We are beyond excited to announce Camp Echo Lake’s 2022 Leadership Team! This group is made up of individuals who are passionate about camp, bring a wealth of experience, and are dedicated to making Summer 2022 the best summer yet! Our 2022 Leadership Team brings an incredible combined 206 summers of Echo Lake experience. We can’t wait for you to get to know them this summer!

Age Groups:

 

  • Juniors – campers entering 5th grade and younger
  • Inters – campers entering 6th and 7th grade
  • LITs – campers entering 11th and 12th grades
  • Main Village – campers entering 7th grade and younger and our LITs
  • Senior Village – campers entering 8th through 10th grade

 

DIRECTORS

Tony Stein – Owner/Director

Tony can’t wait for Summer 2022 at Camp Echo Lake! Tony is from Hartsdale, New York and has been at camp for over 50 summers. He wants to make sure camp is a safe and fun place where our campers and staff feel the freedom to be their biggest and best selves. Tony is not yet an Adirondack 46er, but he has climbed Marcy (5,344 ft), Algonquin (5,114 ft), Giant (4,627 ft), Big Slide (4,240 ft) and Cascade (4,098 ft) – only 41 more peaks to go!

 

Laurie Rinke -Owner/Director

Laurie is thrilled to be back at camp for her 37th summer! She is 47 years old. Laurie grew up in Port Washington, New York, and currently lives in Warrensburg! Laurie wants to empower campers and staff to feel good about who they are – whatever that is, connect with friends, and feel that they are a valued member of a special community called Camp Echo Lake. Her wish is that every camper and staff member can embrace happiness, find love for themselves and others, and have the most fun possible in our healthy, safe, inclusive, connected, joyful camp community. Laurie got engaged to Darby Langworthy this past March! A fun fact about her is that in high school, she interviewed Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. 

 

Kelly Wilkinson – Main Village Director

Kelly is so excited to return for her 16th summer at Echo Lake! She is 34 years old and lives in Syracuse, New York. In her role at camp she hopes to support every camper and staff member so they are able to have a successful summer. She wishes that every camper and staff is able to see the best in themselves and feel the tremendous growth that will happen within them by the end of the summer. Kelly and her husband Sam will be bringing their baby girl, Isla, to camp with them this summer!

 

Nick “Stew” Stoulig – Senior Village Director

Stew can’t wait to be back at camp for his 21st summer! He is 44 years old and lives in New Orleans. Stew hopes to provide a fun, safe, and supportive environment for all Senior Village campers this summer. He hopes that our campers and staff are provided with every opportunity to make lifelong friendships and memories! In his free time, Stew is a member of an all-male dance troupe and has performed in two Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parades!

 

Sam Wilkinson – Program Director

Sam is excited to be back at camp for his tenth summer! He is 32 years old and lives in Syracuse, New York. In his role this summer, Sam wants to support all campers and staff in enjoying activities in the best way possible. His wish is that every camper and staff member is able to make positive connections this summer and memories that will last a lifetime. Sam completed his first marathon this year!

 

OFFICE

Jamie Thomas – Office Manager

Jamie is very excited to be returning to Echo Lake for her second summer! Jamie is 43 years young! As the office manager, she loves helping staff and campers throughout the whole summer and managing lots of different tasks. Jamie is also excited to talk to many families again this summer, and to be a friendly voice on the phone to support and assist everyone in any way she can. She is looking forward to a summer of fun, friendships, and trying new things. Jamie loves to read and research! If she were to write a book, it would be in her favorite genre of historical fiction.

HEAD COUNSELORS

Conor Vandendries – Junior Boys Head Counselor

Conor can’t wait to be back at camp for his 6th summer! He is 27 years old and lives in Washington DC, though he is originally from Ireland! Conor wants all campers and staff to leave camp this summer feeling confident in themselves. He hopes that we all come into this summer with open minds to try new things, ready to have the best summer ever! Conor has a puppy named Teddy, who can’t wait to come to camp for his first summer!

