The Highest Level of Overnight Camp Care
At Walden, we provide exceptional care because we genuinely care about the experience of each camper. Our experienced Directors are devoted to meeting the needs of every child. Through their attentive and skilled leadership they create a safe, positive environment where campers thrive. Walden’s extremely low camper-to-staff ratio also ensures that each camper receives individualized attention.
A Commitment to Children
At Camp Walden we consider ourselves partners in your child’s development. Our leadership team members are professional educators and coaches who work with children all year long. All of our highly trained staff members are dedicated to keeping campers safe, active, and happy throughout each day. Walden staff members serve as strong role models who provide high quality instruction, instill self-confidence, and guide campers to challenge themselves and support each other. Many of our valued staff members return year after year.
Caring Counselors and Skilled Specialists
Our cabin counselors are warm, loving individuals bursting with energy and enthusiasm. They care for and encourage their campers each day and make sure everyone is having fun and making friends! Our talented specialists are skilled, passionate teachers who instruct in their specific area of expertise. Specialists help campers increase their abilities while promoting the joy of play.
What is so unique about Walden’s Leadership Team?
Walden staff are trained, mentored, and supported by the very best leadership team a camp could have. They are a very large group of dedicated professionals involved in every aspect of camp, from planning fun events for campers to sitting in bunk circles late at night, our leadership team takes an active role in ensuring that everyone is cared for and supported. At Walden we know that our outstanding staff members are truly the heart and soul of our program and our leadership team are mentoring those staff and our campers every step of the way.
Meet Our Leadership Team
Lauren and Mark Bernstein Full-Time Year Round Owners/Directors
Lauren Pine Bernstein
Summer camp is in Lauren’s heart and soul. Her passion for camp, combined with her wealth of training and experience in education and summer camping, allow her to skillfully oversee all facets of camper care. Lauren holds a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of South Florida. She also has a Master’s degree in Reading from SUNY Albany and a Master’s degree in Leadership and Administration from the Bank Street School of Education in New York City. Lauren has taught in public and private schools and has served as the Vice Principal of a 400 student private school in Schenectady, NY. Lauren has been devoted to summer camp nearly all of her life. She grew up as a sleep-away camper and stayed on to become a counselor and a group leader at her childhood camp. Her camp experience includes full-time positions as the Girls’ Head Counselor, Boys’ Head Counselor, Assistant Director, and Director of both for-profit and non-profit day and sleep-away camps. At Camp Walden, all staff members who are directly responsible for campers’ health and happiness report to Lauren.
Mark I. Bernstein
Mark combines his love for camp with his business experience to keep all facets of the Walden program in optimal shape. Mark’s camp background goes back to childhood summers spent at camp, and to college summers when he worked as a Head Counselor. In addition to his love for sports, theater, and working with children, Mark also has a great deal of passion and knowledge of the Adirondacks. He grew up with a vacation home on Schroon Lake just 30 minutes north of Camp Walden. Mark holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Economics from Union College and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Technology and Entrepreneurship. Mark is an entrepreneur with expertise in multi-media and distance learning. He and his former business partners invented the first PC-based “virtual classroom” and “web conferencing” software product. At Walden, Mark manages all of the facilities, operations, and support centers.
Together, Mark and Lauren share a belief that there is something unique and special about the summer camp experience that cannot be duplicated in any other setting. They are thrilled to be able to provide an extraordinary overnight camp experience for all Camp Walden campers, families and staff. They have owned and operated Camp Walden since 2004, and both work full-time for camp year-round. During the school year Mark and Lauren live in Old Tappan, New Jersey with their two children, Julia and Michael.
Robyn Spector Director
Robyn’s journey at Camp Walden started in 1980 as an eight-year-old Freshman Girl. She then rose through the camp ranks holding positions as a Bunk Counselor, Group Leader, CIT Coordinator, Activities Coordinator, Girls’ Division Head, and Assistant Director. She has served Walden as a year-round Director since 1996 and is responsible for helping to attract and recruit top level staff. Robyn has a Bachelor’s degree in History from McGill University and a Master’s degree in Criminology from the University of Toronto. Robyn and her husband, Robert, met at Camp Walden and their two daughters, Shaye and Raigan, have grown up at camp as well.
Ashley Sederoff Assistant Director / Girls Head Counselor
Ashley works for Walden year-round in addition to working in the psychology department for the Toronto School District. She is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She also holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Developmental Psychology from York University. Ashley brings a tremendous amount of experience and leadership to camp. She serves as an excellent role model and mentor for our campers and staff.
Ashley and her husband Lorne spent over 20 years on staff and as important members of our leadership team. Although Lorne is no longer able to spend his summers at Walden full-time, he serves as an advisor to our leadership team and is an integral part of staff development and training. Lorne and Ashley’s two sons, Jake and Rory, have grown up at Walden and also call Walden home.
