LEADERSHIP
Director: Sheila Tallmon
Sheila comes to Nor'wester with over 20 years of experience in the camp industry. Her time is dedicated to the overall vision of camp, keeping traditions alive and bringing new perspective into play. She moved from Colorado, having worked at a private summer camp in the Rocky Mountain National Park area, and is loving her Nor'wester experience. She enjoys backpacking, hiking, singing, playing the piano and all things having to do with camp!
Assistant Director: Jill Steigerwald
Jill spent three summers on staff with Nor’wester before coming on board as the Assistant Director in March 2012. She previously worked for YMCA of the Rockies in Colorado for the three years and hails from Vermont. She enjoys being outdoors – hiking, camping, biking, swimming, and Nordic and alpine skiing. Jill brings an enthusiasm and love for camp that is evident through her leadership and vision for the future of camp.
Administrator: Erika Whittaker
We'd like to welcome Erika as our newest year-round team member. Erika worked on staff for three summers as a Unit Leader (’09-’11) and brought her generous spirit, energy and vitality to the Nor’wester camp community. She has a background in challenge course facilitation, received her BA from Western Washington in Sociology with a minor in Political Science, and has spent the last year working with a non-profit in an administrative roll, managing enrollment, parent contact, scheduling and offering BOD support. Erika brings professionalism, humor, and a passion for camp to our small but mighty team.
Property Manager: Rick Winings
Rick is the year-round guardian of our Johns Island property. His summers are focused on day-to-day repairs that come up when 250-plus people are on the property. During the winter he works on long-term improvement and maintenance projects. We are all grateful for his positive “can-do” attitude. Rick has been taking care of the camp property for over 10 years.
Summer Staff
Sheila and Jill work diligently to hire seasonal staff members with the experience and skills necessary to implement the Nor’wester philosophy. This means looking for individuals who are not only talented in specific department areas but who also understand the impact they will have on the campers with whom they spend the summer. Nor’wester’s summer staff of approximately 85 men and women, most of them college students and recent graduates, provide leadership to a maximum of 170 campers, with a supervision ratio of 1:3. Unit Staff, as “parents” for the unit, are responsible for planning and scheduling the daily activities of their campers, while Department Staff provide specialized instruction in their area of expertise. Medical personnel are available on a 24 hour basis. Background checks are conducted on all staff. At least three reference checks are conducted on new hires, in addition to an extensive application and interview process.
Board of Directors
In May of 1996 Camp Nor'wester was converted from a privately owned, for-profit corporation to a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit corporation. Since that time its mission and vision have been guided by its 15 member Board of Directors. Cumulatively they bring literally hundreds of years of Nor'wester experience to the table.
2012 Board
- President, Jeff Pietsch
- Vice-President, Janet Charnley
- Treasurer, Kim Berhow
- Secretary, Suzy McQuaid
- Megan Coughlin
- Deb Gore
- Bill Horder
- Steve Johnson
- David Joneschild
- Mike Montgomery
- Kirsten Morbeck
- Mike Poutiatine
- Lyle Summers
- George Swindells
- Robin Tatsuda
Directors Emeritus
- Donn Charnley
- Marty Holm
- Read Langenbach