After spending sixteen summers at Camp as a camper, cabin counselor, trip staff, and village director, I am honored to be Nebagamon’s next director. I grew up near Chicago and moved to Colorado in 2013 to attend the University of Colorado at Boulder. After graduating with a degree in psychology, I followed my commitment to supporting children, working with youth and young adults in various settings while always finding my way back to Camp in the summers. I earned a master’s degree in counseling psychology with a concentration in clinical mental health counseling from the University of Denver and have since worked as a child and adolescent mental health counselor in residential and outpatient levels of care. I love spending time with family and friends—especially in the outdoors. You can often find me in the mountains, skiing, running, and hiking! 

I grew up in Northbrook, Illinois, and at Camp Nebagamon, having spent ten years as a camper and working as a cabin staff member throughout high school and college. Through experiences at Nebagamon, as well as working as a member of the administrative team at Camp Roosevelt-Firebird, I fostered a passion for creating fun and meaningful summers for kids. After graduating from the University of Chicago, I had the opportunity to join Nebagamon’s year round staff and serve as camp’s Program Director during the summers and have been serving camp as Associate Director for nearly a decade. Outside of camp, I live in Chicago with my wife Maggie and our kitten, Winnie, and enjoy, cycling, mountain biking, rock climbing, knitting, and watching baseball.

I was a camper at Nebagamon during the mid- to late 1970s, hailing from Houston, TX. I also served as a counselor and village director during the mid-1980s. From 1989-1992 I served as Associate Director at Nebagamon for the first time. Following a 30-year career managing and implementing US Agency for International Development (USAID) programs throughout the former Soviet Union (including Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and the five Central Asian Republics), I have come full circle to again serve as Nebagamon’s Associate Director. When not at camp, I live in Silver Spring, MD with my wife Sara and our youngest son Ari.

I have been recycled a bit since I joined the Camp Nebagamon staff in 1991 as an Arts specialist. I have also led wilderness trips for camp and am presently head caretaker, a job which I’ve held since 1994. Although my wife, Amy, and I and our two children enjoy all of the seasons that Camp Nebagamon encounters, we are waiting with excitement for everyone else to arrive each May.

I was born in the1960s. It was a good decade for me; I learned to walk and got a solid start on my educational career at Hilltop Elementary. I continued my educational pursuits through the 1970s, going on to graduate from Simley High School in 1980 and learned to fish, paddle, swim and love trees when I spent summers at our cabin on Devils Lake, WI. I continued my studies through the 1980s, starting at The U of MN and ending at the U of WI in 1990. My collegiate tenure was devoted to studying philosophy, fine art, and childhood education. After sampling a few careers, I came to Camp Nebagamon in 1995. Camp has been a great fit for my many years of education. I write a monthly column, “At Camp,” for “The Arrowhead,” have taught digital photography for several seasons, have delivered a number of Sunday Services, and faced the challenges of a camp caretaker. Away from camp I like to cross country ski, spend time on the lake, and hang out with my wife Wanda and our five pets.

I was a second-generation camper at Nebagamon from 1987 – 1993. Between 1995 and 2007, I was a Nebagamon cabin counselor, art specialist, campcraft director, and ultimately program director. I have over twenty years of professional experience ranging from graphic design, marketing, and communications to founding and running two local St. Louis, MO. non-profits and an ice cream shop! In 2022, I was thrilled to return to Camp Nebagamon in my old seasonal role as campcraft director (I love CNOC!) for two summers before coming onboard full-time as the first ever director of development and alumni relations. When not talking to people about how much I love Camp Nebagamon, I adore spending time with my family and friends, cheerleading my hometown, and I’m an avid collector of original props from film and television (yes, that’s a real hobby).