Presenter Biographies
Scott Arizala
www.thecampcounselor.comScott Arizala is one of the world's premier camp staff trainers and is CEO of The Camp Counselor. He earned his BA from Ithaca College, completing a double major in Psychology and Sociology with a concentration in Gender Studies. Scott has been involved with camps and youth development for over twenty years as a camper, counselor, administrator, teacher and consultant.
Scott grew up at Camp Al-Gon-Quian in Northern Michigan where he spent 18 summers ascending from the youngest camper to the director. He went on to direct traditional resident camps and day camps and is currently the Camp Director for Dragonfly Forest, a resident camp for children with serious illnesses and disorders and Camp Kesem, a national organization that delivers camp for kids whose parents have cancer.
As a professional speaker and educator, Scott has delivered numerous keynotes and educational sessions at professional conferences, training events, and camps. Each summer, Scott shares his skills with hundreds of camps and thousands of staff and administrators.
He has published articles in trade journals and on various industry websites. Scott is author of S'more Than Camp, a vanguard book on summer camp and youth development.
Dr. Caren Baruch-Feldman
www.drbaruchfeldman.comCaren Baruch-Feldman, PhD, is a licensed psychologist and a certified school psychologist. She maintains a private practice in Scarsdale, New York, and works part-time in the Harrison schools. Caren received her undergraduate degree from Barnard College of Columbia University and her doctorate in Clinical Child Psychology with a School Psychology Certificate from St. John’s University. She completed her internship and post doctoral training at Long Island Jewish Medical Center. Caren also trained at the Albert Ellis Institute and is a Fellow and Supervisor in Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT).
Caren has enjoyed working as the camp psychologist at Camp Ramah in Nyack, New York, for the past five summers. She wrote Ramah’s staff new training manual and has expanded her unique training work to other camps. Outside of camp, Caren has held numerous leadership positions. She is the past president of the School Division of the Westchester County Psychological Association and co- chair and co-founder of Parents and Professionals Advocating for Students (PAPAS) at Westchester Day School (WDS), a Jewish Day School. Caren has authored numerous articles and led workshops on cognitive behavioral therapy techniques, helping children and adults with stress and worry, executive functioning, and psychological assessment. She recently developed workshops that focus on combining best practices in psychology with Jewish tradition and principles. In addition, Caren and her daughter, Emily, have developed a program that helps children feel more comfortable around dogs— The S.A.F.E. Doggy Program. Providing interactive workshops to youth leaders is a highlight of Caren’s professional life.
Michelle Cummings
www.training-wheels.comMichelle Cummings M.S. is the Big Wheel and founder of Training Wheels, a known leader in the Team Development industry. She is an accomplished author and a sought-after speaker and consultant on leadership, teambuilding, and experiential learning. Michelle has created a wide variety of facilitation, debriefing and teambuilding activities that have collectively changed the way trainers and educators work.
Michelle has delivered innovative leadership programs for hundreds of non-profit and for profit organizations. She works with professional associations, corporations, universities, and camping organizations throughout the world. Michelle speaks at more than 25 local, national, and international conferences each year and authors a monthly teambuilding newsletter called The Spokesperson that has over 12,000 subscribers in 65 countries. Michelle has authored four books, A Teachable Moment: A Facilitator's Guide to Activities for Processing, Debriefing, Reviewing, and Reflection; Bouldering Games for Kids, an Educational Guide for Traverse Walls; Playing With a Full Deck, 52 Team Activities Using a Deck of Cards; and Setting the Conflict Compass: Activities for Conflict Resolution and Prevention.
John Paul Erler, Esq.
http://www.curtisthaxter.com/erlerJack Erler is an attorney in Portland, Maine. Jack earned his BA in psychology from Grinnell College and his JD from the University of Connecticut School of Law.
For over 35 years Jack has been representing youth camps in all aspects of their operation including issues related to children, employment, health and safety, regulatory compliance, organizational structure, land use, environmental, tax, purchase and sale transactions and transition planning.
In addition, Jack represents and lobbies for youth camp organizations. Jack is the recipient of the Halsey Gulick Award for distinguished service to the organized camping movement in Maine.
Jack worked with the Maine Department of Health and Human Services to draft the original youth camp rules in 1974 and assisted in each subsequent substantive revision. He is a member of the American Camp Association.
Jack is a speaker on legal issues affecting youth camping including the duty of care, risk management, child abuse, sexual harassment, laws regulating alcohol, drugs and tobacco and confidentiality.
