Crafting a better world since 1924.

Joel Sieplinga

Chief Executive Officer

Responsibilities: Working with all program departments to ensure that programs, staff and marketing help create memorable experiences for every camper and guest.  Attending countless meetings on program and facility improvement as well as strategic leadership for Camp Tecumseh as a whole.

Camp Experience: I have worked full-time at Camp Tecumseh since 2007, for six summers each as the Day Camp Director and Summer Camp Director.  I started as the Associate Executive Director in 2019.  Prior to Camp Tecumseh I worked as the Day Camp and Youth Sports Director for the Chicago YMCA and served as a counselor.  I also worked as a counselor at both Camp Tecumseh and the Decatur (IL) YMCA during high school and college.

Passionate about: finding and hiring the best possible staff both for summer and year-round operations, and preserving and nurturing the culture that makes Camp Tecumseh such a special place.

Most important lesson Camp teaches:  You are loved!  God loves each and every one of us and wants to have a relationship with us.

Favorite Hobby:  Basketball.  It may be cliche given my above average height, but I love watching, playing and talking about basketball.

Favorite Family Activities:  My wife, son and I love to be outside – hiking, campfires and riding bikes.  My wife and I enjoy playing board games.  My son probably will once he learns how to read.

How have I helped someone else: While working for the YMCA in Chicago, I performed CPR on a member on the racquetball court which led to the man surviving.

Bucket List: Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef.

What do you want to learn:  The ukulele.  I’m not terribly musical, but would love to be able to play at camp.  Plus, a big guy holding a “tiny guitar” makes a great impression!

Joel Recommends: Talking to people face-to-face rather than via email or text.  Wow, wouldn’t the world be so much better if people just sat down and talked to each other seeking to understand where each person was coming from?

Joel lives at Camp Tecumseh with his wife Renee and son Elijah. Joel graduated from Calvin College (Michigan) with a degree in Psychology and Recreation. After growing up around the YMCA, Joel has worked for the Y since age 15.  Joel served on the YMCA Mid America Camping Conference Committee for 10 years and was the committee chair in 2014.  Joel has attended and led various YMCA-USA trainings and currently holds his “Organizational Leader” certificate.

Contact Joel

Laura Carson
Chief Financial Officer
Responsibilities: Stewardship of camp’s financial assets and human capital. Preparation of financial statements and budgets. Oversight of registration, invoicing, payroll, and accounts payable. Coordination of benefits and HR initiatives. Camp strategic leadership, as part of the Senior Leadership Team.

Camp Experience: I Started out as a Camper Mom and Dog Hiker. I began working at Camp Tecumseh in the spring of 2016.

Passionate about: striving for continuous improvement in the ways that we manage the Camp experience and the resources we have been blessed with.

Family time: living at the lake, spending time with my adult children, and throwing frisbees for our big dogs.

Nerdy about: nuts and bolts-debits and credits accounting. It’s like a giant puzzle that is all in balance when done well.

Community Involvement: Volunteer board engagement. I provide financial and organizational leadership.

Helping others: I am passionate about ending homelessness for families and individuals. I am a long time volunteer and supporter of LTHC Homeless Services.

Travel wish: Tuscany.

Laura recommends: Yoga

Laura graduated from Indiana University Kelly School of Business. She has been a CPA since 1988 and provides financial leadership in Corporations and Not for Profit organizations. She has been married for over 30 years and has raised (and launched) three kind, compassionate, and independent children.

Contact Laura

Stacey Seeger
Director of Development

Responsibilities: Annual fund & capital fundraising. Camperships. Alumni relations. Grants. Camp strategic leadership, as part of the Senior Leadership Team.

Camp experience: My first Camp experience was visiting family Camp as a 7 year old. I participated in the pioneer heritage program in 3rd grade, and attended summer camp for 6 years. I worked 4 years as a counselor. I joined the full time staff in 2012.

Passionate about:  Ensuring children from all backgrounds have a wonderful camp experience.  Summer camp is too important of an experience for a child to miss.

Free Time: I love spending time with my family enjoying the great outdoors. You can often find us in main field letting our Golden Retriever run around.

