United States Congressman Jared Huffman, a three-time men’s volleyball All-American at UC Santa Barbara, will be the keynote speaker at the department’s annual Living Scholar Dinner on May 16.
The dinner, which salutes UCSB’s Living Scholar Donors who contribute to athletics scholarships, will be held at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum.
Huffman represents California’s Second District. His district spans from the Golden Gate Bridge north to the Oregon border, covering six counties, including all of Marin, Mendocino, Humboldt, Trinity and Del Norte, and much of Sonoma.
While a Gaucho athlete, Huffman was a four-year starter at setter. He earned All-American honors in 1984, 1985 and 1986. When he completed his eligibility, the native of Independence, Mo. was the school’s all-time leader in assists with 2,798. He was the first UCSB player ever to produce 100 or more assists in a single match when he had 112 in a win over Pepperdine during the 1986 season and he is one of just four players in school history to do so. In addition, Huffman still holds the school record for digs in a non-rally scoring match with 28 in a 1985 match against UCLA.
In Congress, Huffman is a member of the Committee on Natural Resources and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Prior to his election to Congress in November of 2012, he served six years in the California State Assembly where he authored more than 60 pieces of successful legislation and received numerous awards for his legislative leadership. Huffman chaired the Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee, served on the Budget Committee and was co-chair of the Legislative Environmental Caucus.
Before being elected to public office, Huffman was a Senior Attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). One of his proudest accomplishments at the NRDC was helping forge an agreement to restore a 153-mile stretch of the San Joaquin River in California’s Central Valley.
Huffman graduated magna cum laude from UCSB. Following his graduation, he was a member of the USA Volleyball Team in 1987 when the team was ranked No. 1 in the world. He left Team USA to attend Boston College Law School where he graduated cum laude.
