Meet Our Staff
Bill Beaumont
Executive Director
Sarah Burgess
Leadership & Youth
Development Director
New to the Orange County area Bill has extensive experience with camp operations. Prior to his role at the Irvine Ranch he served as the YMCA Camp Collins, Program Director in Portland Oregon and before that was a professional Scouter serving in the Inland Northwest Council as a District Executive, District Director and Camping Director.
He has a demonstrated track record of successful facility operations, budget management, staff leadership, program development and marketing. Bill holds a Bachelors of Recreation, Parks and Tourism Resources from West Virginia University and a Masters in Teaching from Washington State University. Bill is an Eagle Scout with two palms, a Vigil member of the Order of the Arrow, and a Rotarian.
Sarah has spent the last 13 years delivering experiential education programs at premier facilities across the country. Prior to her role at the OEC, Sarah was instrumental in building the Sustainability and STEM Education programs at Philmont Scout Ranch, and was a grant writer with the University of Wisconsin-Extension for employing the use of digital technology tools in outdoor STEM education settings.
Sarah believes strongly in empowering youth to acquire communication, collaboration and character-building skills through experiential learning. She has an affinity for the mountains and the ocean, and earned her Bachelors of Science in Ocean and Coastal Resources from Texas A&M University at Galveston. Sarah was a Science Communication Fellow aboard E/V Nautilus, Dr. Bob Ballard’s ocean exploration vessel in summer 2015.
Suzanne Perry Slavens
Director of Life Sciences
Mary Carr
Event Director
Suzanne leads our life science programs and manages our garden and citrus orchard. An avid naturalist, she has over five years of experience working in parks, nature centers and botanical gardens. Additionally, she has worked in health care settings as a horticultural therapist. Her passion for the outdoors led her to research the health benefits associated with time in nature, which culminated in her earning an M.S. in Natural Resources and Environment and an M.P.H. from the University of Michigan. She is published in the Journal of Horticultural Therapy and has delivered numerous presentations in hospitals, nursing homes and conferences on the psychological and cognitive benefits of time spent in natural settings.
Once a member of our program staff, Mary is well versed in all areas of the property and facility. She was promoted to her current position as a result of her amazing attention to detail and excellent customer service. Mary brings a passion for youth education and outdoor adventure earning her Girl Scout Gold Award and working with previous non-profit groups coordinating operations and events.
Mary has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and Marketing from California State University, Fullerton and a certificate in Professional Meeting Planning and Special Events. Mary was also a member of the Business Network International group, participating in trainings and events that were key to her professional development.
Rosa "Angie" Sauceda
Director of Food Service
Stephie Daquioag
Leadership Program Lead
With over 19 in the Food Service Industry; Angie’s experience includes 2 years of managing the Dietary Food Program at Hoag Hospital. She has countless hours of training, monitoring and supervising of Nutritional guidelines, Health, Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) and sanitation for regulatory compliance within the Santa Ana Unified School District, through programs such as the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP).
As a member of Partnership for Food Safety Education, Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) and School Nutrition Association (SNA); Angie is certified and accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-Conference for Food Protection (CFP) in Food and Nutrition as a Certified Food Protection Manager. Her mission is to prepare and serve meals of the utmost quality, freshness, and seasonality. She strives to combine a modern-creative touch with traditional Southern California cuisine to create a one of a kind experience.
Stephie Daquioag (aka Mama Smurph) has been a proud member of The IROEC family since 2010. With her many years of professional facilitation experiences in the experiential industry, she quickly proved herself a valuable asset to the facility’s Project COPE Course as the Project C.O.P.E and High Adventures Director for The IROEC. Her passion is for producing a safe, entertaining, and high quality program dedicated to empowering all participants. Stephie has the honor of zipping 6th graders down a zip line, facilitating team building sessions for leadership programs, and training new C.O.P.E. directors at National Camp School. Her favorite camp memory is developing our accessible zip line system for MDA and other special needs groups.
Cristina Trinidad
Academic Director
Mac
Executive "Dog"rector
Cristina Trinidad has been educating children of all ages for the past 10 years for various child care programs. Since 2016 she has had the pleasure of working for the IROEC. As the Academic Director she has promoted a safe and educational setting for all participants. With her Bachelors of Arts in Liberal Studies and a minor in Natural Science she is passionate about instilling stewardship for the natural world. Previously she has worked with Rio Hondo community college to provide grant-funded alternative education to local middle schools in East Los Angeles. In her spare time Cristina enjoys cleaning up our beaches, and enjoying quality time with her family and friends.
Mac's interests include playing, eating trash and taking long walks in our beautiful campgrounds. Mac is very happy to be our mascot and live in the great outdoors. He and others continue to help us "Lead the way outdoors."