Community Involvement: I have been a Big Sister mentor since 2013.

Self improvement/ Learn more about: Eating local farm goods

Stacey recommends: Do yourself a favor and listen to a Podcast or two.  Pick out something that interests you and give it a try.

Stacey lives at Camp with her husband Jordan, who is also on staff, and sons Jack and Wesley.  Stacey received her Bachelors in Social Work from Indiana University.

Contact Stacey

Tom Elliott
Associate Executive Director of Programs

Responsibilities: Chief supporter of all program departments. Principal driver of new program generation. Member of the Senior Leadership Team. Point person for ACA Accreditation.

Camp experience: As a directionless young adult from a foreign land, I signed up for one summer of fun in 1999! Little did I know how much it would change my life. The camp journey led me through twenty consecutive Camp Tecumseh summers, filled with deep friendships, positive growth and endless learning. I poured myself into different positions as counselor, coordinator, asst. dir of the leadership center, village director, outdoor ed director and director of programs. After a few years away, I’m glad to be back helping create positive, growth filled experiences again.

Passionate about: Helping others feel included, valued, and connected.

Camp teaches us all how to: Love God, others, and ourselves well.

Favorite series: The West Wing. Hands down!

Free Time: Dog walking, cycling, family adventures (near and far), good food with friends.

Loving others: Helping create an annual camp experience for kids in Cayambe, Ecuador.

Bucket List: Live and work in the Iona community for a season with “the trouble and strife” (wife).

Travel: Hiking in San Rafael National Park (Chile).

Wants to learn: Spanish, and ballroom dancing.

Favorite person: My wife Katrina (like the hurricane). We have such fun together.

I was born and raised in Newcastle, England to hippy parents. Much of my childhood was filled with church, travel, Newcastle United, and numerous other people living with us who needed a leg up on life. Katrina and I met at camp, she fell for the accent (it was the only thing I had going for me) and we married a year later. We have three kids (two teenagers – Ouch!) and live in West Lafayette outside of the summer season. We all love being part of this positive, inspirational community.

Contact Tom

Sam Hirt
Director of Marketing

Responsibilities: Telling the story of Camp Tecumseh through digital and print media. Assist camp’s overall strategic vision as part of the Senior Leadership Team.

Camp Experience: I spent a summer as videographer in 2014, and three years working for the American Camp Association, before coming back to Camp Tecumseh as Marketing Director.

Passionate about: Storytelling. Writing. Filmmaking. Relationships. Social Justice. The Environment.

Free time: I love spending time with my wife, Arielle, and our son, Salem. I also spend a lot of time with family and friends in the Indy area.

Nerdy About: Movies. Books. Large cargo ships on the Great Lakes.

Community Involvement: I am a member of SPOKES, a young professionals group that advocates for School on Wheels in Indianapolis.

Bucket List: Create a narrative film. Attend Wimbledon.

Sam recommends reading: The Brothers K by David James Duncan, Beloved by Toni Morrison, and The New York Times

Sam is from Greencastle, Indiana and graduated from Hope College with a degree in English. He lives in Indianapolis with his wife, son, dog, and cat.

Contact Sam

Joy McCauley 

Retreats Director / High Ropes Director

Responsibilities: Coordinating with groups to help them achieve their organization’s mission. Booking, contracting, and planning, leading activities & programs.

Camp Experience: My first year at camp was in 1999 as a summer camper and I started full-time August 2013.  During that time, I graduated from the summer camp program, worked as a Day and Overnight counselor, Assistant River Village Director, Assistant High Ropes Director and Outdoor Education Guru.

How are you trying to make camp better: I want everyone who comes to Camp to feel like they have a place where they belong and are loved.

Free Time: I love to travel with family and friends.

Favorite Hobby: It’s a tie between baking and “voluntelling” my husband to do pinterest projects around the house.

How do I make a difference: I use my smile to change the world.  There is a hidden power in smiles and it can make all the difference.

Bucket List: I would really love to get my pilots license.

Something I want to learn: how to whistle with my fingers.

