Meet the 2018 Village Leaders
At Camp Chi, campers live in Villages with other campers in their grade. It’s a great way to make a bigger camp like Camp Chi feel more intimate and creates a sense of home for everyone. Each village is staffed by counselors and specialists who provide the best possible experience for campers around the clock. But, behind each Village is a crucial staff member who keeps everything running smoothly: the Village Leaders! Each Village Leader works closely all session long with their particular Village and, trust us when we say that they do A LOT. Some of the Village Leaders’ responsibilities include training and supervising counselors, serving as the primary contact for parents, working with campers to resolve any kind of problem, and much more! They are the glue that unites all the Villages into one big camp! So, without further ado, we’d like to introduce your 2018 Camp Chi Village Leaders for 1st Session:
Lexi Dockman – Lexi is thrilled to be the Shoreshim Village Leader this session! This is Lexi’s 10th summer at Camp Chi, and she has been a staff member since 2014, including being a counselor for our SITs of 2017. Hailing from Minnesota, Lexi is entering her senior year at Bradley University, and loves all things tie-dye, puppies, and ice cream.
Jori Wineburgh* – Jori is returning for her 13th summer at Camp Chi and is excited to be the Tsofim Village Leader. This is going to be Jori’s 4th summer as a Village Leader and her 7th year on staff, including being a SIT counselor in 2014 ! Jori graduated from Indiana University in Elementary Education and is currently teaching at Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School. She loves baking yummy gluten free desserts in her free time. Hopefully we’ll get to try some of them this summer!
Caroline Hamlin – Caroline is excited to join Camp Chi this summer, as the Chalutzim Village Leader. Caroline grew up in Texas and went to camp there for 10 years. This fall, Caroline will be a senior at Ohio Wesleyan University studying Environment Studies and Geography. After graduating, she plans to continue her education, pursuing a master’s degree.
Danny Gross – Danny or “D-Ster” as he is known at camp, cannot wait to be the Chalutzim Village Assistant this summer. This summer is Danny’s 12th at Chi and his first as a village leader. Danny was a SIT of 2014 and has worked for camp ever since then in Chalutzim and Noar. Danny just finished his sophomore year at the University of Minnesota, where he is a Finance major. He’s so happy to be back in his summer home and share his love of camp with all the 7th graders!
Jess Newman – Jess is our comeback kid, making her return to Chi (and Habo), after taking the past few years off. This is Jess’s 10th summer at Chi, and 3rd on staff. Jess is excited be a Habo Village leader since she’s been in Habo every session she worked at Chi! Jess just graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Elementary and Special education. She’s a real daredevil, having gone skydiving, and is so happy to back in her favorite place on the planet – Camp Chi.
Jared London – Jared, known almost exclusively as JLo, can’t wait to be a Habo Village Leader this summer, his 12th at Chi. JLo loves to go stargazing at camp and is known to many as one of the best water basketball players in camp, all of which he does wearing his trademark bandana. Jared is proud of his passion and love for camp and cannot wait to share it with his campers and staff this summer.
AJ Teplinsky – AJ is one of the Noar Village Leaders. This is going to be AJ’s 13th summer at Camp Chi, and he’s been on staff since 2014. In all of his summers at camp, AJ has accomplished some incredible feats including winning his Habo Day, never being hit by a single rain drop and making Tikvah great again. AJ is excited to bring his energy and creative programing to Teen Camp this summer!
Sam Welbel – Sam is back for his 12th summer at Camp Chi as one of the Noar Village Leaders! Sam recently graduated with his BA in Dance from the University of Wisconsin- Madison, and is excited to embark on the next part of his journey after camp. In addition to being a Village Leader last year, Sam worked at Chi since 2013 and was a SIT counselor in 2016. Some of Sam’s biggest accomplishments include being the Co Editor-In-Chief of the yearbook in middle school and getting the longest standing ovation during a SIT play ever.
Danielle Poteshman* – DP is back for her 4th year as a Village Leader and is going to be with Yeladim this summer! This is going to be her 16th summer at Chi, which is impressive in its own right. Before being a Village Leader, DP was a counselor for four years and was a SIT counselor in 2014. DP describes herself as a kid at heart, which makes sense because she works with children during the school year and during the summer. She’s excited to spend another summer at her favorite place!
Dani Schur – this is Dani’s 11th summer at Chi and her 4th on staff, but her first as a village leader. Dani will be a junior at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the fall, where she is studying Kinesiology. Dani is excited to lead Kadima to new places this summer and make it the best village in camp.
Avery Spitz – Avery is excited for her 8th summer at Chi, and her first as a village leader. This will be Avery’s 4th summer on staff, and she can’t wait to embrace this leadership position in a place she is so passionate about. Avery is studying Public Health and Psychology and Tulane University. At camp, Avery loves waterski, ropes, and outdoor cooking, and she can’t wait to plan awesome programs for campers this summer.
Abby Brown*– Abby is excited to be back at Chi for Mini Session 2 this summer. She’s been coming to camp since she was in 4th grade – that’s 14 years! Abby has been everything from a camper, to a SIT, to a counselor, to an Assistant Village Leader, and Village Leader for Shoreshim last year. Abby just graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign and will be a teacher at Plainfield Elementary in Des Plaines in the fall. Abby is excited to be back in Lake Delton this summer!
Liran Kremnitzer* – Liran is back for his 5th summer at Camp Chi! This summer, Liran is resuming his role as the Camp USA Leader, which means he works with all of our Israeli campers. Liran has an extensive background with overnight camps seeing as he was Assistant Director at JCC Camp Kingswood, Assistant Director at Camp Kimama New York, SIT Director at URJ Crane Lake Camp, and Noar Village Leader here at Camp Chi!
*not pictured