Head Counselors
Ange has been an integral part of the Camp Walden family since 2006. She has several years of prior camp experience where she served as a Bunk Counselor, Group Leader, Division Leader, and Assistant Head of Girls Camp at another sleepaway camp alongside Lauren. Now as Walden’s Younger Camp Girls Head Counselor, Ange brings a great deal of camp experience. Knowing and understanding campers’ individual needs, being exceptionally nurturing and caring, and communicating so well with children and parents make Ange ideally suited to care for our younger campers. Ange graduated from Washburn University with a Bachelor’s degree in History, Political Science, and Secondary Education. She currently teaches high school Advanced Placement U.S. History. It is no wonder that a few years back Ange was named Teacher of the Year in her school district because of her incredible impact on children. She and her husband Tom have a daughter, Emma, who also loves spending every summer at Walden.
Emerson joined the Walden family in 2015 as the Assistant Athletic Director, and now works as the Boys Head Counselor. With his 25+ years of camping experience, he truly believes that camp brings out the best version of himself and others. His leadership and positive energy radiates through many aspects of camp, as he helps campers to feel safe and supported while trying new activities. Originally from Montreal, Emerson now lives in Switzerland where he is a personal trainer and strength coach, and the Head Coach for Villars Basket – a semi-pro basketball team that he also played on for seven years. He is joined at camp by his wife, Stephanie, and their two children, Elisha and Jayden.
Erin has been a part of the Camp Walden family since she was 7 years old. Erin started her camp experience in 1995, as a Freshman girl, continuing each summer until becoming a staff member. Over the years, she has taken on many roles including, Water-Ski Instructor, Assistant Waterfront Director, CIT Coordinator, Younger Boys Division Head and now is our Boys Head Counselor. Erin is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging her boys and she is always at the center of evening activities and special event days. During the year, Erin works as a special needs teacher at Summit School in Montreal, Canada. She is a graduate of McGill University holding both a Bachelors degree in Education and a Masters degree in Educational Leadership. Her enthusiasm and love for Camp Walden is contagious to everyone around her.
Program Directors
Susan grew up at Camp Walden, having spent 15 years as a Walden camper while her dad was the Waterfront Director! We are fortunate that she returned to camp in 2008 to serve as our Waterfront Director. Susan works as a high school Special Education teacher, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Buffalo State and a Master’s degree in Education from Lehman College. She loves being back at Walden ensuring a safe, fun waterfront experience for all of our campers. Susan and her husband, Doug, have three children, Andrew, Lauren, and Lindsay, who all grew up at Walden.
Lucie has been at her summer home, Camp Walden, since 2009. She has spent almost all of her years as a member of the waterfront team. Her goal is to keep everyone safe while having as much fun as possible. She loves helping children master new skills such as swimming and skiing and she also loves training instructors to do the same (putting her Master in Sports Management to great use!) Back home in the Czech Republic, Lucie runs an agency that promotes Cultural Exchange amongst young people, helping them experience summer work and travel programs, and internships all over the world. You always see her facing water and focused intently on the action – the same way all the lifeguards she trained in Europe and in the US do.
Rory has been an elementary school teacher for 5 years and worked with children in a youth club setting for 16 years. He started at camp as the “mountain biking guy” and has also enjoyed working on ropes, as a speedboat driver, and now helps to run an incredible waterfront program. Rory also is a ‘go to’ person who helps to organize and execute campwide entertainment throughout the summer. His favorite thing about camp is showing children and staff that it’s okay to be anything they want to be, encouraging them to let go of normal constraints to enjoy the moment.
Donald started at Walden in 2010 and in a short time he has grown to be a wonderful part of the Walden family. Now when it pours down rain, it becomes “Donald Day” at camp – muddy sports moments and dance parties on A campus, the spirit never stops. Donald holds a Bachelor’s degree in Health and Physical Education from Radford University and a Master’s degree in Coaching from West Virginia University. He began his coaching career over 20 years ago while in college and has taught physical education and health at both the elementary and middle school level since 1996. Donald and his daughter Abby absolutely love their summers at Camp Walden.
Lucy has worked at Walden since 2012, taking on the roles of munchie counselor, bunk counselor and activity counselor, on both girls and boys camp. After five summers as an exceptional member of our ropes team, Lucy became the Assistant Head of Ropes and then the Head of Ropes in 2018. Back home in the UK, Lucy puts her BA degree in Early Childhood Education to use, working as part of the management team in a large nursery. When she is not at Walden she loves to spend her time travelling, keeping active, and climbing all year round!
Michael Colasurdo - Assistant Chef/Dining Room Manager
Jodi Green Colasurdo grew up as a camper at Camp Walden in the 1980’s. Walden became her summer home and she knew she wanted to return years later with her family. The Colasurdos have been loving camp together since 2010. Jodi is the Drama Director, and wears many other hats as well. She directs the shows and oversees the drama workshops. Jodi is an intricate part of planning many of our fun activities and programs. At home, Jodi is a Music Entertainer and Acting Instructor. She loves bringing joy to others through music, getting children to perform for the first time and helping them find their passion.
