Meet Our board

Sam is the current President of the Board of Directors at Zephyr Point. He began his second term as a board member in January of 2022. Prior to serving on the board, he had never been to Zephyr Point. Sam has served on the Personnel, Programs and Nominations Committees in his first term and currently serves as chair of the Long Range Planning Committee, and is a member of the Executive committee. Sam is an ordained Teaching Elder in PC (USA). He recently retired as a chaplain from the Veterans Administration Hospital. Before the VA he served as pastor of a small PC(USA) congregation in the Riverside Presbytery. Prior to studying Theology, he enjoyed a career in academia spanning more than twenty years; beginning at Columbia University in the City of New York as a Biochemist and culminating at the University of California Riverside in Molecular Mycology before entering San Francisco Theological Seminary. Sam is married with 4 children. He was born in Georgia the son of an itinerant Methodist Minister. Sam enjoys traveling, fishing and golfing (not necessarily in that order).

Sandy Peirce has been blessed with a number of opportunities to visit Zephyr Point since her seminary intern days shepherding a youth group snow retreat in 1980. Since then she has attended Presbytery meetings, led session and congregational retreats, attended conferences with speakers including Ann Weems, Leonard Sweet and John Philip Newell and been a speaker for two women’s conferences. Always refreshed and renewed by the water, trees and mountains, Sandy finds Zephyr Point to be a spectacular setting for inspirational learning and community building. Sandy is an SFTS graduate and served the El Dorado County Federated Church in Placerville for more than 22 years. Now mostly retired, she lives in El Dorado Hills with her husband John and spends as much time as possible with their daughters, sons-in-law and 5 grandchildren. Sandy loves to travel, attend live theatre productions, read and bake the occasional batch of cookies.

A historian and editor by profession, I’m theoretically retired. Former commissioner to and moderator of the Synod of the Pacific, I served on and chaired the synod’s Mission Finance Committee. of the synod. For decades I was recording clerk of Boise Presbytery. I’m a member of First Presbyterian Church, Boise, with a number of years on Session and still on the worship and personnel committees. I got to know Zephyr Point because the Synod of the Pacific met there at least once every other year. I’m in my fourth year on the board; the first three years I was board secretary. I live in Boise, Idaho, with my husband, three cats, and a yellow lab.

Joshua came to Geneva Presbyterian Church as the Pastor in February 2013, having just finished a residency and degree at VCU School of Allied Health. Joshua is a graduate of Bluefield College and Union Presbyterian Seminary. Joshua has been married 15 years and he and his wife Menissa are raising two boys ages 14 and 11. Answering God’s calling to ministry, they moved from Virginia, Menissa’s lifetime home, to serve and help grow a church here in the Central Valley. Joshua’s focus has been to reach out to young families and help to continue to develop the legacy of who Geneva Presbyterian Church has been. Joshua’s passions include photography, woodworking, swimming, cooking, and even rollerskating.

Angie has been connected to Zephyr Point since 1986. Sharing programs with her family and then later years, facilitating retreats for her St Andrew, Yuba City, church family. Angie, the spouse to a retired USAF member, has had the opportunity to experience camps and conference centers all over the world. Zephyr Point is her ‘home’ camp and conference center. Angie says”, “Zephyr Point is a favorite place for me to ‘just be’. I am always encouraged by the education, exploration and inspiration of the people and place that is Zephyr Point”. Angie is currently in her 2nd term as a session elder at Columbia Presbyterian Church, her current church family, in Vancouver WA. She brings to the board her passion for nonprofits, curating resources and tools needed to adapt and change as an organizational development coach and consultant.

Beadle began serving on the Zephyr Point Board of Directors in January of 2021 and currently serves as the Chair of the Program Committee and a member of the Development Committee. Beadle is a member of First Presbyterian Church of Hayward where he and his family currently attend. He has been to Zephyr Point numerous times with family for vacation, a church staff retreat as well as a couples retreat. He loves the outdoors, Lake Tahoe and the memories he makes with every visit. Beadle works as a senior director of communications at Ubisoft, a leading video game company, where he helps lead corporate communications, product campaigns, Ubisoft Film & Television and worldwide media training. He enjoys bringing his vast work experience and a creative approach to the board and contributing to further the mission and work of Zephyr Point. Beadle is married to his partner, Lauren Gibbs Beadle, who serves as Director of Children’s Ministries at First Presbyterian Church of Hayward and they collectively love and care for four children, three guinea pigs, four chickens and one Corgi. Beadle’s hobbies include watching the San Francisco Giants and 49ers, music, dancing, travel and, of course, playing video games.

Deborah Wright, Principal, PneuMatrix Ordained (PCUSA) in 1978, Deborah consults in adaptive change management, strategic visioning, program development, Positive Deviance and Design Thinking as a PneuMatrix Founder and Principal. An Alum of Duke University and San Francisco Theological Seminary, she has served as Associate Pastor of Calvary SF, Trustee of the Presbyterian Church (USA) Foundation, adjunct faculty at SFTS, Board Chair of Marin’s Homeward Bound, and Director of Major Gifts at SFTS. Following her Ph.D. studies (GTU) she formed Avalon Enterprises, consulting in funds development, corporate chaplaincy, strategic visioning, and project management in religion, education, healthcare, and film. She has been a grant administrator and grant evaluator and has taught Adaptive Change Leadership. Clients include The George Lucas Educational Foundation, Google, Kaiser Permanente, and the PC(USA). She is new to Zephyr Point, having only visited twice – as a conference keynoter and for a Synod Exec retreat.

