Without our amazing, dedicated, and passionate staff Roughing It Day Camp could not be what it is today. We love our counselors and hope you do too and we want to get you excited for this summer by showing you who some of our returning counselors will be. See who is coming back and read a brief bio on some of these excellent counselors! Stay tuned for more updates and see who is joining our program for the first time as we get closer to the start of camp!
“What impressed me the most was how great the counselors were and how special they made each kid feel. My children still talk about their counselors!” -Roughing It Camper Parent
Eileen Blum – Eileen grew up in Berkeley and will be our Horse Day Camp Director for the second summer. A RI alumni HDC camper and Ranch camper Eileen has a lot of experience working with horses. Eileen fell in love with horses at the age of eight when introduced to them on a cutting horse ranch!
Jessie Haugan – We are very excited to have Jessie back for her third summer at Roughing It. Jessie has a bachelors degree in outdoor education from Northland College. Jessie has a vast range of outdoor experience including previous summer camp employment. Jessie will be the Outdoor Explorers Director this summer and she is looking forward to passing on her extensive outdoor experience on to campers!
Katherine Doyle – Katherine will be joining us for her second summer at Roughing It and will be our CILTs counselor! Katherine just finished her junior year at Boston College. She participated in the Choir, joined the volunteer organization 4Boston, and was a Copy Editor for the main campus newspaper. Katherine loves CILT camper and preparing them to be future counselors.
Andrew Balsz – Born and raised in Los Angeles, this is Andrew’s second year at Roughing It. Andrew attends Saint Mary’s College in Moraga and is studying psychology. Andrew has been a coach at Orinda Intermediate School since 2010. Andrew is excited to be a group counselor this summer and explore the wonders of the outdoors at the Reservoir.
Moira Graham – This will be Moira’s third summer at Roughing It, and we are very excited to have her on staff as the Day Camp Riding Assistant Director for a second year. Moira has a lot of experience working with horses, and has been taking care of her own horses for over 8 years. Moira’s love for horses and dedication makes her a great addition to the Roughing It family.
Dan Galindo – Dan joins us for his second summer at Roughing It Day Camp as our sports counselor! Dan attends UC Santa Cruz and is majoring in Biology. Dan joined a local Boy Scott troop at around 13 and enjoyed learning about the great outdoors through that program. Throughout high school he also volunteered as a soccer referee for local leagues in the area.
Max Cazanov – This is Max’s fifth summer at Roughing It and we are excited to have him back as a unit leader! Max works in the office year round and coordinates all our camp events. Last summer Max enjoyed the B2’s company and led them on wonderful adventures throughout the Reservoir! In his free time he likes to play Frisbee and listen to music, and you can usually catch Max leading his group in singing many camp songs.
Allie Donnici – This is Allie’s second summer at Roughing It Day Camp. Allie is excited to be a Group Counselor once again. While at St. Ignatius school in SF Allie had the opportunity to coach soccer to children in 8th grade and below. She worked there for three summers and enjoyed getting to know campers while helping them improve their sports skills.
Pete Cramer – We are so happy to have Pete for his third summer as a group counselor. Pete was a councilor in training at The Junior Center, near Lake Merritt. Pete worked with kids in the wood shop and did two summers as a teacher’s aide at the parent-sponsored summer school in Piedmont. counselors and hopes to provide his campers with the same wonderful memories this summer.
Libby Lowell – Libby has recently graduated from Seattle Pacific University where she studied Psychology with an emphasis in Childhood Development. Joining Roughing It for her third summer as the Unit 2 leader, Libby brings lots of experience gained through past counseling and coaching experiences. Libby grew up in Lafayette has attended a wealth of sleep away camps and has always enjoyed the outdoors.
Ryan Cramer – Ryan had lived his whole life in Oakland, California and now attends Fordham University. Ryan will be joining us this summer as a group counselor! Ryan worked with middle-school aged children as a volunteer math tutor. He also worked in community service at the St. Vincent DePaul Dining Room with special attention to young children and their families.
Check back for more staff updates as we get closer to camp. Happy camping!
