Melissa is an experienced Accounting Manager with a background in finance, team leadership, and process improvement with over a decade in the field. Her expertise spans bookkeeping, payroll, reconciliations, and financial reporting, streamlining operations, and managing complex accounting functions. When she’s not working with numbers, she enjoys spending time with her daughter, Addison, and their bull terrier, Daisy. Melissa is …
Jason Knowles
Jason has over two decades of leadership experience in youth development, outdoor education, and nonprofit management. Most recently, he served as the Executive Director of Lantern Light Camps, where he spearheaded enrollment growth and forged new partnerships with youth-serving organizations. Through his career, Jason held senior leadership roles at The Aloha Foundation in Vermont, including Chief Operating Officer and Director of the Hulbert …
Ceanna Fried
Ceanna first came to Merrowvista is 1999 and fell in love! After completing her camper journey, she joined the summer camp staff and then the internship cohort for community and school programs. She loves that the AYF inspires all campers to strive to be their own best selves and creates a space for participants to explore the world around them. …
Matt Loper
Matt Loper is a dedicated leader in youth development, outdoor education, and nonprofit management with a deep-rooted connection to the American Youth Foundation spanning over 15 years. His journey with AYF has taken him from community and school program leadership to operations management and program innovation, serving in a variety of roles at both Merrowvista and Miniwanca. After receiving a …
Catherine Klene
Catherine Klene (she/her) joined the AYF team in April 2020. She was a magazine writer and editor for more than 10 years before she decided to explore how she could use her skills in the nonprofit space. She was drawn to the AYF’s mission of helping youth discover their own best selves and live balanced lives. She is thrilled to …
Griffin Vogler
Griffin brings her passion for community, mentorship, and inspirational growth to the AYF after a 10-year career in the senior healthcare industry in Kansas City where her work ranged from program coordinator to executive director. Her degree in organizational leadership combined with her work experience has presented many opportunities to bring best self and balanced living practices into her professional …
Andy Mulcahy
Andy brings experience from the commercial construction arena where he built several multifamily housing complexes, as well as developed several smaller properties in New York, Martha’s Vineyard, Atlanta, and St. Louis. He has earned a master’s degree in building, construction, and facility management from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Andy is also a combat veteran, having served as a staff …
Kris Light
Kris Light has a 20-year history with the American Youth Foundation. His foundation with the AYF began as a seasonal Four Trails leader, camp coordinator, and Community and Schools Program team member. He continued to work seasonally with the AYF, until he began his full-time career with the AYF in 2008 as Director of Camp Programs at Merrowvista. In 2019, …
Sandra George
Miniwanca was a transformative force in Sandra George’s life. She returned to camp summer after summer, first as a camper and National Leadership Conference participant, then as a seasonal staff member, and later, a volunteer. After a 20-year career as a community mental health professional in Cincinnati, she’ll return to the dunes once again this summer, this time as the …
Liz Marshall
Liz Marshall is an inspiring educator and community leader, committed to nurturing compassionate young people prepared to make a positive impact on both their local and global communities. Her journey towards this mission began on the sand dunes of Miniwanca during the 1980s, where she grew from staff kid to camper to summer staff under her mother Suzy, who served …
