Sarah Kurtz McKinnon graduated cum laude from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in 2008, earning her degree in political science and journalism. Although she had a passion for writing, she had another passion, and that was changing lives through the power of summer camp. In 2009, she earned the opportunity to become one of the youngest YMCA camp executives in the country, taking the helm of Ann Arbor YMCA Camp Al-Gon-Quian at the age of 23. Sarah served as the director of Camp AGQ for nearly six years. During that time the camp saw incredible growth with a 40 percent increase in positive annual net for the program and nearly $1 million in capital construction improvements. Her dynamic and creative leadership approach took an already great camp to another level of excellence, receiving recognition at the national level for the camp’s success.
Sarah left Camp AGQ in 2015 to start Kurtz McKinnon Creative with the goal of helping other camps and camp professionals reach their full potential. She recently co-authored a book for camp professionals with Steve Maguire, entitled Not the Way You Have Always Done It and, with Jack Schott, founded The Summer Camp Society, a collaborative, community-based education program for emerging camp professionals. Sarah is pursuing her Master’s in Business Administration at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, where she is a fellow in the +LAB at the Center for Positive Organizations.
Sarah lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with her husband, Robert (a licensed builder and carpenter), and their Brittany Spaniels, Ranger and Marley. Robert worked at Camp AGQ in the years before Sarah arrived, and they met via mutual camp friends. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys tennis, reading and art. Sarah is also a volunteer board member for the Washtenaw Camp Placement Association, a local non-profit that sends kids to camp who otherwise would never have the opportunity, and serves as the director of the Siblings Program at Camp Tall Tree.

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www.kurtzmckinnoncreative.com

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Cindy 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.

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Contact Cindy about CEUs

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Brad Wiggins RN, BSN, is the Clinical Nurse Coordinator and Burn Camp Director for the University of Utah Health Care Burn Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. During his twenty years as the Burn Camp Director, Brad has established river trip camps for teens and adults, as well as traditional camps for children that have served as the model for many other programs across the country.

Brad was a founding member of the International Association of Burn Camps in 2001 and served as chairperson of the organization from 2007 to 2012, helping to increase professional Burn Camp practices internationally. Brad’s passion is teaching youth programs to develop psychosocial programming and integrate it into their daily schedule. He is an active member of the American Burn Association, having served on the ABA Program Committee, Organization and Delivery of Burn Care Committee, and Burn Camp Special Interest Group over his 22 years in burn care. Brad has received many accolades, including being recognized as a Utah Business Magazine “Health Care Hero” in 2002 (his Burn Camp was recognized again for the honor in 2011), and as a “Pay It Forward” recipient from KUTV in 2012. Brad frequently speaks to medical facilities and care organizations, most recently spending two weeks in September 2012 in China, where he was invited to share his expertise with medical professionals in the city of Xining.

When Brad is not at camp, he lives with his wife Necia, and two Kids Kaelyn (13) and Lance (8) in Layton, Utah. Brad enjoys river rafting, camping, and fly-fishing, and he is a huge football fan of the University of Utah and the Denver Broncos.

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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 Professor in the Departments of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics at the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine and practices Adult and Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Ascension – St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit Michigan. He is board certified in Pediatrics, Emergency Medicine, and Pediatric Emergency Medicine.

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. He is Medical Director of North Star Reach, the newest member camp of the SeriousFun Children’s Network of camps. He also consults on camp health issues for the American Academy of Pediatrics and served as a member of 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. 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

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Sylvia van Meerten earned her BA in Liberal Arts from the Evergreen State College in Olympia WA, and her master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from The Union Institute in Vermont. She specializes in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and has dedicated her professional career to creating opportunities for people on the spectrum. A resident of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Sylvia has recently co-founded a non-profit called Chasing Summer with Scott Arizala. Together they help typical summer camps and recreation programs include more children on the autism spectrum.
In addition to her work with Chasing Summer, Sylvia has constructed and implemented successful overnight camp programs for young people with ASD at Dragonfly Forest, Camp Tall Tree and Frost Valley YMCA. She is committed to sharing information and routinely delivers workshops to teachers, nurses and youth development professionals about practical strategies for including people with ASD in typical programming. An avid sports fan, Sylvia spends her limited free time watching and playing basketball, football, and martial arts. She has two kids and a very patient husband. Sylvia believes that summer camp has profoundly influenced both her work ethic and sense of humor for the better.

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empowerautism.com
additional website: www.chasingsummer.org

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Dr. 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.

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DrChrisThurber.com

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Guest contributor Michael 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.

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www.michaelthompson-phd.com

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Mike Sladden is the director and co-owner of Camp Pathfinder, a century-old boys’ canoe trip camp in world-famous Algonquin Park, Ontario. A third generation Pathfinder camper and guide since 1969, he now lives for six months each year at camp’s rustic island base in the Algonquin interior, where he leads Pathfinder’s wilderness tripping, scholastic outdoor education, and in-camp programs. “Sladds” and his wife Leslie have raised two sons at camp and in their hometown of Rochester, New York.

Mike received bachelor degrees in History and English Literature from Connecticut College, where his interest in photographic history led him to graduate work at SUNY’s Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester. He joined the curatorial staff of the International Museum of Photography and Film/George Eastman House in 1986, becoming curator of education in 1989. Over the next decade he directed the museum’s school-aged and lay audience education programs, and worked as both a team member and manager on numerous exhibitions and public programs interpreting the history, art and technology of photography.

As Pathfinder’s director, Sladds has overseen a comprehensive preservation of this historic camp as a low-technology, small-footprint community. He has also led the camp through a long-term refinement of its staff and wilderness guide training, CIT leaders program and Pathfinder canoeing curriculum. His certifications include Wilderness First Responder (WMA), Level II Instructor in Ropes Course leadership (CUI/ACCT), and ORCKA Canoeing Moving Water. He is a member of the Ontario Camps Association. In 2012, he was elected to the Canadian Society of Camp Directors.

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www.camppathfinder.com

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Dr. Cathy 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.

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www.campaquatics.net

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Kurt 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.

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www.journey-consulting.com

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