For more than sixty years, Jack has been in camp as a camper, then counselor, activity director, unit director and assistant camp director. His wife, Ellen and his children, Mark, Todd and Anne also have extensive camp and youth development backgrounds.
Faith Evans, MEd
www.playfullyinc.comFaith Evans, who holds an MEd in Gifted Education, has worked with camp professionals for more than 45 years. Faith applauds Plato, who said, "You can learn more about a person in an hour of play than a lifetime of conversation." She is a nationally acclaimed camp staff trainer, team builder, author, and speaker. Faith has received rave reviews for her interactive workshops that make action-learning fun and relevant. She is the CEO of PlayFully, Inc, and resides happily near Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.
Faith specializes in experiential learning with small and large groups in the areas of relationship building, creativity, problem solving, leadership, communication, and play for a purpose...or for no purpose!
The American Camp Association twice honored Faith for her outstanding staff training and for excellence in writing for Camping Magazine. The Association for Experiential Education has also honored Faith for her innovative work with youth development professionals.
Faith has written numerous book chapters and articles about play and teambuilding and is a long-standing member of ACA. Her newest book, "The More The Merrier—Games for Large Groups" has received high praise and "99 of the Best Experiential Games We Know," which Faith co-authored, is a perennial best-seller.
Gary Forster
www.garyforster.comThanks in part to his degree in Architecture and an MBA from Purdue, Gary has been a popular conference presenter for over 20 years, first gaining notoriety for his camp design and maintenance expertise and results-oriented marketing.
As executive director of Camp Jewell YMCA in Connecticut, Gary assembled and inspired a team that became an incubator for camp program, facility, marketing, and operation innovations that continues to draw visiting camp leaders to see what they have heard and read about in Gary’s countless presentations and magazine articles. More than 20 Jewell alumni are now year-round camp directors around the United States.
But it was the independent research Gary began while he was the YMCA’s National Camping Specialist and served on the American Camp Association National Board that his greatest contribution to youth development emerged. Visiting over 250 camps and annually surveying thousands of parents and campers, Gary began helping camps make dramatic enrollment improvements through a disciplined focus on fewer things rather than more.
Gary even met his wife Meg at summer camp 30 years ago when she was the camp nurse. Bradenton Florida is now their base-camp, from which he travels to 35 camps and a dozen conferences each year, consulting and presenting on operations and risk management, programming and marketing, staff selection and training, and of course, camp facility design!
Kevin Gordon, JD
www.campkupugani.comKevin is the owner/director, with his wife Natasha, of Camp Kupugani Multicultural Summer Camp, the only black-owned private residential camp in the U.S. Proud papa of a preschool-aged son, he is also a published author, former attorney, former semi-professional tennis player and backpacker. Kevin has traveled to over 50 countries throughout the Caribbean, North and South America, Africa, and Europe.
A Harvard University graduate in psychology and the Canadian-born son of Jamaican immigrants, Kevin has worked with children for over twenty-five years. Before getting into camping, Kevin worked as a bartender, a furniture mover, a bus driver, a blackjack dealer, a garbage man, and a tennis pro. After college, he worked as an assistant camp director, traveled in Europe, traveled throughout Africa, and wrote a book chronicling his African adventures, titled Not Yet African. While gaining further valuable experience from camp programs from Pennsylvania to California, Kevin graduated from the University of California-Berkeley School of Law and worked for a top-100 law firm to further his organizational experience.
Kevin is on the Board of Directors of the American Camp Association Illinois Section and regularly speaks at regional and national camp conferences and diversity conferences. Besides spending time with his wife Natasha and adventurous son Mico, Kevin enjoys playing goalie on his men's ice hockey team.
Dr. Joel Haber
www.respectu.comDr. Joel Haber is a licensed clinical psychologist and co-founder of www.toolkitsforkids.com. Under his 'RespectU' banner, he has created and conducted bully training programs for camps, schools, athletic groups, and organizations nationwide. He earned His BA from Binghamton University (Harpur College) and PhD in Clinical Psychology/Behavioral Medicine from the University of Georgia. Throughout the academic year, Joel is consulting with schools and camps as well as working in his private practice in New York.
Nationally recognized as 'The Bullycoach,' Joel is one of the foremost experts in the prevention of bullying. A pioneer in the field, he has worked with thousands of children, parents, teachers, camp directors, counselors and others to understand the causes and effects of bullying. He has recently had his second book published by Penguin/Perigee entitled, Bullyproof Your Child for Life: Protect Your Child from Teasing, Taunting and Bullying for Good.”
