About OCE
Our Children’s Earth Foundation advocates on behalf of children, who are most vulnerable to pollution, to enable them to breathe clean air and use clean water.
We educate the public about the health problems caused by pollution in their neighborhoods, and empower affected communities to take action to reduce pollution.
The primary objectives and purposes of this 501(c)3 non-profit organization shall be to promote public awareness of domestic and international human rights issues and environmental impacts through information dissemination, artistic expression, education projects, and private enforcement of environmental protection statutes.
Our Staff
Tiffany Schauer, Founder & Executive Director
Tiffany founded OCE in 1998 after more than ten years experience in environmental justice and litigation, specializing in clean air issues. In addition to her private sector attorney experience with Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison, which represented industry in environmental litigation, she was appointed to the Hearing Board of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD). Prior to her work in the Bay Area, Tiffany worked at the Federal Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, DC in a variety of key roles. She earned her J.D. from Catholic University in Washington, DC. and her B.A. from San Diego State University. Tiffany is admitted to the State Bars of California, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia.
Tiffany served in various environmental regulatory roles prior to founding OCE in1998. Ms. Schauer’s varied positions, including serving as an enforcement attorney at the Environmental Protection Agency, working as a Senior Attorney at a major environmental law firm, adjudicating Clean Air Act permit disputes at the Bay Area Air Quality Management District Hearing Board. During the course of her career she discovered that the attacks on environmental regulatory standards and enforcement program funding decisions are not occurring in statehouses and legislative sessions, where the glare of public attention would be too great. Instead, the attacks most often occur in bureaucratic back rooms, out of the public eye, in obscure government departments where polluting industries can influence the decision-making process without risking the wrath of public opposition. The form of the threat is as basic as it is destructive — our environmental laws simply are not being enforced adequately to ensure public safety and basic environmental protections. Since 1998, Tiffany has led OCE to enforce some of the largest environmental law violation actions in the nation.
Since leaving EPA, Tiffany has expanded OCE’s efforts beyond regulatory citizen enforcement to include communicating the issues of government corruption, abuse of power, and needed transparency by addressing these issues in documentary film. Tiffany spearheaded the initiative to bring OCE’s message to the storytelling genre of film through collaborating on many breakthrough documentaries including, Total Denial, Garbage Dreams, Words of Witness, Island President, The C Word, Death by Design, How to Change the World, Sempre Fi, the Hunting Ground, and Last Animals.
tiffany@ocefoundation.org
Ivy Yin, Director of Media
Ivy Yin of Swell Connections is an activist and explorer. His expedition experience includes being a photographer on an Explorers' Club Marine Expedition in Marie Galante, assisting humanitarian projects in Zambia, and filming all types of wildlife – from threatened Andean Condors in remote Argentina, to nearly-extinct mountain gorillas in the war zones of Democratic Republic of Congo.
Ivy completed his Masters Degree in Global Sustainability at the University of South Florida in 2017. As a passionate surfer, dive master, yoga instructor, nature photographer, videographer, and conservationist, Ivy is dedicated to learning and educating others about our planet’s natural and spiritual wonders.
Ivy manages OCE’s social media accounts and conducts regular investigations into wildlife habitat, pollution problems, and local activism. Through his powerful storytelling and communication skills, Ivy helps OCE to effectively engage with communities, advocates, scientists, water and wildlife enthusiasts, and activists at the front lines of movements for environmental policy change and justice.
SwellConnections@gmail.com
Heather Smith, Film Fund Lead & Senior Advisor
Heather is senior advisor to OCE and helps to manage our Film Fund, which invests in documentary films addressing issues of environmental conservation and human rights.
Additionally, Heather works as a consultant with a variety of non-profit and philanthropic clients on promoting greater civic engagement and social justice through a combination of cultural and grassroots organizing.
With expertise in democracy reform, technology innovation, cultural movements, and civic engagement - and a long history of working on democracy and youth engagement in the US and around the world - Heather helps her clients leverage their assets to further bold, positive social change in our world.
Heather also serves on the Board of Directors of Rock the Vote, moving to this role in 2014 after nearly 8 years as the organization’s President. While at Rock the Vote, she ran the largest non-partisan voter engagement efforts in the country, launched a national high school civics program, and her work on modernizing the voter registration process was recognized by President Obama’s Commission on Election Administration.
Heather is a graduate of Green Corps’ field school for environmental organizing, and received a BA with honors from Duke University. She serves on the DukeEngage National Advisory Board, as well as on Trojan’s Sexual Health Advisory Committee, Advocates for Youth Board of Directors, and an advisor to the Pluribus Project, a special project of The Aspen Institute.
OCEFilmFund@gmail.com
Karen Egger, Film Fund Advisor
Karen Egger obtained her Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University’s College of Arts & Science and her Juris Doctor from Columbia University School of Law. She is a dual US/Swiss Citizen, having worked and resided in Switzerland since 1983.
