Leadership

Executive Directors - Since its establishment in 1935 Camp Nor'wester has had only three changes of leadership. Paul Henriksen and Christa Campbell took over the directorship in the fall of 1989. Both were staff members at Nor'wester. Paul was the camp's full time property manager since 1978 and Christa was camp nutritionist in the summers of '82 and '83. They met at camp, married in 1985, and have raised their two children within the camp community. Paul and Christa embrace the camp's mission to provide children the chance to discover their own strengths and talents in an environment that minimizes the distractions of outside world. They believe Camp provides the opportunity for a transformational experience that can strongly influence who we are as a person. Their goal is to provide campers and staff the chance to step outside of themselves, step away from what is familiar and step toward something new.

Full Time Staff

Director's Assistant - Maia Yip coordinates all registrations and inquires as well as overseeing the Herculean task of getting all of us to and from Camp. Practically any question you might have can be answered by Maia. At the very least she can direct you to the person who can assist you. All paper work leads to Maia!

Property Manager - Rick Winings is the year round guardian of our Johns Island property. His summers are focused on day-to-day repairs that come up when 250+ people are on the property. During the winter he works on long-term improvement and maintenance projects. We are all grateful for his positive 'can-do' attitude.

Summer Staff - Paul and Christa work diligently to hire seasonal staff members with the experience and skills necessary to implement the Nor'wester philosophy. This means looking for individuals who are not only talented in specific department areas but who also understand the impact they will have on the campers with whom they spend the summer. Nor'wester's summer staff of approximately 80 men and women, most of them college students and recent graduates, provide leadership to a maximum of 170 campers, with a supervision ratio of 1:3. Unit Staff, as "parents" for the unit, are responsible for planning and scheduling the daily activities of their campers, while Department Staff provide specialized instruction in their area of expertise. Medical personnel are available on a 24 hour basis. Background checks are conducted on all staff. At least three reference checks are conducted on new hires, in addition to an extensive application and interview process.

Board of Directors

In May of 1996 Camp Nor'wester was converted from a privately owned, for-profit corporation to a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit corporation. Since that time its mission and vision have been guided by its 15 member Board of Directors. Cumulatively they bring literally hundreds of years of Nor'wester experience to the table.

2006-2007 Board

• President - Kim Berhow
• Vice-President - Bill Horder
• Treasurer - Read Langenbach
• Secretary - Mike Poutiatine
• David Black
• Donn Charnley
• Art Chapman
• Deb Gore
• Marty Holm
• Chris Backus
• Barbara Schneider
• Barbara Stanton
• George Swindells
• Lyle Summers