Meet Our Staff

Ellie Daingerfield
Ellie Daingerfield began her career at Fairview Lake YMCA Camps in 1981 and accepted promotions throughout that time until being appointed to the position of Executive Director in 2006.  She is a member of the American Camp Association,  the Association of YMCA Professionals, and a 20 year member of the Hampton Township Rotary Club.  Ellie is also very active in her church, Harmony Hill United Methodist Church, where she has been President of the Board of Trustees, Lay Leader, and Sunday School teacher to name a few of her responsibilities.  She and her husband, Bruce, have lived in Stillwater for 35 years.




Heather Chadwick
Senior Director, Heather Chadwick has been involved in YMCA camping for 25 years, at Fairview Lake YMCA Camps since 2006.  Heather understands the impact that a Fairview Lake YMCA program can have on the lives of those who have the opportunity to experience them.  Heather has extensive experience in directing Environmental Education and Summer Camp Programs and has chaired regional conferences. Heather is a member and visitor for the American Camp Association, past president and  member of the New York State Outdoor Education Association who presented her with their Leadership Award in 2007.  Heather enjoys travel and has taken the opportunity to explore many interesting countries and enjoys connecting with people and learning their culture.



Jennie Griffin
Director of Year-Round Programs Jennie Griffin, grew up in New York City where she came to appreciate her summers at sleep away camp in the country.  After graduating from New York University and teaching on the Lower East Side Jennie found herself yearning for the country.  After a quick trip to career services at NYU she learned about the wonders of environmental education.  In March of 1992 Jennie began her career at Fairview Lake YMCA camps as a young naturalist with a desire to learn everything anyone would teach her.  As the years progressed, she thrived on the diversity of programs every season, never mind day of the week, offered at Fairview Lake.  Jennie has found a new home with new challenges and opportunities each day.




Marc Koch
Summer Camp Director, Marc Koch, has been employed at Fairview Lake YMCA for over 10 years.  Marc began his career at Fairview Lake as a Ranch Camp Counselor in 1998 and has never left Camp since then.  Marc spent the next few years at Camp as an environmental educator as well as being the Assistant Director of our Environmental Trips for Challenge summer camp program.  In 2002, Marc became our Summer Camp Director and 2009 will be the 8th summer under his direction.  Marc's favorite camp activities are horseback riding, roasting marshmallows, swimming in the lake and of course, Color War.  During his time off Marc enjoys spending time with his wife Carolyn (who he met at Camp) and two children, going to Yankees games and gardening.



Stephanie Wilson
Stephanie began her tenure at Fairview Lake as a camper in 1986.  After Minisink Stephanie spent many summers as a Laurel Ridge camper.  She experienced many different summer camp jobs and became the Assistant Summer Camp Director in 2004.  Stephanie received her undergraduate degree from Lafayette College and her graduate degree from John Jay College.  She is the acting president of the Scott S. Wilson Foundation, a specialty and children’s charity which helped build a new archery range at Fairview Lake in 2006.  Stephanie’s favorite things to do at camp are windsurfing, cheering for Laurel Ridge and sitting by the lake enjoying the view.




Colin Campbell
Colin has been part of the Fairview Lake Staff for nine years.  He is part of the diverse group of program instructors that help deliver the programs at camp.  In the summer months he is in his second year of overseeing ETC, the adventure camp program where campers partake in backpacking, canoeing, climbing and caving.  Colin has worked at other YMCA camps around the country and abroad.

Ron Thoenig
Senior Naturalisit Ron Thoenig has worked as a naturalist at Fairview Lake YMCA Camps Environmental Education Programs for over 16 years and has shared his love and knowledge of the environment with more than 100,000 people that he has instructed at the camp. His love for the outdoors, its protection and preservation are conveyed in his everyday interactions with children and adults alike. With the use of his calls, imitating a coyote or calling in a screech owl on a night hike, he engages those who are his companions on the trail, giving them an excitement that makes them want to return and find out more! Ron has a unique talent for being able to make even the most complex ideas in ecology, biology and botany easy for any student to understand through his use of concrete examples and real-life experiences. He is well respected and an inspiration to students and teachers alike.



Steven Michaelis
Steven Michaelis has been employed as the Facility Manager at Fairview Lake YMCA Camps since January of 1997.  He came to us from Speers-Eljabar YMCA Camp in Pennsylvania where he began his YMCA career in 1985.  Steve has an extensive background in property management, maintenance, and construction.  He has successfully completed a variety of major renovations and new construction projects over the years, which have positively impacted the organizations he has served.  Steve is originally from the southern New Jersey area where he worked in the forest products industry while attending a county community college.  Steve also attended course studies at Penn Academic Center in Philadelphia, and Burton Seminary in Vermont.  Steve has a great love of nature, and enjoys working and pursuing recreational activities in the outdoors.  He also enjoys listening and playing a variety of music.

Don Sienkiewicz
Food Service Director, Don Sienkiewicz, grew up in Sussex County.  After graduating from high school he enlisted in the U.S. Army where he was trained as a cook while stationed at Fort Carson Colorado.  After the Army, Don attended Rutgers University and graduated with a BA in economics and a minor in corporate finance.  After college, he returned to the food service industry working mostly in corporate dining as a chef/manager or food service director.  Most of his career before joining the YMCA in 2002, was spent with Sodexho Marriot, ASI and Whitson’s Food Service.  Don also managed corporate dining halls in companies such as Baxter Health Care, USPS, Tommy Hilfiger and Agilent Technologies.  Don currently resides in Fredon with his wife, Michele, and four year old daughter Madelyn.  His older son, Tommy, is away at college in San Diego.

Back to Top