Favorite Movies: Indiana Jones series

Joy Recommends: Explosive by Bond

Joy is fortunate to live at camp with her husband Nick and their kids, Owen and Moira.  She received her Bachelors in Law Enforcement and Masters in Recreation from Western Illinois University.  Before coming to Camp Tecumseh Joy worked as a Challenge Course Manager for Horn Field Campus, a Special Education Paraprofessional and a stay-at-home mom.  During the summer months she oversees the use of the climbing walls and zip lines.

Contact Joy

Jordan Seeger
Day Camp Director/Retreats Associate

Responsibilities: implementation of the Day Camp Program, hiring staff, coordinating trail groups, developing activities, implementing and executing weekend programs September-May.

Camp Experience: I started in 2006 as a counselor and joined the full-time team in 2011.  I have served camp as a counselor, weekend program staff, Outdoor Education staff, High ropes assistant director, Lakefront Director, Retreats Associate, and Day Camp director .

The most important lesson Camp helps teach kids:  At the end of the day, you are the only one who can be held responsible for your choices.  So make sure you can go to bed each day proud of how you lived your life. 

Things my family enjoys:  Spending time with each other, especially near water.

Nerdy about: Manga, mythology, the Green Bay Packers, sci-fi television 

What can I do that not many other people can:  Admit that The Great Gatsby is a terribly boring piece of literature. 

Who’s someone that inspires you to be a better person:  Working with Hoosier Burn Camp and Kidney Camp, I meet people every day who inspire me.  The kids, the volunteers, and the staff all inspire me to give more to others and give all I can to life.

What do I want to learn:  Be fluent in another language.

Travel Wish: Scotland

Bucket List: Visit every National Park in America

 Jordan recommends: Canoeing the boundary waters at least once in your life. 

Jordan lives at Camp with his wife Stacey, sons Jack and Wesley, and dog Georgia. He received his Bachelors in Medieval and Renaissance Studies from Purdue University.

Contact Jordan

Meg Piechocki
Overnight Camp Director

Responsibilities: Planning and executing summer camp, all red cross trainings, and managing the camp store.

Camp Experience: I joined the team in 2010 as a summer camp counselor and never left. I joined the full-time team in 2013.

Passionate about: The impact camp has on each and every individual that can experience it!

Free time: I spend my free time chasing my children (Adeline & Liam), hiking around camp with the family, baking delicious sweet treats, and traveling when time allows.

Nerdy about: Leadership development theories, Nicholas Sparks books, and baking all the things!

Travel Wish: Leave the country at least once a year and visit all of the Caribbean Islands

Bucket List: Visit all the National Parks

Meg recommends: Reading the Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor

Meg lives at Camp with her husband Ross, daughter Adeline, son Liam, and dog Triscuit. She received her Masters of Science from Purdue University in Organizational Leadership in 2018. Meg is a certified pool operator, lifeguard instructor trainer, and Water Safety Instructor.

Contact Meg

Rob Hatter
Retreats Associate & LV Director

Responsible for: Program area supplies and upkeep. Executing weekend retreats. Overseeing training, equipment, and procedures for shooting sports. Singing songs. Telling bad jokes.

Camp Experience: I started in 2009 as a part-time weekend staff. I joined the full-time team in August of 2016. I also spent 4 seasons working Outdoor Education under the pseudonym “Reindeer” and two seasons as a high ropes and shooting sports assistant during the summer. \\

Camp teaches: It’s vital for people to connect on a vulnerable level to better understand the experiences of others.

Free time: I’ll say it: Netflix. When i’m not watching comedies, you’ll find me reading in a hammock or researching my newest random interest.

Nerdy about: Doctor Who, M*A*S*H, Supernatural, Dancing, Yoyos.

Empowering people: My high school teachers went the extra mile to make a difference for people like me. They made me realize that everybody is capable if they put in the effort.

Bucket List: Skydiving

Travel Wish: New Zealand, Scotland, Brazil. On a budget: visiting my parents

Something you want to learn: American Sign Language

Something you are working towards: My degree in Business Management

Rob recommends: Getting up tomorrow and doing whatever you’re not doing now. Someday is never going to show up. Get to work.

Contact Rob

Julianne Yost

Outdoor Education Director & Lake Village Director

Responsibilities: Program oversight, staff supervision, summer camp activity and counselor supervision

Camp Experience: I started working at Camp Tecumseh in January 2018.

