The Santa Barbara Foundation has announced its selections for the 2013-2014 Katherine Harvey Fellows, an 18-month leadership development program. The program’s 15 participants are young professionals, ages 25 to 45, from diverse fields and communities across Santa Barbara County who have a passion for learning about and engaging in community leadership and philanthropy. Founded in 1999, the program’s fellows have raised and disbursed over $400,000, including matching funds from the Santa Barbara Foundation, and have funded agencies and projects such as Youth Making Change, Community Economic Relief Fund, and People’s Self Help Housing.

Liam Murphy, a commercial real estate broker and Westmont College Alumnus, was chosen for the current class. The Katherine Harvey Fellows program is selected from nominations made by Santa Barbara Foundation Trustees and staff members and from alumni of the Katherine Harvey Fellows program.

“It is a great privilege and honor to be selected for this program,” Murphy said. “I look forward to working with this class of fellows and learning from the alumni and mentors that make the program a vital source of leadership and philanthropy for our community.”

Murphy has made representation of non-profit organizations a priority in his professional work as a broker with Hayes Commercial Group. For example, he was integral in helping Habitat For Humanity move to a more prominent and functional space in Goleta. Outside of work, Murphy enjoys volunteering with local church, educational and philanthropic groups in Santa Barbara.

“Katherine Harvey Fellows is an amazing resource for our community, and I’m thrilled to be a part of it,” Murphy added.