JAMISON, PA – April 19, 2023 – Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bucks County is thrilled to announce the appointment of Ioana Douglas and Lauren Le-Neou to our Board of Directors. Both Ioana and Lauren have served diligently on Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bucks County’s Development and Events Committees and have taken the next step to become Board members for the agency.
Ioana Douglas has over 30 years’ experience in the Hospitality industry (both hotel and casino) in the U.S. and internationally. She has been working for Parx Casino and Racing in Bensalem, Pennsylvania for 13 years where she currently holds the role of Director for Environmental Services (EVS). Ioana and her team have earned the fantastic award as the cleanest Casino in Pennsylvania; for 7 years in a row, she has achieved the #1 spot for employee engagement of Team Members. Ioana is recognized for her strong leadership skills and for her ability to get the job done!
Prior to working at Parx, Ioana worked at the Venetian and Palazzo in Vegas. She also worked for Wyndham, Westin, and Sheraton.
Ioana is the Vice Chairman of Women’s Leadership Resource Group and active member of the People of Color Business Resource group at Parx Casino. Ioana is also an active volunteer for Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity, United Way, Caring for Friends, and many other community serving organizations. Ioana is passionate about making a difference in the lives of everyone she meets.
She has been working with Big Brothers Big Sisters as a representative for Parx Casino and Racing, offering support and sponsorship for BBBSBC’s fundraising efforts. Ioana is also a Big Sister! She has been matched for four years and enjoys every minute of it.
In her free she loves spending time with her Little, her daughter, and her 4 adorable pets as well as visiting Disney. She is Disney’s biggest fan & her favorite character “Daisy Duck “.
Lauren first became affiliated with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Bucks County in the fall of 2019 joining the development committee to volunteer her time to help plan the organization’s events through her mentor, Lacy Peacock who is the current Vice President of the Board of Directors. After 3 years, Lauren felt ready to serve the organization more, by joining the Board of Directors.
Growing up, Lauren experienced firsthand many things that unfortunately are very common within a broken home – domestic violence, parents who struggled with alcoholism and substance abuse, low income, and limited resources. Meeting her mentor at the age of 12 really impacted her life from attending school, excelling, graduating high school early and putting herself through college at night while working full time during the day. Looking back, having an adult give her time, friendship and guidance may not seem like much to some, but to a 12-year-old impressionable girl, those things were priceless and ultimately shifted the rest of her life.
Lauren is currently a Senior Account Executive at Fraser AIS, focusing on providing businesses with their print and technology equipment and is a licensed real estate agent with Keller Williams. Lauren hopes to continue to change the lives and resources for the youth just like Lacy did hers. Lauren now resides in Harleysville with her husband, became a homeowner at the age of 25, and has two amazing fur babies, Bubba and Charlie. Mentorship can truly change lives, and Lauren is a testament to that, and a true representative of how Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bucks County’s programs are transformative to vulnerable youth.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bucks County (BBBSBC) is a premier mentoring non-profit chapter of the national organization, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. BBBSBC has provided over 50 years of service, within our professionally supported mentoring programs, to the youth of Bucks County.
Instagram: @BBBSBC
Facebook: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bucks County