Camp W Leadership

Cagney carries a passion and devotion to supporting the wellbeing of children.

She has worked with children in various capacities; as a nanny, a preschool teacher, a child and family therapist, and now as an Assistant Director and Wellness Coordinator at Camp W. 

While working as a child and family therapist in Seattle, Cagney discovered the world of yoga and meditation and recognized how potent the spiritual facet of one’s healing journey can be.  She obtained her 200 hour yoga teacher certification in Rishikesh, India, and came back to the northeast to open a community wellness center.  She is excited to bring her background in community wellness to the campers at Camp W.

Cagney graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the College of Saint Rose, in Albany NY in 2013. Her experience in the psychology program solidified her desire to empower children throughout their healing journey. She graduated in May 2015 with a Master of Social Work degree from the University at Albany, in New York. 

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Blake is a nature dude. Since he can remember he has always adored spending time outdoors communing with the environment and learning more about plants, trees, and critters.

Blake earned his B.S. in Environmental Science from Paul Smith's College in the Adirondack State Park of New York. He has worked as an ecological restoration steward, a solar system designer and salesperson, a caretaker on an alpaca farm, and a wildlife research technician. He has been lucky to enjoy the outdoors in many places across the east, from the Appalachian region of Virginia to the coast of Maine, and can't wait to bring his experiences to Camp W and foster a space for campers to build their own experiences with the natural world.

When he is not working, Blake is usually making music, brushing up on his outdoor knowledge in the backyard, out on a good hike, or working on mutual aide or farmstead projects with his housemates.

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Joe Jewett is an Outdoor Trip Leader. He has extensive experience as an expedition leader for kids, teens and adults with hiking, backcountry camping, kayaking, canoeing, cycling and skiing being the main areas of focus. He worked for a number of years with Eagle Eye Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering urban youth from underserved communities, especially youth of color, to play an active role in caring for our environment.

In his other life Joe is a professional classical violinist and violist and who earns his living performing and teaching. He also is an avid improviser, with jazz, blues, Celtic and South Asian musics as his favorites in this arena.

Joes certifications include WFR, PSIAA Nordic Ski Instructor, AIARE Level 1 and Avalanche Rescue and ACA Canoe Instructor.

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Grace fell in love with Camp W during her first summer here when she was 8, and she's so happy to come back to camp as the Creative Arts Coordinator. There is nothing she treasures more than sharing creative experiences - especially dancing - with others.

Grace is currently completing a Master's degree in math/computer science at William & Mary. She grew up dancing at a community studio in Boston and has since spent much time performing, choreographing, and teaching dance. She especially enjoys social dances styles like swing, contra, and salsa. She also loves singing and playing music with her friends. She cherishes community above all else. Her other loves include being outside, biking, doing handstands, hanging out with kids and learning about food. She cannot wait for all the learning and growing she will do together with the campers this summer!

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Jessy is from the Adirondacks region of New York. He proudly served 5 years in the USMC as a UAV Operator. His attention to detail and enthusiasm for inclusivity brings passion into all of his work.

He is in his last year of a Bachelor's Degree program for Psychology at SUNY Plattsburgh. Jessy enjoys DnD, Magic the Gathering, and all things nerdy.  His deep desire to learn and share something new each day is a driving force to live in his remote rustic cabin here on Mount Solitude in Vermont.

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Heather has been a dietitian for over a decade, and working with food and health for over 2 decades. Heather started cooking when she was in middle school. She has prepared food and baked cookies for the rich and famous, intravenously fed sick preemies, and worked with families to manage food allergies. When camp isn't in session, you may find her working at a hospital or helping individuals wrestle with food difficulties. She is working to build an automated fungus farm in shipping containers, but in the meantime, she gardens plants in the dirt and inoculates shiitake logs.

Heather loves making healthy food delicious, creating vegetarian meals that inspire cheers, poetry, and songs among campers. She is happiest when she turns a vegetable skeptic into an adventurous enjoyer of plants.

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River feels called to experience many adventures in their life. Their connection with land-based practices has strengthened them both individually and collectively. They are devoted to transformative justice and community accountability and feel most integrated when working with their hands. Coming from Southern California, they are so excited to get to know the land and the community at Camp W.

River graduated from California State University Long Beach with their BA in Creative Writing with a minor Gender Studies. Throughout their studies they have taken the time to work at various farms and most recently a native plant restoration site. They enjoy taking on new carpentry projects and meeting new plant friends. Taking the time to write, dance, be in the mosh pit, float in bodies of water, play music, and spending time with folks are some things that keep their heart full.

Pronouns: they/them

When Ashley first began attending Camp W as an LIT when she was 16, she never had expected to fall in love with it in the way she had. Two weeks spent making friends, memories, and learning different wilderness skills, had her coming back almost every year after that! 

Ashley has always loved working with children and in the wilderness, but it is Camp W that has allowed her to develop the skills needed for both. The learning and inclusivity for all whether staff or campers is something extremely meaningful for her. 

Ashley is in her final steps of a bachelors in psychology and gender studies from SUNY Fredonia. Ashley is extremely excited to be weaving in her knowledge of gender throughout camps programs, with her position as the Gender Liaison! She's excited to help maintain, as well as grow, the inclusive environment at Camp W!

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Collin is passionate about supporting children and fostering meaningful relationships that will guide young people for the rest of their lives.

Collin graduated from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in 2015 with a Bachelor’s Degree in History and Political Science. He stayed at Umass for another year and earned his Master’s Degree in Secondary Education. For the past five years, Collin has worked as a Social Studies Teacher in the Middle School and High School levels. He is also a youth football and wrestling coach. Collin sees the unification of sport and education as being a powerful tool to encourage children to make the right decisions in life.

Collin loves to workout, read fantasy books, watch movies, and attend sporting events. He is incredibly excited to be apart of the Camp W Community.

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My name is Kendale James, and I was born and raised in Tracy City, Tennessee. I’m currently a freshman at Mississippi State University, majoring in Wildlife Biology. I love everything about being in the wilderness, like hiking, swimming, camping and all kinds of other outdoor activities. I am a passionate volleyball player and I know several other games to get the campers active and interacting with each other. I am most excited for the memories I make and the relationships I build with both the campers and the staff of Camp W. 

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Lifeguard/Instructors

Kyle Reilly is currently a freshman at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. Kyle can usually be found hiking, running through the woods, or trying to wrestle his two pet goldfish. He is eager to start his first year at Camp W.

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Lukas loves to be outside and see nature from different perspectives.
This is his first year at Camp W, and he looks forward to connecting with everyone and everything at camp.
He’s been a babysitter since he was 15, and loves to do everything he can to make people happy.
He loves to read, write, play games of all kinds, crochet, paint, draw, and spend time with his friends and family.

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Reese is a rising senior at Appalachian State University studying Chinese and English for Secondary Education. This is her first year at Camp W, and she is ecstatic to meet everyone! As the oldest of seven, she grew up in a house surrounded by many little people, which led to her passion for working with kids of all ages and backgrounds. Reese has taught as an English teacher in Taiwan and Japan, has worked with the Big Brothers Big Sisters inner-city afterschool programs in DC and OKC, and has coached swimming for the North Carolina YMCA system.

She is a Redcross certified lifeguard with four years of experience lifeguarding coastal, aquatic club, and YMCA pool fronts and teaching water safety instruction courses to kids and college students. In her free time, she loves to surf, snowboard, write fiction, and dominate as the self-proclaimed queen of Uno.

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