 

Amanda Saperstone – Junior Girls Head Counselor

Amanda is so excited to return to camp for her 18th summer! She is 26 years old and lives in Washington DC with her husband Conor and their puppy, Teddy! Amanda wants to make camp feel like a second home for all of our campers and staff this summer. She hopes that this summer they try something new, learn that they can do hard things, and leave camp feeling confident in their abilities! A fun fact about Amanda is that she loves to sew and bake!

 

Jakob “BCJ” Weisblum – Inter Boys Head Counselor

BCJ can’t wait to spend his 14th summer at Camp Echo Lake! He is 24 years old and from Haworth, New Jersey. BCJ wants to ensure that every CEL camper and staff member has an excellent summer full of growth, connection, and excitement! During the pandemic, BCJ spent time restoring an old boat and loves to take it out on fishing trips!

 

Bethany Moses – Inter Girls Head Counselor

Bethany is looking forward to spending her third summer at CEL! She is 23 (turning 24 this summer) and from Chesterfield, Michigan. Bethany hopes to be able to not only help each of the inter girls grow emotionally and socially this summer, but also each staff member on their journey through camp and life. Her wish for each camper and staff is simply for them to have the best summer ever! Camp is such a magical and wonderful experience that truly you could never have anywhere else. Bethany used to perform for Walt Disney World Orlando and absolutely loves everything Disney! She cannot wait for the summer and all of the fun we have planned!

 

Marcus Golczyk – Senior Village Boys Head Counselor

Marcus is so excited to be back at camp for his fourth summer! He is 25 years old and lives in Yellowknife, Canada (the far north). In his role at camp, Marcus hopes to keep things fun and help others take risks and try new things! His wish for campers and staff is that they expand their comfort zones, make new connections, and enjoy the incredible opportunity that is Camp Echo Lake. A fun fact about Marcus is that English is not his first language!

 

Makayla “MK” Lewis – Senior Village Girls Head Counselor

MK is thrilled to return for her third summer at Echo Lake! She is 22 years old, originally from Lexington, North Carolina, and currently living in Brooklyn, NY! As the Senior Village girls head counselor, MK hopes to empower a group of young women to be the best possible versions of themselves (staff and campers alike!). She hopes that every camper and staff member this summer will remember what it’s like to let yourself have fun and be who they truly are. A fun fact about MK is that she has set a record for solving a sudoku puzzle quickly!

 

PROGRAM TEAM

Sara Beth Spain – Girls’ Camp Program Coordinator

Sara Beth can’t wait to be back at Camp Echo Lake for her fourth summer! She is 24 years old and from Morristown, Tennessee. As girls camp program coordinator, Sara Beth wants to make campers’ and staff members’ experience on Girls’ Camp as fun and magical as possible! Her wish for every camper and staff person this summer is that they try new things, make lifelong friends, and enjoy every minute of camp! Sara Beth has a cat named Cilantro that will be joining her at camp this summer!

 

Brian “Bri Bri” Cavanaugh – Boys’ Camp Program Coordinator

Brian is so excited to be returning to camp for his fifth summer! He is 23 years old and from Fort Mill, South Carolina. In his role, Brian wants to be someone who is always ready to help. His hope for each camper and staff person this summer is that they learn something new about themselves. A fun fact about Bri Bri is that he knows the flag of every country in the world!

 

Tynsley Gilchrist – Senior Village Program Coordinator

Tynsley is beyond excited to be back at camp for her second summer! She is 23 years old and from Lenoir, North Carolina. As Senior Village Program Coordinator, Tynsley wants to provide opportunities for development, discovery, and connection! Her goal is to facilitate meaningful and memorable bonding experiences for campers and staff. Tynsley’s wish for every camper and staff person is that they would know they are loved and cherished at Camp Echo Lake! In her spare time, Tynsley enjoys playing piano.

 

Stephen Williams – Staff Recreation Director

Stephen is pumped to be returning for his fifth summer at camp! He is 31 years old and is from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. In his role at camp this summer, Stephen wants to maintain a high staff morale by offering activities that will positively affect their well-being. Stephen’s wish for both campers and staff is for them to be present, and allow themselves to enjoy all the little things that add into the big picture of camp being amazing! A fun fact about Stephen is that he’s performed in more than ten countries!