Meet Our Team
At Kingswood, when you talk about the ācamp magic,ā itās all about our staff.
At the heart of Camp Kingswood is our team of 150 passionate and dedicated staff, working tirelessly to create a vibrant and exciting community rooted in Jewish values. Our staff are hand-picked for their energy, their enthusiasm, their love of kids – and because we think they will be great role models and caregivers for our campers. Every day they model what it means to be confident, caring, and adventurous – and we have a lot of fun along the way!
Our hiring process is competitive, and no matter the position, all staff go through an extensive vetting process, including reference checks, a background check, and an interview with a director. Our staff come from all around the world, and many of them have either grown up at camp or have worked with us in a past summer. Our staff leading activities are all experts not only in doing their activity, but in teaching it, and we have coaches, teachers, and artists amongst our team of talented specialists.
Before campers arrive, our staff participate in at least a full week of on-site staff training, learning and practicing the skills needed to ensure success for each individual camper. We also devote plenty of time to building our team, because the close-knit community of our staff is the foundation of our incredible Kingswood culture each summer.
Our summer staff is supported by our professional team, who work all year-long to bring camp to life.
Our Leadership
Jodi Sperling, Owner/Director
Jodi believes camp directing is the best job in the world and feels so good that she gets to do it with the best team in the world!
Jodi grew up at Camp Arowhon, in Algonquin Park, Canada where she spent 10 magical summers. While she lived for camp, she didnāt know it could be a career choice. While working on an article about the impact of overnight camp as a magazine editor in her 20s, Jodi realized she wanted to be ādoingā camp rather than just writing about it, so she returned to camp professionally in 2001 as a director. In her 12 years as a camp director and then nine years as the head of overnight camping for JCC Association, Jodi came to see camp as the most critical growth experience a young person can have. Having worked on-site with over 100 camps over the last decade as a camp consultant (including lots of visits to Kingswood!), she loves bringing that diversity of perspectives to Kingswood as the camp owner and director!
Originally from Buffalo, NY, Jodi has her BA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Journalism and Jewish Studies, and her Masters in Social Work from the University of Michigan, where she also completed the Drachler Program in Jewish Communal Service and Judaic Studies. She has served on the faculty of various training programs for camps, and coaches and trains camp professionals. Jodi recently moved to the Boston area, after living in Jerusalem for the last 10 years.
Joelle Kelenson, Associate Director
Joelle grew up in Montreal, and came to Camp Kingswood for the first time as a camper in the 90s. She spent eight amazing summers as a camper and staff, and then went on to work in camping professionally. After getting her feet wet as the School Age Services Director at the JCC in Northern Virginia overseeing their day camp and after school program, she moved to Chicago to be the Assistant and then Associate Director of Camp Chi, the overnight camp of the JCCs of Chicago, where she worked for six years. For the last two years, Joelle has been with Keshet, a Chicago-based non-profit helping to give children with disabilities Jewish camp experiences. Joelle graduated from McGill University with her undergraduate degree in sociology and Jewish Studies, and she has a Master of Social Work from Columbia University and a Master of Jewish Studies from the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. Sheās thrilled to be back on Woods Pond where it all began!
Nicole Hults, Assistant Director
Nicole joined the Camp Kingswood family in June 2024, but you would never know she was new to Kingswood if you had been at camp this summer! As Assistant Director she jumped right in, overseeing the CIT program, the kitchen, and canteen.
A long-time camp-lover, Nicoleās love for the outdoors started in Northern Minnesota, camping, hiking, and cliff-jumping with her family. Before joining us in Maine, Nicole spent 15 summers as a camper, counselor, and supervisor at Camp Chi, the overnight camp of the Chicago JCC, located in the Wisconsin Dells.
She holds her undergraduate degree in communications from the University of Missouri. As the need for teachers grew during COVID, Nicole was selected to teach through Teach For America (TFA), and received her masters in education through Relay Graduate School while teaching in Indianapolis. Following her two-years with TFA Nicole backpacked through Southeast Asia, where she met people from around the world, hiked mountains, and sampled amazing local food. Upon returning, she worked in Chicago for Keshet as a job coach, assisting adults with disabilities.
Hailing from Minnesota, she learned to waterski as soon as she could walk, so if youāre searching for her, you might find her down by the docks!
Julian Ziskin, Assistant Director of Operations
Julian, a born and raised Boston native, started his camp journey in 2011 when he arrived at Camp Bauercrest for Boys as a 12-year-old hockey enthusiast. What started as a love for sports quickly turned into a deep passion for camp life, leading him to become a counselor, unit head, and eventually, the full-time program director, where he spent three years refining and structuring the camp experience. After transitioning to a year-round role in 2021, Julian developed a foundation in camp management before taking on this new adventure at Kingswood. With a dedication to fostering community and growth, Julian is excited to bring his experience and enthusiasm to us!
Realizing traditional schooling wasn’t for him, Julianās educational path took a unique turn. After three semesters at High Point University, he decided to take a gap semester to work at an afterschool program in Needham, MA, and continue remotely to earn his degree in Childrenās Learning and Development from UMASS Amherst.
Family is a major part of Julian’s life, and heās thrilled to share his first summer at Kingswood in 2025 with three cousins at camp as campers!
Rob Willis, Summer Head of Units
Rob Willis, better known as Nature Rob, has been a part of the Kingswood community since 2006. Over the years, he has worn many hatsāleading trips, heading the boysā side, and serving on the camper care team. Each role adds another chapter to his remarkable camp story. In summer 2025, Rob will oversee our unit heads. Whether guiding our young adults or making announcements at the flagpole, Robās authenticity shines through, ensuring everyone feels connected to the Kingswood culture, rooted in our values.
Born in Pennsylvania, Rob has spent the last 25 years working at an elementary school in North Carolina, where he brings the same passion and care to his students that he brings to Kingswood. His dual roles in the classroom and as a camp leader highlight his commitment to helping young people grow and succeed. Weāre endlessly grateful for the many summers he has shared with us and canāt wait to experience his legendary program in summer 2025: Robās Team Challenge!
Jill Shamash, Summer Office Manager
When you call the office at camp, Jill Shamash is one of the friendly voices ready to help you at the other end of the line. Hailing from Scottsdale, AZ, Jill couldnāt be happier to spend her summers out of the Arizona heat in the gorgeous woods of Maine, leading the team in our summer office!
Jill loves helping people, having spent her career in hospitality. Jill earned a Bachelor of Science in Hotel Management from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and spent the first chapter of her career managing luxury resorts in Las Vegas, Scottsdale, and San Francisco. Now, Jill spends her year working as a Remote Executive Assistant in the health care industry, and supports the camp office year-round.
Jillās no stranger to camp, and grew up as a camper at Camp Arowhon, in Algonquin Park, Canada, where Jodi was her camp counselor! Her camp journey continued as a counselor at Camp Marimeta in Wisconsin, and once she had kids of her own, she knew camp had to be a part of their life too.
Joining the Kingswood team in June, 2024 was a dream come true for Jill, who now gets to come to camp with her own kids, Ari and Liora!
Ethan Fellows, Facilities Manager
Ethan has been caring for Camp Kingswood as part of the Facility Crew for 13 years, taking over as the facilities manager in 2020. Originally from Cape Cod, Ethan grew up just a few miles from camp, and graduated from the University of Southern Maine with a degree in business management. Ethan loves that his job enables him to do work he loves in the great outdoors of Maine, and he’s just as happy building a new porch in July as he is shoveling snow off the roofs in January (and hopefully not May!). As he says “How can you not love camp life on Woods Pond?” We agree!