Joel has consulted with schools and camps internationally and has helped the American Camp Association develop materials to help summer camps overcome bullying. He is a frequent keynote speaker and presenter at major conferences, and has appeared on CNN, CBS News, NPR and ESPN radio.
Joel is a dedicated father, husband, colleague, and friend. He has spent his life improving the quality of life for others.
Dr. Warren Katz
http://www.camphealthusa.comDr. Warren A. Katz, the founder and president of CampHealthUSA, earned his MD from Thomas Jefferson Medical College. He is currently Chairman of Medicine at Penn-Presbyterian Medical Center and president of its Internal Medicine Foundation.
Dr. Katz is widely renowned as a medical education expert, with a specialization in cutting-edge online education. He has participated in Harvard's Interactive Medical Education program and has developed many CD-ROM and Internet-based learning programs for nurses and physicians around the world.
Dr. Katz also helped pioneer Continuing Medical Education (CME) accreditation for nursing and medical e-learning. For example, he formulated an online Pain Certification Program and is currently developing online certification programs for various diseases. Doctors and nurses who participate in his online Medical Essentials library can also earn CMEs toward their licensure requirements.
The author of three medical books, several book chapters, and numerous scientific articles, Dr. Katz was named in Woodward & White's “Best Doctors in America” and “Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare.” Most importantly, Dr. Katz served as a camp doctor in New York State, an experience that ignited his passion for making summer camps safe and healthy experiences. He is a longtime member of the American Camp Association.
Steve Maguire
www.maguirepresentations.comSteve Maguire has tremendous expertise in the fields of education and children's camps. He earned his BS in Education from Plymouth State College with a concentration in special education. Steve has been involved with camps for over twenty years as a camper, staff member, and now consultant and staff trainer.
Steve grew in Burlington, Massachusetts and attended day camp there as a child. He went on to direct traditional resident camps and day camps and is currently a full time public school teacher in Scituate, Massachusetts, where he teaches physics and astronomy.
When he's not spending time at home with his wife Jessica and their new baby, Steve travels the globe as a professional speaker. He has been invited to deliver numerous keynotes and educational sessions at professional conferences, training events, and independent schools. Steve has also presented educational workshops to thousands of camp staff across the US since he began his business in 2004.
Steve is a member of the American Camp Association and a member in good standing of the National Speaker's Association; one of only four thousand people in the world who hold this distinction. He is currently writing his first book due out in the spring of 2010.
Kurt Podeszwa
www.journey-consulting.comKurt Podeszwa is a camping professional, husband and father. He has a bachelor’s degree in English Education and has spent much of his adult life working in outdoor and adventure education. Kurt, a former Marine, is committed to safety, fun, and learning in the outdoor environment. He has more than 18 years of professional recreation experience.
Kurt got his start in camping working with children from inner-city Chicago. He now serves as Camp Director for Camp For All, a camp for children and adults with special needs and chronic illness, in Burton, Texas. He is proud to have had the opportunity to work with a variety of special populations, including children with: traumatic brain injury, spina bifida, Down’s syndrome, muscular dystrophy, cancer, kidney disease, autism, cerebral palsy, and burns.
Kurt is an accomplished presenter whose sessions are in high demand at regional and national conferences for youth development professionals. He also provides training workshops to companies and schools and camps on topics ranging from staff training and development to adaptive programming and processing. Kurt is a published author and a contributor to trade publications including Camp Business and Camping Magazine. He is also the founder of Journey Consulting, which hosts blogs authored by Kurt and other innovators in outdoor education. Kurt has held various positions within the American Camp Association and currently serves on the ACA’s national board.
Cathy Scheder
www.campaquatics.netCathy Scheder is internationally recognized for her knowledge and experience in the areas of camp, youth development, and recreational programming. She is particularly well known for her leadership in the area of aquatics management and recently authored the industry standard text, Camp Waterfront Management. Cathy is a faculty member for the American Camp Associations Basic Camp Director Course and is a national trainer for the Standards and Accreditation program. She is a current adjunct faculty at the University of Wisconsin—Stevens Point, where she teaches in the College of Natural Resources Human Dimensions Department.
