Vice President Sappington was appointed to the IERCD Board of Directors on December 15th, 2021, serving in the capacity of representative of Riverside County residents.  She brings extensive experience to the District’s Board of Directors, having co-authored more than 25 urban forest management plans for both public and private entities, including municipalities, universities, and nonprofit foundations throughout California. In addition to urban forestry, she has extensive experience in wildland forestry, collaborating with a variety of partners to address resource concerns such as wildfires. She regularly performs tree risk assessments and helps clients develop specifications for a variety of circumstances involving tree care. She has more than 25 years of tree consulting experience, and she has written extensively about the landscape industry. In addition to planning and fieldwork, Director Sappington has extensive experience presenting and giving testimony in public forums on behalf of forested lands and associated resources. 

In addition to many residential and public works projects, she designed seven miles of award-winning medians for the city of Palm Desert. She serves on the executive board of the Inland Urban Forest Council and is a member of the California Urban Forestry Advisory Committee. For more than 15 years, Vice President Sappington has been a University of California Master Gardener and is the 2014 recipient of the Volunteer of the Year award from the California Urban Forests Council. Vice President Sappington is excited to participate in both the Mitigation and Lands and the Strategic Plan Committees as part of her service to the District.