CONTEMPO

The current members on the CA-AFCS board roster have a rich variety of experiences and areas of expertise, making our board meetings especially insightful. A highlight of the recent CA-AFCS board meeting was news from the LA Metro CA-AFCS District about the upcoming Biennial Conference to be held on Saturday March 28, 2026, at the Grace E. Simons Lodge in Elysian Park in Los Angeles. We appreciate the work of bringing us this conference being given by Doris Barela-Fossen, Diane Goldstein Lewis and Dolores Robles. More about the conference is in this issue of the Contempo. Another plus about the meeting was the discussion about moving the organization forward with more creative ways to use our resources with EEF and AAFCS. An important deadline is December 1 for EEF Grant submissions!

In this issue of the Contempo we recognize FCS Week, which coincides with Ellen Swallow Richard's birthday on December 3rd. We also connect the achievement of our founder to those of Grace E. Simons.

An outstanding perk in being a member of CA-AFCS is opportunities to connect with like-minded professionals!

Sincerely, Jody Roubanis

President Jody Roubanis

VP Programs Doris Barela-Fossen

Secretary Melinda Westland

Treasurer Sue Chelini

EEF chair Nancy Rabolt

EEF treasurer Sue Chelini

EEF Nancy Dayne

EEF Sandy Carpenter

aafcs-ca.org

Saturday, March 28, 2026

Grace E. Simons Lodge at 1025 Elysian Park Drive, Los Angeles

9:30 AM - 4:30 PM

11.5 miles South of the Hollywood Burbank Airport

Note: Board of Directors Meeting will be held Friday afternoon

Registration

Complete and submit registration to attend the conference.

Conference Registration Form

Submit Proposals

We encourage professionals and students, both undergrad and graduate students to submit abstracts to participate in the conference. Please use the format outlined on the Call for Proposals.

Call for Proposals Professionals 2026 Deadline January 9, 2026

Call Proposals Students 2026 Deadline January 30, 2026

Conference Tri-Chairs

Diane Lewis-Goldstein (diane.lewis.goldstein@csun.edu)
Doris Barela-Fossen (dbfossen@aol.com)
Dolores Robles (Dolores.Robles@csulb.edu)

Family and Consumer Sciences has always been rooted in the belief that strengthening individuals strengthens communities. It makes sense that the 2026 CA-AFCS Biennial Conference will be at a location that brings together the legacies of two women who are separated by time but united by purpose - Ellen Swallow Richards and Grace E. Simons. Their work, though expressed in different contexts, reflects a shared commitment to applying scientific knowledge, practical skill, and moral conviction to improve the quality of life for all.

Ellen Swallow Richards, widely known as the founder of Home Economics and a pioneer in sanitary engineering, dedicated her career to understanding how the environment shapes human wellbeing. She championed evidence-based public health, promoting clean water, safe food, and efficient home management at a time when such concepts were revolutionary. Richards believed that the home was not simply a private space but the foundation of social progress. Her insistence that scientific principles should guide everyday life laid the groundwork for what would become the modern field of Family and Consumer Sciences.

Grace E. Simons, though working in a later era and a different sphere, carried forward this essential belief in community stewardship. As an activist and preservationist best known for her leadership in protecting Los Angeles’s Elysian Park, Simons fought passionately for public spaces that nurtured families, supported healthy living, and fostered social connection. She recognized that quality of life is multidimensional—shaped not only by the home but also by the shared environments where people live, learn, and play. Her advocacy helped ensure that future generations would have access to green spaces that support physical health, emotional wellbeing, and community cohesion.

The connection between Richards and Simons becomes clear when we see their work as part of the same continuum: the pursuit of healthier, more equitable, and more sustainable communities. Richards examined the conditions within the home to uplift families; Simons fought for the conditions outside the home to strengthen the broader community. Both women embraced a holistic vision of wellbeing and used their expertise to advocate for systemic change. Their legacies remind today’s FCS professionals that improving everyday life—whether in households, neighborhoods, or public systems—requires both scientific insight and civic engagement.

Doris Barela-Fossen and Jody Roubanis represented the CA-AFCS Board of Directors at the AAFCS summit in Galt House Hotel in Louisville Kentucky - the site of the AAFCS Annual Conference June 18-21, 2016. In addition to the updates from AAFCS, Doris and Jody learned that Louisville offers a rich combination of cultural, historical and leisure activities: museums, riverfront parks, bourbon heritage, local food and nightlife.

December 1, 2025

CA-AFCS grant applications due Grants - California Affiliate

December 1-5, FCS Week 2025 - American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences

January 9, 2026 CA-AFCS conference proposal deadline for professionals 2026 Conference - California Affiliate

January 30, 2026 CA-AFCS conference proposal deadline for students 2026 Conference - California Affiliate

March 28, 2026 CA-AFCS Conference, Los Angeles 2026 Conference - California Affiliate

April 1, 2026 CA-AFCS Scholarship applications due Scholarship Info - California Affiliate

Scholarship information is available on our website: aafcs-ca.org/ca/ scholarship-info

Applications will be available the beginning of 2026 and are due April 1.

Grant information is on our website: Grants - California Affiliate Due date is December 1 of each year.