Staff
Staff profiles include information about Executive Director, Kent Cummins; Aftercare Coordinator, Loretta Black; Project Manager, Aaron Parker-Fasel; Office Administrator, Cassie Landrum; and Junior Staff, Kerrie Dochen.
Kent Cummins – Executive Director:
Kent started the camp in 1993, the year he turned fifty, as a way to give back to the Austin community by teaching those things that had helped him as a kid: puppets, juggling, and MAGIC! Kent was Camp Director for the first fifteen years, before creating a separate nonprofit corporation for the camp. Kent attended the first-ever Magic Camp for Grown-Ups as a camper.
In addition to magic, juggling, and puppets, Kent has played piano in a rock and roll band and frequently attends local music concerts with his wife, Margot. He is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army. Kent's brother, Carter, has created most of his original illusions, and his sister, Judy, was his first "beautiful assistant." Kent's Mom, Mary Lou, was the original puppetry coordinator for The Magic Camp.
Kent and Margot have two children: Kevin, who created the original Magic Camp website, and Carolyn, who is Kent's current beautiful assistant for big shows. Kent and Margot have two grandchildren, one of whom--Georgia—has attended Magic Camp as a camper.
If Kent Cummins were a magic prop, he would be a Square Circle. This was the first prop that his dad bought for him from a magic store in New Orleans, and he still uses it to close his shows today. Like Kent, it is old-fashioned, but still a crowd-pleaser.
Loretta Black – Aftercare Coordinator:
Loretta has been involved in the Kent Cummins Magic Camp for 8 years. She started out as a camper when she was 12 years old and became a CIT the next year. She loves card magic, juggling sticks and clowns named Bonzo Crunch. She is currently pursuing a BS in Electrical Engineering at the University of North Texas. Some of her non-magical hobbies include: violin, steel drums, backpacking and origami. If Loretta were a magic prop, she would be a rubber band because she's magical, musical (rubber band), and crafty.
Aaron Parker-Fasel – Project Manager:
Throughout high school and college Aaron worked as a paid magician working at several Austin restaurants, birthday parties and even pitched for a local car commercial performing magic.
When the camp was originally conceived, Aaron was asked to work as a counselor at the first-ever Magic Camp, but he had to decline because he was working as a counselor for the Austin parks program. The following year he came on board and worked each session for each summer, six summers in a row. Focusing most of his energies on campers who were having difficulty fitting in, Kent unofficially called Aaron the “Director of Empathy,” a title that stuck and a position the camp has today.
After working first as a 3rd grade teacher and later working for Apple, Inc. , Aaron was not involved with the camp for eight years until, after looking for a change of pace, he was hired in the summer of 2007 as the Magic Camp’s first full time (he has no other job!) year-round employee, managing projects, including database design and web development.
If Aaron were a magic trick, he'd be David Copperfield's Flying illusion, because, well, he wishes he were able to fly.
Cassie Landrum – Front Desk
Cassie's first Magic Camp experience started at the Performers Academy in 1999, when it was a performance focused camp run by Peter the Adequate. She thinks Magic Camp is on the top of the career ladder, but spends the rest of her time in college, studying a varying combination of science, English, philosophy and theatre.
If Cassie were a magic prop, she would be silk, because she's bright, creative, unique, occasionally classy, and balances her time between being stuffed in small dark spaces and stealing the light on stage.
Kerrie Dochen – Junior Staff
Kerrie has been part of Magic Camp for 9 years (a camper for 4 and a counselor for 5). She has been a CIT; a first, second and third year counselor; and became a senior counselor in the summer of 2007. She loves working one-on-one with campers, especially children with special needs, and enjoys filling in for Cassie at the front desk.
If Kerrie were a magic trick, she would be the broken and restored wand trick because she likes to make people laugh!