Jim Arce began serving on the Zephyr Point Board of Directors in January 2022. He serves on the Operations and Maintenance Committee and the Long-Range Planning Committee. Arce is an Elder at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Tiburon, CA. Arce is a semi-retired real estate asset manager. He enjoys teaching, woodworking, and fly fishing travel, and is the Scoutmaster for Tiburon BSA Troop 48. Arce is married to Pat Arce. They have three children and five grandchildren.

Before the Zephyr Point conference center grew to be what it is today, Nan Notor’s grandparents had a cabin at Zephyr Point. Long summer days of swimming, fishing, hiking and exploring are some of her fondest childhood memories. Over the years, she has attended Christian camps and conferences in many other locations, but she is looking forward to returning to those childhood roots at Zephyr Point. At the end of 2020, Nan retired as a clinical audiologist and owner of a small mobile audiology and hearing aid practice. Currently, she serves as a ruling elder at Westminster Presbyterian Church in San Jose, chairing the Personnel Committee and the Safe Church Committee. Nan also serves on a joint task force with the Presbytery of San Jose which is working on a major renovation of Westminster’s education building to create an urban ministry navigation center for underserved populations in San Jose. Nan was recently elected as Vice Moderator for the Synod of the Pacific. Nan loves time spent in her garden, whether weeding, pruning or planting. Her newest hobby is weaving, and though clearly a novice, she is enjoying the challenge of learning a new skill!

Paul joined the Zephyr Point board in 2023 and currently serves on the Administrative Committee, Presbytery of the Pacific (PoP), is the Treasurer of PoP, and serves on the Synod of Southern California and Hawaii Finance Committee.  He is a long-time member of St. Peter’s by the Sea PC and has served there as an Elder and Treasurer. He holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from UC Berkeley and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago. Retired from the world of corporate banking and investment banking, he has served on numerous corporate boards, currently as Chairman of the Investment Committee of Volunteers of America Los Angeles.  He also serves with the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide (TA) program as a Tax Counselor, the Regional Coordinator for the Pacific Region, and is a member of the National Leadership Team, a 15 member board that serves the TA program nationwide.

Mark Frey joined the Zephyr Point Board of Directors in January 2022 and is pleased to serve on the Personnel and Nominations Committees. Mark is a retired Presbyterian minister who led youth ministries, served as a head of staff and was an organizing pastor in churches in Oregon and Southern California. For the second half of his ministry, he served as a regional representative/church consultant with the Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (USA). He is credentialed as a Certified Benefits Specialist and Retirement Plans Associate. Mark’s work with the Board brought him to Zephyr Point for pastors’ conferences, educational events and presbytery meetings numerous times. He is excited to be a part of this next chapter in the life of Zephyr Point. Mark continues to serve the church as a Vice-Moderator for the Presbytery of the Cascades, and as a faculty consultant for both the Presbyterian CREDO and THRIVE programs of the Board of Pensions, which support pastors and church workers in the areas of wholeness and financial wellbeing. Mark and his wife, Christie, make their home in Portland where they participate in the life of the Lake Grove Presbyterian Church. Mark is a baseball and college football fan, and musician. He enjoys cooking and delights in exploring the natural beauty of Oregon. He feels especially blessed by his three grown children and their families, including eight grandchildren.

Lindsey Santamaria joined the Zephyr Point Board of Directors in January 2023. Camps, retreats, and conferences have served as inflection points in her faith journey and ministry, and she is glad to support these ministries! Enthusiastic about leading groups through change, she currently works as a management consultant at The Gunter Group and has worked with large companies and non-profits in systems implementation, strategy and governance, project management, workforce training, and change management.  A graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary, Lindsey is also an ordained P.C.U.S.A. minister of Word and Sacrament/Teacher Elder. She has served in hospital/clinical chaplaincy as a CPE resident chaplain in VA and PA and has served churches in Portland, OR; Williamsburg, VA, and Yorktown, VA. She worships and sings in the choir at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Portland. She holds a B.A. in music from the College of William & Mary and an M.B.A. in Finance from Portland State University. Outside of work and church, she is a classically-trained vocalist, is an enthusiastic home cook, is a voracious reader, loves swimming and the outdoors, and spends time with her husband, Eric, and their two dogs and cat.

Marcia Evans is a retired Clinical Nurse Specialist/Case Manager. She spent much of her career developing treatment and housing programs for homeless veterans. She is currently involved with elementary and middle school students building robots through the REX/VEX program and her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta. She remains active with National and local nursing organizations and other community service organizations. She works part-time with her daughter providing insurance and investment education for their business Legacyint20. She is a member of Grace Presbyterian Church, Las Vegas, where she is currently serving as the President of Women of Grace (WOG). WOG provides mission and fellowship services and activities within the Church and community. She serves on Congregational Life and Mission Commission and currently serves on the Peace and Justice Committee of the Nevada Presbytery.

Rev. Irvin Porter has been pastor at Church of the Indian Fellowship in Tacoma, WA since 2001 and an Associate for Native American Intercultural Congregational Support for the Racial Equity and Women’s Intercultural Ministries of the PCUSA. He works with the 97 Native American Presbyterian Churches throughout the country on Leadership Development, training, youth and conducts workshops in the PCUSA on Native American issues. His first visit to Zephyr Point was in 1999 for a conference. Irvin is descended from the Pima, T’hono O’odham and Nez Perce tribes, grew up in Phoenix AZ and is a former banker. He has been in involved with mid-councils in the Tacoma, WA area before beginning work for the PCUSA. Irvin has been married to Rev. Anne-Cecile, originally from France, since 2001 and they have two-cocker spaniels, Denali and Kenai. They live in Puyallup, WA.