She started her professional career with Citibank in Zurich, in their trust department. She transitioned to legal and regulatory compliance in the late 1990’s as Head of Risk Assessment. Later, she held the position of Global Head of Legal and Compliance in Swiss private banks.
She spent two years in Berlin, Germany as Head of the Private Sector Team for Transparency International, the leading global non-governmental organization combating corruption.
Upon her return to Switzerland in 2014, she joined a Swiss law firm in their Banking and Finance practice before setting up her own consulting practice, catering to the financial industry in her areas of expertise, namely legal and regulatory compliance, risk management, corporate governance and ethics, anti-money laundering compliance, anti-corruption and anti-fraud programs, forensics and training.
Karen is a member of the Board of Directors of Transparency International, Swiss Chapter. Most recently, she joined OCE, where she supports the Film Fund. She splits her time between Florida and Switzerland.
eggerkaren@gmail.com
Annie Beaman, Director of Advocacy & Outreach / Co-Executive Director
Annie joined OCE in 2013 after spending several years working throughout the U.S. as an advocate for clean water, sustainable agriculture, and healthy ecosystems. She has been a lobbyist, legal analyst, community organizer, and researcher for non-profits including the Iowa Environmental Council, Clean Water Action, and the California Institute for Rural Studies.
Annie has focused on natural resource stewardship throughout her life, as she is a member of a multi-generational farming family that emphasizes regenerative land management practices.
Annie attended Grinnell College in Iowa and subsequently earned her J.D. with distinction from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she was active in many campus and community groups including the Environmental Law Society, Consumer Law Clinic, Foreclosure Prevention Taskforce, National Lawyers Guild, and the National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition. She has been working with children and students as a coach, teacher, tutor, and special events leader for more than a decade.
Annie is involved in all aspects of OCE’s work, managing our public outreach and regulatory advocacy campaigns and serving as a liaison for our board, staff, members, legal teams, and ally organizations.
annie@ocefoundation.org
Christine Adan, Administrative Director
Christine Adan is an advocate for sustainable living and a talented manager of OCE’s administrative tasks. She oversees planning for our team’s occasional travel needs, events and team coordination, and donor services. As a fully virtual/remote team, OCE relies heavily on Christine to help with the day-to-day tasks that make our work possible.
Christine cares deeply for the future of our planet and future generations. A mother of two with a big extended family, Christine loves to spend time with her family enjoying nature, celebrating holidays, and going on adventures together. She also enjoys gardening, crafting, music, and interior design.
Christine earned her B.A. in Business Administration and Economics from Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology and has wide ranging experience working in governmental offices and private companies as well as freelance work. Christine lives with her family in the Philippines.
Our Board
Tiffany Schauer, Board President
[bio above]
Scott McDonald
Scott is an independent management consultant and financial advisor specializing in start-up organizations, small non-profits, and social capital investing. Previously, Scott was the co-founder and executive manager of a national IT firm specializing in building systems for Fortune 500 companies. Currently, he is active in several philanthropic initiatives related to environmental protection and human rights, including serving as board member for Global Wildlife Conservation, a scientist-led organization focused on protecting biodiversity around the world. Scott has a master’s degree in information systems from the University of Virginia.
Kyle Nice
Kyle is a graduate of Temple University, where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration with a focus on Accounting. After business school, Kyle earned his CPA designation while working for nine years in public accounting. During his public accounting experience, not only did he specialize in for-profit businesses, he also became an expert in non-profit accounting in both 990 reporting and auditing. This non-profit experience has led him to serve as a board member and to be engaged in the day-to-day activities of the organizations he serves.
Susan Ross Robbins
Susan is currently serving on the OCE Board of Directors as the Volunteer Membership Coordinator. For the past 14 years she has worked for a vocational rehabilitation and litigation company where she has significant experience in counseling and legal processes. She graduated from San Diego State University in 1990 where she received a degree in Sociology and minored in Women’s Studies. As a mother and strong advocate for the environment, Susan is committed to ensuring a healthy and sustainable future. She understands how important it is to leave a clean earth for the next generation, since today’s children will become tomorrow’s leaders. In working with OCE, she has made it her goal to reach out to the community which she feels is the most valuable way to make an impact.
Outside Counsel
Christopher Sproul, Esq.
Chris is counsel with Environmental Advocates, a firm that specializes in public interest environmental law. He served as an Assistant Regional Counsel for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from 1987 to 2002. At the EPA, Chris concentrated primarily on enforcement actions, particularly under the Clean Water Act, but also under the Safe Drinking Water Act, Clean Air Act, and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. He holds a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley and an M.A. and B.A. in political science from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Chris is a member of the California Bar and has been admitted to the federal district court in Hawaii.
