Meet the 2019 Village Leaders
They say it takes a village and it sure does! But what does it take to run that village? There is no perfect formula, but we know it takes a whole lot of charisma, unbelievable amounts of energy, tons of creativity, a strong sense of character, undeniable leadership skills, and a sense of humor that can’t be beat. Those are the ingredients to making an awesome village leader. 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! We search high and low to secure the best village leaders and can’t wait to introduce them to you!
Shoreshim: Lexi Dockman
This will be Lexi’s 11th summer at Chi and her second as a village leader. Hailing from Minnesota, Lexi returns to Shoreshim after graduating from Bradley University. Lexi loves all things tie dye and enjoys ice cream on a hot summer day (or every Thursday night at camp). You will usually find Lexi helping out around camp wherever she can. Why? Well that’s just who she is!
Tsofim: Jori Wineburgh
Jori is returning for her 14th summer at Camp Chi and is excited to be the Tsofim Village Leader. This is going to be Jori’s 5th summer as a Village Leader and her 8th 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. Jori used to be a competitive swimmer, so she loves pool time. She also enjoys baking gluten free desserts, and we hope we’ll get to try some of them this summer!
Chalutzim: George Thombs & Nicole Hults
Perhaps no one has worn more hats than George at camp. In his 5 years on staff, he has been an OC specialist, Noar counselor, OC supervisor, and was the honorary SIT for the SITs of 2018. With all his OC experience, George can start pretty much any fire in 30 seconds, and he loves basketball. Sadly, George isn’t able to whistle, but he would love to learn from his Chalutzim campers this summer.
Rounding out Chalutzim is Nicole Hults. Nicole is currently a student at the University of Missouri and is back for her 12th summer at Chi. Nicole may be tone deaf, but she loves to sing all day every day. Perhaps what sets her apart is her determination. Did you know she has bounced a bouncy ball in every tile of the office floor? Now that’s impressive!
Habonim: Jared “J-Lo” London & Anna Ramirez
J-Lo is back for his second summer as the Habo Village leader and he is pumped. This is his 13th summer at Chi and 5th on staff. J-Lo loves nothing more than camp and when at camp, stargazing is his favorite thing to do. J-Lo is a pretty talented guy, never having missed a shot in water basketball! Who wants challenge him this summer?
Anna Ramirez completes the Habonim team and she is pumped! A cornerstone fellow last year, this is Anna’s 4th year on staff and 10th summer at Chi. Anna loves the cove and is always willing to hop in a boat or on the rave, while she is also equally happy to relax and play on the beach.
Noar: Matty Vergun & Micah Cohn
Matty is ecstatic to be one of the Noar village leaders this summer, his second at Chi. Matty embodies the sense of humor aspect of the job, which is great as he is a comedian in Chicago. When not making others laugh, Matty will wow you with his Tony Hawk Proskater 3 skills. And Matty can’t wait to help the teens get groovy with his favorite artists, Stevie Nicks!
Micah Cohn is back for her 12th year at camp and is pretty psyched to be the other half of the Noar team. Micah is classically trained in kazoo and was once voted the tallest person in her town. Micah loves spending both days and nights by the cove, which means if you are ever looking for her, that may be a good place to check.
Mini Session 1: Danielle “DP” Poteshman
If you want experience, look no further than DP, who is coming back for her 17th summer at camp. DP has two pups named Kugel and Farfel and is a first grade teacher in Chicago. DP may be the strongest communicator on the team, which is ironic as she can talk without moving her mouth!
Joining us for Mini Session 2 is Jess Newman. This summer will be Jess’s 11th at Chi and 4th on staff. Jess graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Elementary and Special education last year and is currently a kindergarten teacher at the same school where DP teaches. She’s a real daredevil, having gone skydiving, and is so happy to back in her favorite place on the planet – Camp Chi.