Meet the Staff

Ken has been Kabeyun’s director since 2010, following his years as a camper in the 1980s, a rock-climbing counselor in 2001, and six years as Assistant Director beginning in 2002. He has worked in various capacities as an experiential educator and facilitator over the past 30 years, including time as the Challenge Course Director for Sacramento State University, California, and as Director of Adventure Programs for The Clark Foundation in Cooperstown, New York. Ken holds a degree in Sociology and Anthropology from Colgate University and serves as past-president of the New Hampshire Camp Directors Association. He resides through the off-season in Durham, NH, with his wife, Roanne, and daughters, Nora and Quinn.

Eliot is entering his fourth summer as Assistant Director, and his third working for camp in a year-round capacity. It’s the next step in a Kabeyun journey that includes time as a Family Camper, camper, counseling intern, and counselor, in addition to being a second-generation member of our community. Before becoming Assistant Director, Eliot served as the Drama Intern (2007), a member and then Head of the Swimming department (2008-15), and Head of the Waterfront (2016-20). Holding a Red Cross Lifeguard Instructor (LGI) certification allows him to stay connected to the waterfront by helping certify camp’s lifeguards before each summer. Eliot also is an Accreditation Visitor for the American Camp Association. Prior to working at camp full-time, Eliot spent five years teaching 9–12 year-olds at a Montessori school on the New Hampshire seacoast. He earned a BA and MA in History from American University.

Laura joined Kabeyun’s year-round staff in late 2018, following her sons’ first two years as campers. Camping is her second career – she draws on her 15+ years as a journalist and TV producer to create nearly all of Kabeyun’s communications, manage complex projects including fundraising and marketing, and support parents, campers, and staff throughout the summer. Laura plays competitive tennis and loves to mountain bike, paddle, hike, and cross-country ski. She first visited Kabeyun in 1999 with her future husband Jay, who was a camper, intern, and staff member. Laura graduated magna cum laude from Brown University, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

Maria and her dog, Kieva, are back for their ninth summer at Kabeyun. She has stepped out of the pottery shack and into the role of resource counselor, where she’ll be supporting lower camp and the creative arts activities. A Missouri native, Maria enjoyed summer camp in Colorado growing up. Now, she lives in Vermont and teaches ceramics and design at a middle school in New Hampshire. She’s also an active member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), as part of the NH Reprisal Chapter. Maria and Kieva are looking forward to supporting creative endeavors and playing fetch with tennis balls.

Chuck is a second-generation Kabeyun camper and veteran staff member, returning for his 20th summer. He first came to Kabeyun as a camper in the 1990s and returned in 2012, quickly finding his way back into the rhythm of camp life. Over the years, Chuck has run the ropes course, taught sailing, and spent six memorable summers driving the ski boat, helping countless campers learn to wakeboard, wakesurf, and waterski. This summer, he’s stepping into a leadership role as Head of the Waterfront. He brings experience and a steady hand to the dock, ensuring every camper feels safe, supported, and ready for adventure. Chuck recently relocated to New Hampshire, where he’ll be teaching social studies at the middle or high school level during the year. Known for being a skilled instructor with a genuine gift for working with kids, Chuck is always ready with encouragement, patience, and just the right mix of challenge and support to help campers grow. From cheering on first-time swimmers to sharing quiet moments at the end of a long day, he helps make summers at Kabeyun unforgettable. With two decades of Kabeyun experience under his belt, Chuck is a trusted presence on the waterfront and a steady, supportive part of the camp community.

Sam loves the White Mountains: he leads rock-climbing trips for Kabeyun all summer and works as a Senior Guide at Northeast Mountaineering based in Glen, NH, the rest of the year. Born into a family of avid skiers and outdoors athletes in Harvard, MA, Sam has climbed, skied, and whitewater kayaked all over the United States, but he always looks forward coming home to the mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont. After high school, he headed west to study Snow Science at Montana State University, which led him to pursue skiing and guiding as a profession. Sam spent the next several years in Utah and has taken on many guide training courses and certifications. This will be Sam’s 19th summer at Kabeyun and he cannot wait to add to the long list of memories made at this special place.

Jason will lead our counseling intern program and support staff across camp again in 2026. He first came to Kabeyun as a college student in 1992 and has returned periodically ever since. At Kabeyun, Jason has taught archery, nature, and woodshop, as well as led hiking and rock climbing trips. He directed the counseling intern program in 2006 and from 2022 to the present; in 2021, he served as a resource counselor supporting young staff members and helping camp run smoothly. In the off-season, Jason lives in Burlington, VT with his wife Kirsten, and teaches middle school kids about science.

The family camp chef since 2016, Mark returns for his fourth full Kabeyun summer since 2011 to run the kitchen! Having spent his childhood attending camp many decades ago with his older brother, Mark then assumed various counselor roles, by turns heading up drama, ropes course, rock climbing, and the intern program. Mark spends his winters in Crested Butte, Colorado, where he is the head freeride coach for a team serving local middle and high school aged kids. Mark will be found in the kitchen listening to the Grateful Dead, on the wakesurf boat as time allows, and exploring the White Mountains on his mountain bike. It’s always fun to get away from camp, even for an hour!

Katie has been at Kabeyun since 1996, serving first as a swimming counselor and head of swimming before taking the reins in what was then the infirmary as camp’s nurse. As a career healthcare professional, Katie was instrumental in transitioning Kabeyun’s entire approach to healthcare, and played a significant role in establishing the new Health Center in 2017. Beyond keeping campers and staff healthy during the summer months, she has worked in numerous hospitals as a cardiac ICU nurse, a labor and delivery nurse, a nurse manager, a Nurse Informationist, and an interventional radiology nurse. Her unique blend of professional training and experience and decades spent working at camp is an extraordinary asset to Kabeyun.

Kevin’s spent time in nearly as many roles as there are at Kabeyun – though he was never a camper, he’s been a swimming, hiking, and canoeing counselor, he led a session of the Bears, he’s been the head of the trips department, he’s the parent of a camper, and for the past several summers he’s been our head nurse, ably keeping camp healthy and happy. Beyond camp, he’s been a teacher, but these days continues his work as a nurse during the fall, winter, and spring months.

Andrew has seen Kabeyun from all sides: first as a camper for five years back in the 1980’s, then as a paddling counselor, later as the father of two campers, and again as a staff member when he returned to pilot our ski boat a few years ago, helping guys get up on water skis, wake boards, and wake surfers. After several summers guiding the trips program, Andrew will focus his energies on the camp facility, maintaining and improving the physical plant throughout the year. He lives in Lancaster, MA, with his wife and two sons, who are all long-time Family Campers.