Passionate about: Using inquiry based learning practices to reconnect students and campers with the natural world.

Free Time: Hiking, Kayaking, reading, and cooking Nona’s Spaghetti.

Personal Impact: Someone who made a great impact on me and the way I approach teaching is the executive director of the Camp I worked at in Colorado. He ignited a passion in me that Camp is a place for everyone regardless of background. He dedicated his career to sharing nature and the camp experience with students who may not otherwise have had the opportunity.

Bucket List: See a blue whale in the wild. Visit every zoo in the country.

Working Towards: Fluency in Spanish

Nerdy about: Science and nature. Hiking with me always takes twice as long because I have to stop so often to identify or ask questions about what I’m seeing.

What makes Camp special: Camp provides an incredible opportunity for kids to develop a sense of independence. It is a safe environment to try new things, learn their strengths, and make new friends.

Julianne Recommends: Discover what you are passionate about and lean into it with your whole heart.

I was born and raised in Arizona. I recently moved to Indiana from Colorado. I earned a BS in Zoology from Colorado State University and worked for 2 years as a marine mammal trainer at the Oklahoma City Zoo.

Contact Julianne

Dayna Wiltgen

Outdoor Education Specialist & River Village Director

Responsibilities: Overseeing the Foundations for Success program, supervising OE Staff, overseeing River Village during the summer.

Camp Experience: My first year at camp was 2012 as a summer camp counselor and I started full-time January 2019. During that time I served camp as a Counselor, Unit Coordinator, Assistant Village Director and Outdoor Education staff.

Camp is special because: Camp is a place of growth. We see that growth summer after summer in our campers who brave new things everyday without fear of failure. We see it in our staff who truly believe in the impact of camp and want to give every kid the best experience. And we see it in ourselves, constantly working harder to improve how we support our staff so they can give their all to our kids.

Making Camp better: I have been given so many opportunities to learn and grow from full time staff and I want to give everything I have gotten and more to our staff so they continue to develop into their best selves so that they can make the best experiences with the kids that come to camp through any program.

Special talent: Handstands. Or crying immediately when watching cute animal videos.

Helping Others: Coming to camp. I have always wanted to work with kids and never found the right opportunity or put myself out there. Camp gives me the ability to make a difference in so many lives, including my own.

Travel: Brazil to see my best friend or Ireland to see all of the green landscape, historic crosses and churches and experience an incredible culture.

Nerdy about: Science and nature. Hiking with me always takes twice as long because I have to stop so often to identify or ask questions about what I’m seeing.

What to learn: To speak another language.

Bucket List: To have enough money to open an etsy store and try out all of the latest craft trends.

Dayna Recommends: Grey’s Anatomy. It’s full of helpful life advice, teaches people to be more empathetic and lets you have a good cry once in awhile… or every episode…

Dayna grew up in the Chicago suburbs with her parents and two sisters. She was a competitive gymnast for about 8 years, and began coaching recreational and pre team gymnastics shortly after.  She now lives at camp and is blessed to have the best backyard in the world.

Contact Dayna

Keith Kalish

Outdoor Education Specialist and Nature Center Coordinator

Responsibilities: OE programs and supplies, Nature Center oversight, Beekeeping. Summer  program areas  and supplies.

Camp Experience: I started in 2006 as an Outdoor Education leader, and a cabin counselor. I joined the team in 2007 working for OE these last 10 years.

Passionate about: Getting people to experience the outdoors and nature in a positive way. Camp teaches the values of caring and sharing nature with ourselves and others.

Bucket List: Hammock in all 50 states. Visit every national park.

Community Involvement: I volunteer with the United Methodist Church in Delphi with their children ministry and creation care ministry. I assist with the camp team in donating lost and found to local and national organization.

Keith graduated from MacMurray College with a BA in Religious Studies and Philosophy. He received an MA in Pastoral Care and Counseling from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. He is a Certified Interpretive Guide through the National Association of Interpretation. He’s Camp’s beekeeper.

