forward to being active participants in La Cumbre’s golf, fitness, pickleball, pool, and dining programs and to getting to know fellow members.

Hugh Myers & Laura Knoll Myers

Associate

Sponsors: Sara Hetyonk, Amanda Casas, Robin Van Buren, Lauren Katz, Jane Lodas

Our family's connection to La Cumbre Country Club spans three generations. Growing up, the club was the center of my family's social and athletic lives. I have vivid memories of learning to swim in the pool, playing tennis on the courts, and first being introduced to golf on the La Cumbre course.

After graduating from UCLA, I spent fifteen years as a technology founder and operator, most recently as the CTO of a software company we sold in 2022. For the past eight years, Laura and I lived in Puerto Rico, where we practiced our Spanish, explored new sights, and enjoyed the island's culture and lifestyle. It's also where both of our sons were born, turning Puerto Rico from a place we lived into the place our family began.

When our second child arrived, the pull back to Santa Barbara became impossible to ignore. We wanted our kids to grow up near family, because family is one of the most important things in our lives. We moved back to SB in December 2025 and settled in Hope Ranch. Today, I'm the CEO of Sprint Mode, a venture studio, and a General Partner at our affiliated fund, Sprint Capital, which invests in early-stage startups. I also mentor startup founders through 500 Global and Founders Boost, two California-based accelerator programs. Laura owns and operates Myers Family Therapy, her private practice in Santa Barbara and Puerto Rico, where she guides clients through self-growth and wellness. When we're not working, you can probably find us chasing around our active and energetic 2.5 year old son, while his 6 month old brother happily watches. 



What attracts us most to La Cumbre today is the desire to provide our own children with the same foundational community and healthy, outdoor lifestyle that I enjoyed. We are looking for a place where we can build lifelong friendships with other local families, and where our children can learn the values of sportsmanship and community that the club exemplifies. We look forward to being long-term, active participants at La Cumbre.

Elaine Sichel

Social Clubhouse

Elaine is a fifth-generation Californian, born in San Francisco and raised in Marin County, and a proud graduate of UC Santa Barbara. She spent more than 40 years in humane nonprofit programming, development, and consulting, including designing a college course on the human–animal bond and training organizations nationwide to launch pet therapy programs. Elaine also founded a publishing business dedicated to animal rescue and adoption and served two terms on the Marin Humane Board of Directors. Retired in Santa Barbara since 2010, she now devotes her time to art, the beach, and caring for her three French Bulldogs—Mavis, Annie Oakley, and Gimball.