Welcome Louis!
Louis comes to us with ten years of camping experience, and Kyle Kolling has known him for several years as a highly respected Jewish camp director. Kyle and Louis’s shared vision for the future of what overnight camp is aligns seamlessly, and we’re confident he is the perfect fit for our Camp Chi family. He currently is the director of Camp Laurelwood, a beautiful Jewish overnight camp in Connecticut, and prior to working there for the past six summers, he served as the Director of Day Camp at the JCC in Springfield, MA for three years, Assistant Director of Camp O-la-mi, and the Director of the Kids Place after school program at the Stamford JCC in Stamford, CT. Having studied Elementary Education at Elmira College, Louis also brings his wealth of child development knowledge to further support our campers’ well-being and growth, enriching their camp experience.
Louis has built his career around creating fun, engaging, and diverse programs for children and teens. His experience developing leadership opportunities for teens as a Merrin Teen Professional Fellow in 2012 has significantly enriched the camps he’s worked at, and he looks forward to applying these learnings at Camp Chi.
While Louis doesn’t officially start as Associate Director until September, he’ll kick-off the transition by virtually meeting with the Camp Chi team in the off-season. In March, he alongside Kyle and Jared, will attend the Tri-States Camp Conference in New Jersey, one of the largest camp conferences in the world that focuses on improving crucial camp aspects such as inclusion practices, community care initiatives and best in class activities and snacks. He’ll also join our team retreat where we engage in strategic planning for camp and team building. And of course, Louis will visit Chi this summer so he can see our home away from home in action!
On a more personal note, Louis grew up in Minnesota and has a lot of family in Chicago and Madison, making him feel right at home. Next summer, he’ll be joined at camp with his wife Kristin, their two golden doodles, Matzo Ball and Wrigley, and his daughter, Emmie, whose just over a year old and 6 days older than Kyle and Natalie’s son, Chase! What’s more, he can’t wait to be close to Culver’s and is already planning to make frequent trips there.
The warmth, enthusiasm and commitment to Jewish summers that Louis embraces makes him an amazing addition to Camp Chi. With his extensive experience and love for camp, having grown up attending overnight camp himself, he understands how life-changing summers are for our campers and staff. We can’t wait to see his impact on Chi’s incredible legacy in the years ahead. We’re thrilled for you all to have the chance to meet him