“Chef Mike” is the Assistant Chef and the Dining Room Manager. His talents are not only in his cooking but also in his kindness. During the school year, Michael is an 8th Grade Social Studies Teacher and Sports Coach.
Both Jodi and Michael received their Bachelor degrees from Ramapo College in New Jersey. They love their summers at Walden as do their children, Michael and Marti.
Jill always says that the best summers of her life started when she was in her 40s when she started coming to Camp Walden. Since 2010 she has been climbing the hill to the top of camp where the magic happens. The art and hobby building is constantly buzzing and where the campers have a chance to be creative and let their imaginations flourish. Jill graduated from Emerson College with a degree in advertising and film and later got her masters in Elementary Education from Fordham University. After many careers, including teaching, working in the film and movie business for documentaries and special effects, and advertising, she found her current passion in the decorative arts doing faux painting and murals. The time spent at Walden with these very outstanding campers and counselors doing art such as tie dye, candle making, t-shirt art, rocketry, mosaics, and crocheting just to name a few, never ceases to amaze her. Jill and her two girls, Bari and Harlee, couldn’t be happier being part of the Walden family for all these years.
Cricket has been at Walden since 2018, but she comes with vast knowledge and great experience. She grew up as a camper who loved camp and was on staff in so many roles through the many years she spent working in the camp industry. Her last stint was spending 29 years as the Administrative Director and Adventures Teen Travel Director at a large day camp. She is a member of the American Camp Association, and a member of the Tri-State Camp Conference Program Committee. She has been a speaker at regional and national camp conferences and a two time Tri-State Camp Conference Award Recipient. Cricket has spent time in her past working for the Girl Scouts and is a Lifetime Member.
Division Leaders
Jon and Deidra met during their first summer working at Camp Walden in 2011, and after years of returning as group leaders they are now both intricate pieces in our leadership team. Now married, they live in Minneapolis, Minnesota where they both work as high school teachers. At camp, Jon works as a Boys Division Head, leads morning line up, and has a role in camp programming both on and off stage. His fun and energetic personality helps push campers and staff to try new things, build connections with one another and LOVE camp! Deidra works with younger girls and her kind, nurturing, and caring nature helps to support campers and staff to be the best version of themselves. Both Jon and Deidra are dedicated to creating an environment where staff and campers feel like they belong and are a part of the Walden family. Their passion and love for camp is contagious to those around them, and they couldn’t think of spending their summers anywhere but Walden!
Operations
Heather’s first experience at Walden was in the early ‘90s when she worked as a Group Leader from 1991-1993. During this time, Heather met her husband, Jon, and also led the Grey Werewolves to Color War victory in 1992! After Heather and Jon’s children started at camp, Heather couldn’t stay away. In 2012, Heather returned to camp to work as the Health Center Administrator and part-time in the winter office, eventually taking on a year-round position. In 2019, she assumed the role of Office Manager. Heather loves that she gets to spend all year working at Camp Walden, as she considers Walden her “home away from home”.
Ashley has spent over 15 years at Walden, starting as a camper in 2003 and continuing her love and passion for camp through many summers on staff. Ashley has worked with girls of all ages in various leadership roles, watching them grow and thrive over the years. Since graduating college at the University of Vermont, she has made Walden a major part of her life and career, working year round in our winter office. She can’t imagine spending her summers anywhere but Walden, and loves the year round work of preparing for all of our campers and our staff.
Agi Roberts - Allergy Chef
Zack started working at camp in 2011. He was an assistant chef at a camp in Pennsylvania prior, and Walden was so fortunate have him come our way. He is a talented chef and a wonderful manager of our large kitchen team. Outside of camp, Zack is a private chef for a sorority at the University of Arkansas.
In 2012, Zack met his wife Agi at Walden. She too is such an incredible asset to our camp. Agi began working on our housekeeping team and then joined our kitchen crew. Agi is so incredibly kind and has such attention to detail that it wasn’t long before she became one of our head people cooking for our campers with allergies and dietary restrictions.
We are so grateful that Camp Walden has really become a second home for Zack and Agi.
Alex or “Chef A” as he is commonly called, started his camp experience in 2015. He began as one of our cooks and worked his way up to the position of Assistant Chef. Outside of camp, he works in the restaurant industry. He loves cooking for all of our campers and staff. He takes such pride in his work. When he is not cooking, he loves to travel and hike and especially loves stumbling on a beautiful waterfall in the Adirondacks.
Health Center
Our Health Center Team is the perfect combination of brilliant professionals, incredible care-givers and loving kindness. We feel so fortunate to have a doctor and six registered nurses available for our campers and our staff. Our health center administrators are there to support our team, our campers and their families.
Dr. Emily Bahler
Dr. Sarah Feldmann
Dr. Margie Langer
Dr. Anne Negrin Reis
Catie Sitcoff, RN
Kenya Samad, RN
Megan Bainbridge, RN
Diana Ciletti, RN
Jenny Hirsch, RN
Nikki Tabron, RN
Lisa Letz, RN
Chantel Magill, RN
Carla Hayman, Health Center Admin