Contact Keith

Adam Ayres

Program Director

Responsibilities: Executing weekend retreats and outdoor education school group experiences. Oversight of aquatic, target sports, and high ropes program areas and staff.

Camp Experience: I started at Camp Tecumseh in 2003 as a Day Camp Counselor and eventually became part of the full-time staff in the summer of 2011. I spent 4 summers working at YMCA Camps in Texas in various roles before returning home to Camp Tecumseh in 2021.

Camp Teaches: The importance and power of loving people for who they are and where they are at in life.

Free Time: I like to spend time with friends and family. I also love watching sports both live and from the couch.

Nerdy About: Indiana University sports, Oklahoma State Football, The Colts, Indycar, and HGTV.

Empowering People: My parents always allowed me to define my own path to success. They were always there to support me but also allowed me to learn from mistakes I made along the way.

Bucket List: Attend the Masters Tournament. Go to Hawaii. Meet Garth Brooks.

Travel Wish: New Zealand, Norway, and Travel around Europe.

Something you want to learn: Woodworking. Being able to make furniture would be awesome.

Adam Recommends:  Take time each week to call one of your friends or family. You never know how much it could mean to them.

Adam lives at Camp Tecumseh with his wife Natalie and two dogs, Lyla and Lucy. Adam graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Outdoor Recreation and Resource Management. Adam grew up in the Indianapolis area but camp has always felt like home. He met his wife at camp, they got married at camp and are excited to be back at camp helping others create lifelong friendships and memories.

Contact Adam

Amie Gleason

Equestrian Director

Responsibilities: Feeding and care of 60 horses and a wide variety of mini farm animals, providing safe trail rides to our weekend guests, organizing and running the horsemanship barn in the summer, running the Equestrian day camp program, and the oversight of the entire Equestrian program

Camp Experience: Amie arrived at camp in October of 1999 as the assistant Equestrian Director.  In 2002, Amie became the Equestrian Director where she has been ever since.

Passionate About: Using the horse to teach the kids more about themselves. There are no secrets around horses and they are honest everything they do. They can help bring to the surface things we might be dealing with. Often times a break through on the horse can lead to a break through in real life and it’s great to facilitate that.

Hobbies: Riding my horse, Keeghan, whenever I can.

Free time: Attending all of my kid’s sporting events and school activities.

Favorite Movie: Hotel Transylvania; pretty much anything lighthearted and entertaining!

Community Involvement: I’ve been an assistant varsity volleyball coach for the past 3 years. I love encouraging the girls to do their best and celebrating with them when they win, achieve a milestone, or improve. I also coach junior high basketball.

Travel Wish: Alaska

Bucket List: FIFA World Cup Game (for the atmosphere!)

Amie recommends: Go to Disney World! Don’t just go around trying to cram everything in. Enjoy your time and don’t hold yourself to a schedule.

Amie lives at camp with her husband Ben and 3 children Gavin, Reagan, and Braydn.  She graduated from Houghton College in New York with a degree in business and a minor in Equestrian Studies.  She is also a CHA accredited instructor.

Contact Amie

Mary Anne Hunsberger
Assistant Equestrian Director

Responsibilities: Feeding and caring for a herd of 60 horses and a variety of mini farm animals, running weekend trail rides, and implementing an Equestrian Camp program for 35 campers each week during the summer.

Camp Experience: Mary Anne arrived at camp in May 2004 as an equestrian camp counselor and joined the full time Outdoor Education crew in August of 2004.  Within a year she moved into the assistant Equestrian Director position where she has been ever since.

Why Camp is special:  Camp is an amazing place where you can be free to be the person you were meant to be, your true self, not bound by societal norms or the pressures of school and family.

Passionate about: Helping kids getting to know and understand their horses in such a way that they become dance partners, moving as one around the arena. We teach the kids how the horse thinks so that they can gain a better understanding of why the horse does what they do and then be able to adapt and work with them, not against them.

Free Time: Running/exercising and just spending quality free time with the special folks in my life

Favorite Show:  NCIS

Community Involvement:  Since 2014, Mary Anne has been coaching junior high volleyball at a local school.  At this stage in life, it’s more than just about teaching them the skills of the sport.  It’s about teaching them to become good teammates, gracious whether they win or lose, and the value of hard work.