Cathy is the founder of CampAquatics, an educational organization dedicated to enhancing the safety of waterfront programs at camps and other recreational organizations throughout North America. Extending pool-based safety constructs, CampAquatics focuses on the challenges of natural bodies of water such as lakes, rivers, and oceans. Cathy is frequently asked to design, consult, and train multi-faceted programs for camps and youth-serving organization that combine swimming, canoeing, kayaking, windsurfing, sailing, and waterskiing. She has over 20 years of professional experience as a camp director and program director for profit and not-for-profit programs. Cathy also served for six years on the American Camp Association’s national staff, where she provided education and professional development to thousands of youth development professionals
Michael Thompson, PhD
www.michaelthompson-phd.comMichael G. Thompson is a psychologist, school consultant, and author or co-author of eight books, including three New York Times bestsellers Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys, Speaking of Boys: Answers to the Most-Asked Questions about Raising Sons and Best Friends, Worst Enemies: Understanding the Social Lives of Children.
His newest book, It's a Boy!: Your Son's Development From Birth to Age 18, has been hailed as "The definitive guide to raising boys in today's world, revealing with humor, compassion, and joy all the infinite varieties of boys and the deep and profound ways in which we love them."
Dr. Thompson's forthcoming book, Homesick and Happy examines children's experiences away from their parents—when they are at summer camps or years abroad—and reminds parents that children grow and change when they are away from home.
A dedicated speaker and traveler, Dr. Thompson has spoken at or consulted to more than 500 schools in the United States and abroad. He has appeared on the Today Show, the Oprah Winfrey Show, ABC 20/20, and 60 Minutes. He was the co-author, host and narrator of a two-hour PBS documentary entitled Raising Cain: Focus on Boys which aired in January of 2006. He currently serves on the American Camp Association's National Board.
Dr. Chris Thurber
www.campspirit.comDr. Chris Thurber is a board-certified clinical psychologist and father. He earned his BA in psychology from Harvard University and his PhD in clinical child psychology from UCLA. During the academic year, Chris serves as a teacher and school psychologist at Phillips Exeter Academy, a coeducational boarding high school in New Hampshire. He also volunteers on the American Camp Association's research committee.
In addition to numerous scholarly articles and book chapters on homesickness and children's mental health, Chris is the co-author, with Dr. Jon Malinowski, of the best-selling Summer Camp Handbook and the host of ACA's homesickness prevention program, entitled The Secret Ingredients of Summer Camp Success.
Chris has traveled extensively throughout North America and South America to provide consultations and training workshops to camps, schools, and other organizations. He is the founder, with Evan Heltay, of ExpertOnlineTraining.com, the premier online resource for youth development professionals.
All of Chris's work is guided by the principles of leadership-by-example and social connection. Since 1980, he has returned each summer to the camp where he grew up to serve as Waterfront Director and a member of the senior staff. Chris and his wife Simonida, a chemist, have two boys: Dacha, born in 2002, and Sava, born in 2004.
Dr. Edward Walton
Dr. Edward Walton earned his BA in biology from Middlebury College and his MD from Dartmouth Medical School. He then went on to complete Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics residencies at the University of California, San Diego. He is board certified in Pediatrics, Emergency Medicine, and Pediatric Emergency Medicine.For 10 years, Dr. Walton was Assistant Professor in the departments of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Michigan. Currently, he is the Division Director of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan.
Dr. Walton has been involved in camping and camp health research for twenty years, and his scholarly articles concerning camp health issues have appeared in major medical journals. Having served several summers as a camp doctor in New Hampshire, he now consults on camp health issues for the American Academy of Pediatrics and serves on the National Board of the American Camp Association. Dr. Walton has shared his youth development and camp expertise at medical and other professional conferences, in broadcast and print media, and on the Internet.
Dr. Walton has received a variety of honors and recognitions for excellence in education, service, and patient care. Most recently, the Michigan College of Emergency Physicians named him "Emergency Physician of the Year" in 2007. Dr. Walton is a longtime member of the American Camp Association.
Cindy Ziobrowski, MS Ed
www.campcardne.infoCindy Ziobrowski has devoted nearly 30 years working with children and adults with developmental disabilities. She received her Master of Science in Special Education from SUNY Albany and has participated in advanced training at the Autism Institute and the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities. Cindy currently serves as the Executive Director of the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD) in Maine.
Cindy's extensive educational experience led to her founding Camp CARD New England, a nonprofit outdoor program for children on the autism spectrum. Under Cindy's direction, Camp CARD-NE has touched the lives of hundreds of children and families. By focusing on teaching social skills and educating communities in the practice of inclusion, Camp CARD-NE helps developmentally disabled children and their parents "bridge the gap."
Cindy is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the Autism Society of America, and holds professional certifications in special education, reading, and educational consulting. Using a new curricula she developed on autism etiology and treatment, Cindy teaches gradate education courses at Plymouth State University and the University of Southern Maine. Recently, Cindy served on the training task force for Autism Respite and Resource Outreach.
