Marcia Eichelberger, Founding President. Marcia is the mother of a son with autism and a daughter with severe learning disabilities. She has been married to her husband Derrik, a partner at Arcadia Studio Landscape Architects, for 23 years.
Marcia has been a tireless advocate in the field of developmental disabilities since 1995 when her son was diagnosed with autism. From 1997-2007, she served as Chair of Area Board IX for Developmental Disabilities for the tri-counties area, and in 2002, as Chair of the Organization of Area Boards at the state level. Marcia was appointed as a parent representative to the California Department of Developmental Services Advisory Committee for ASD: Best Practice Guidelines for Treatment and Interventions. In 2003, Marcia was honored with the Child Friendly Award by the County of Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors and Kids Network in recognition of outstanding service to children of Santa Barbara County. She is a former parent representative for Washington Elementary School on the Santa Barbara Special Education Advisory Council, and served as a member of the Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation Adaptive Recreation Advisory Council. She is a graduate of the Leadership Santa Barbara program.
In addition to her work with ASASB, Marcia currently is Vice President of the Autism Society of California, Chair of the Tri-Counties Inter-Agency Autism Task Force, sits on the Steering Committee as a Founding Member of the Alliance of California Autism Organizations (ACAO), is a Parent Representative for the Senate Select Subcommittee on Autism, greater Los Angeles region, serves as Membership Co-chair of the Santa Barbara School Districts Special Education Advisory Council (SEAC), Parent Member of the Santa Barbara County SELPA CAC, and Chair of the Santa Barbara School Districts Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (SpEdPAC).
Sandy Shove, Vice President and Treasurer. A former teacher and after-school program director, Sandy has an active private practice as a Non-Attorney Special Education Advocate. In addition to her work with ASASB, Sandy has served as Chair of the Treatment Subcommittee for the Tri-Counties Interagency Autism Task Force. is a founding member of the Alliance of California Autism Organizations (ACAO), a member of the Council of Parent Advocates and Attorneys (COPAA), and a founding member of Women’s Organization for Special Education Professionals (WOSEP). She is a member of the Santa Barbara School Districts Special Education Advisory Council (SEAC), the La Cumbre Junior High School parent representative to the Santa Barbara School Districts Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (SpEdPAC), and a former parent representative on the Adams Elementary School Site Council.
Sandy is a former member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the Executive Board of the Santa Barbara AEYC from 1993 to 1995, and is a member of Stand for Children, a grassroots advocacy organization defending the rights of children and families nationwide. She taught in the children’s ministry at Montecito Covenant Church from 2001 – 2009, has volunteered at Noah’s Half-Day Camp every Summer since 1993, and is a Den Leader for her younger son’s Cub Scout Pack. Sandy and her husband, Patrick, recently celebrated 25 years of marriage; they are the proud parents of three children, one of whom has autism.
Candyce Estave, Secretary. Candyce Estave grew up in Casper, Wyoming and moved to California in 1985. She worked as a bartender, eventually moved into management, and along the way learned the finer points of business promotion and entertainment. In 2002, she met and married Eddie Estave, and they immediately started a family, being blessed with a son in 2003 and a daughter in 2005. At age 4, their son was diagnosed with autism, and Candyce sought help from the Autism Society of Santa Barbara. From the day she attended her first support group meeting, she vowed to help other families who were facing the same difficulty she had with locating and obtaining autism services. In short order, Candyce became ASASB’s North County Coordinator, regularly hosting support group meetings in her home, scheduling parent trainings, and building a network of supportive professionals. She has organized ASASB’s North County Autism Awareness Fair every year since 2008. In 2009, Candyce was appointed to the Board of Autism Society of Santa Barbara. Candyce is also a member of Altrusa International, Inc. of the Central Coast, serving on their Service Committee. She is a tireless volunteer devoted to directing families in the way of advocacy for services in Santa Maria and throughout Northern Santa Barbara County.
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