Travel Wish: New Zealand

Working Towards: I am working towards earning my “Spartan trifecta”.  I have earned the first two parts of the trifecta by running a Spartan Sprint and Super race  and will earn the last piece in December by running the “Beast”.

Mary Anne Recommends: Visiting Bryce Canyon in Utah, especially when covered in snow.

Mary Anne lives at camp with her dog Duke.  She graduated with honors from Purdue University in 2002 with a degree in Animal Science.  After 18 months in graduate school, Mary Anne felt the call to move on to a different purpose for her life and left school to join camp as a counselor where God made a path to full time employment.

Contact Mary Anne

Nikita Parsons
Payroll / Accounts Payable Coordinator

Responsible for: Payroll. Accounts Payable. Employee on-boarding. Employee insurance.

Camp Experience: I never knew about Camp Tecumseh as a kid but am fortunate that I was able to hear about Camp and join the full time team in the summer of 2014. Camp is a wonderful place with an amazing, indescribable atmosphere.

Passionate about: At home, I’m passionate about my family and at work I’m passionate about payroll! They both keep me on my toes!

Free Time: You can find my family spending time together outside, at the lake, or going on other adventures together!

Travel Wish: I’ve always dreamed of seeing Alaska and Montana!

Nikita recommends: Taking time to do what makes you happy! I, myself, like to get out most mornings before anyone wakes up and go for a nice run while watching the sun rise!

Nikita lives in Chalmers with her husband Jerad, son Jayce, and daughter Haley. She grew up around Logansport, IN and graduated from Ivy Tech with an Associate’s Degree in Elementary Education.

Contact Nikita

Scott Clark
Assistant Property Manager

Responsibilities: Maintenance Staff Director. Construction Site Lead. Construction Design. HVAC, electrical, plumbing specialist. Inventory & material management.

Camp Experience: First came to Camp during Indian Guides with my dad in 1972. Joined the full-time team in May of 1999.

Passionate about: Improving Camp through great building and construction design using materials that last generations.

Enjoys: Spending time with our granddaughter. Vacationing, camping, and fishing in Northern Wisconsin.

Bucket List: Archery elk hunt with my family. I’d love to travel with an RV to Alaska and back.

Scott recommends: Spending time in northern Wisconsin/Minnesota near the boundry waters.

Professional Background: Scott has his AAS Degree in HVAC, including 5 years in HVAC field work and 10 years as a Sears Roebuck technician. At Camp he’s helped construct the Lake Village, the Oregon Territory, the sky walkers course, both climbing walls, and the boathouse.

Contact Scott

Keith Kender
Property Manager

Responsible for: Maintenance Department coordination, project management, construction oversight.

Camp Experience: I started as a counselor and archery instruction in college in 1984 and joined the full time staff as the property manager in 1987.

Community Involvement: I’ve worked part time with the local ambulance service as an Emergency Medical Technician since 1997 and I’m a PADI certified scuba rescue diver.

Free Time: water skiing, snow skiing, and watching my kids participate in soccer and pole vaulting.

Keith graduated from Purdue with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology. He lives on site with his wife Laurie (whom he met at Camp) and their children, Emily, Abigail, and Max.

Contact Keith

Danielle Hornback

Food Service Director

Contact Danielle

Brittany Bunch

Housekeeping Director

Responsibilities: Keep camp clean! All the cabins, buildings, and both dining rooms are sanitized, swept, and mopped.

Camp Experience: Six of my cousins had their first job at Camp T. Camp Tecumseh is a hot topic in my family. I also came here several times as a child. I joined the camp team in April of 2018.

Hobby: Painting, crafting, scrap-booking, singing, and planning events.

Passionate about: Showing little children what they are capable of doing. Teaching them new things and to learn their own creativity.

Free time: Attending demolition derbies and dirt track racing, viewing the sun set from underneath a windmill in the middle of a cornfield, and cookouts and bonfires with family and friends.

Helping Others: “Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” Life gives you lots of cure balls. Be open and willing to change to make a difference for yourself or someone else life.

Brittany recommends: Sit on the beach at Hilton Head Island around 6 AM and watch the sun rise and see all the little things around you change, which makes a better start to the day

Brittany was born and raised in Brookston, IN. She shares her home with four children, Brayden, Kyler, Tyler, and Addy, and her significant other Paul. She also has 2 cats Annie and Bella, and 2 dogs Tito and Brutus. Brittany attended Ivy Tech for 3 years working towards her Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education. She decided to take a new direction and found her expertise in housekeeping/cleaning.

Contact Brittany

Jamie Jones
Registrar

Responsibilities: “Camp Tecumseh, this is Jamie…” You can call me the Pam Beasley of the Tecumseh Office. I answer phone calls and help with questions, welcome guests, and best of all, register kids for summer camp.

Camp Experience: I worked seasonally at camp from 2010-2015 as a summer camp counselor and a member of the Outdoor Education Program Staff. In 2015, I was hired full time as the Lake Village Director and member of the Outdoor Education Team. In 2019, I made the hard decision to leave Tecumseh just before my daughter was born to be able to spend more time with my family. I thought my time at camp had ended, but God had other plans for me. I am so grateful to be back with my Tecumseh family, now as the Registrar and part of the office staff. These ladies are the hidden gems of Tecumseh.

Passionate about: Being a mom. I want to help my kids grow up believing that they are smart, kind, and deeply loved by God.

Hobbies: Digital art design and illustration, painting, and sketching.

Favorite Movie: You‘ve Got Mail

Bucket List: Run a marathon, write and illustrate a children’s book.

Recommends: Brené Brown’s Podcast: “Unlocking Us”

Jamie lives in West Lafayette, IN with her husband, Kevin (who she met at camp in 2010), and their two kids, Zeke and Eleanor. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Human Services from Purdue University.

Contact Jamie

Spencer Dees
Program Director

Responsibilities: Helping direct River Village in the summer, and working with Groups and Conferences year round.

Camp Experience: I started as a young “Buck” at age eight here at Camp Tecumseh and have left a couple of times to explore other camp cultures. I have worked every unit except for equestrians (severely allergic to horses) and am proud to wear each unit shirt. I worked for the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana and YMCA Storer Camps as a Day Camp Director and Outdoor Education Specialist. For me, camp is my passion and love to share it with others.

Passionate about: Swimming, running, hammocking, reading, and Netflix in sweatpants.

Free time: I like to pursue those things I’m passionate about, but especially hiking and exploring new state/national parks.

Nerdy About: Harry Potter. Seriously—ask me anything about the books and movies and I can give the correct answer.

Community Involvement: Spencer is involved in Brothers and Sisters as well as a local book group.

Bucket List: Spend a week camping in Joshua Tree and Sedona.

Spencer Recommends Reading: The Screwtape Letters: C.S. Lewis, The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Stephen Chbosky, Imaginary Friend: Stephen Chbosky

Spencer is originally from Chicago, IL but has lived in Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, and currently (of course) Indiana. He’s a graduate of Miami (OH) with a degree in secondary English Education and has been thrilled to use his experience in camping and recreation. His dream goal is to own a doxie named Charlie.

Contact Spencer

Whitney Ericksen
Program Director

Responsibilities: Executing weekend and retreat groups, overseeing training, equipment and procedures for high ropes, making sure the box turtles are safe around camp, and lifting heavy things.

Camp Experience: Started working at Camp Tecumseh in 2019 working with outdoor education, weekend groups, and as the adventure sports specialist in the summer.

How are you trying to make camp better: Showing kindness and love to everyone that comes to camp. I want everyone to feel like they have a place where they belong.

Free time: Hiking and exploring new places, hanging out with my puppy, going on runs, and hot yoga!

Travel Goals: Antarctica and Banff National Park in Canada.

Bucket List: See a moose in the wild, hike all of the Appalachian Trail or Pacific Crest Trail, and visit all 7 continents (4/7 so far!).

Nerdy About: Anything and everything ocean related, especially sea turtles!

Whitney grew up in Minnesota and, since graduating, has moved to Australia, Florida, and now Indiana. She is in the midst of finishing her degree in Biology at the University of Central Florida.

Contact Whitney