Directors
Site Directors
The maestros that orchestrate it all. For campers, parents and staff, they are the ultimate resource.
See below our directors from 2011.
Alli Tobin – San Francisco, Sunset Site Director
Born and raised in Mill Valley, California, Alli has known Steve and Kate since she was 6 yrs-old. After graduating from Georgetown University in Washington DC, she has traveled extensively through Asia, South America and Europe, including one year spent teaching English to children on a small fishing island in Japan. During the school year, she works at San Francisco Day School as an Associate Teacher and is returning to direct our San Francisco, Sunset site again this summer. In her free time you can often find Alli hiking, watching college basketball and perfecting her sushi rolling skills.
Liz Upchurch – San Mateo Site Director
After taking an 8-month trip around the world, Liz found that the best place on earth to spend the summer is Steve & Kate’s Camp. Originally from Ohio, Liz graduated from Hiram College with a major in French (which comes in handy on her travels), then spent almost 10 years developing and implementing innovative programs for children and youth with a non-profit organization. As a child, Liz spent a lot of time in the kitchen testing new recipes on her siblings – she’s thrilled to now be one of the taste testers for the campers in the Culinary Arts Studio. This will be Liz’s 3rd summer as a site director.
Sara Youmans – San Carlos Site Director
This is Sara’s first year as a site director at Steve & Kate’s Camp and she is excited to be a member of the team. Born and raised most of her life in Iowa, Sara is a midwestern at heart. She lived in Germany during high school with her parents and then attended Drake University back in Iowa, where she met her husband, Dan. In 2006 she and her husband moved out to the Bay Area to pursue a new adventure and have been here since. Sara does not have any children, but does have one very spoiled Jack Russell Terrier named Bailey, who keeps her on her toes. During her free time, Sara loves to read and can often be found with her nose in a good novel. She also loves candy and anything sweet, and looks forward to learning (and eating of course!) some yummy desserts in the culinary studio.
Kay Alton – Lafayette Site Director
After living in Kenya and Belgium for the first 15 years of her life, Kay settled in Minnesota where she continued to finish a Masters in Education in Youth Development Leadership. She continued her travels to the Big Island of Hawaii where she did Wilderness Therapy with youth and on to Fiji and Australia where she worked with teens to bring out their inner adventurer. Kay just finished up her second Masters, this time in Social Work, and has loved practicing Narrative Therapy at El Cerrito High School and Fairmont Elementary. You will find Kay leading the campers in a morning yoga class, or sneaking the crepe recipe out of the kitchen, no telling.
Caryn Bostrom – Danville Site Director
Caryn studied English Literature and the art of coffee making in Seattle before moving to Danville to coach swimming and teach middle school language arts. A mom to two rambunctious boys who love the dirt, she enjoys finding organic and sustainable ways to feed her family and friends. Being that the kitchen is her favorite place to spend her free time, you’ll likely find her whipping something up in the Culinary Arts Studio this summer. In the off-season, she can be found traipsing around the East Bay with her camera or volunteering with one of her favorite non-profits.
Jessica Lamson – Novato Site Director
This is Jessica’s 6th summer with Steve & Kate’s. She is a graduate of Santa Clara University where she studied Liberal Studies. Jessica recently received her multiple subject teaching credential from Dominican University and is excited to be working in the classroom as well as at camp this summer! As a child, Jessica was outside all the time playing soccer, basketball, and running around. When at camp you can usually find her outside playing a recreational game of any kind with the campers.
Mike “Mikey T” Taylor – Kentfield Site Director
This is Mike’s 3rd year with Steve & Kate’s. He’s a graduate of UC Davis and a former elementary school teacher. As a child, Mike was outside pretty much all the time playing street hockey, riding bikes and playing baseball until the sun went down. Not a surprise, at camp, you can usually find him outside playing a thrilling game of “rocks” with the campers. When he’s not at camp or in the office working on program development and staff training, Mike is probably gardening, cycling or rock climbing.
Callie Rae Force – Mill Valley Site Director
This is Callie Rae’s first year with Steve & Kate’s camp and she is thrilled to be working at the Mill Valley location. Originally from the Sunshine State, Callie Rae got her master’s degree in education from the University of Florida. After graduating she worked at a variety of alternative educational settings including a Montessori school, a summer reading program, and, of course, summer camps. At camp, you’ll most often find her hanging with the rubber chicken in the performing arts, style, and culinary studios.
Jane Orr – Palo Alto Site Director
Jane is the Site Director at our Palo Alto site for her second summer with Steve & Kate’s Camp. She comes to us with a Master’s degree in Environmental Sciences and worked for many years as an environmental consultant and project manager before pursuing a career in education. Before coming to Steve and Kate’s Camp, Jane was working as a nature and outdoor educator. Originally from England, Jane believes that pretty much all of life’s crises can be solved by a proper cup of tea.
Gina Thomas – Soquel Site Director
After spending her first 18 years as a Michigan farm girl, Gina caught the travel bug and backpacked through two dozen countries, from the clamoring city streets of Bangkok to the Great Ocean Road in Australia. Gina eventually settled in Kalamazoo where she created and directed a wilderness summer learning program for teens. Currently Gina is working on her doctorate in developmental psychology at UC Santa Cruz. When she doesn’t have her nose in a book, you’ll find Gina trying out new recipes in her kitchen. For her 2nd summer with Steve & Kate’s Camp, you’re likely to find her in the Cooking Studio, offering to be a taste-tester as campers experiment with sauces and spices.
Mario Hankton – San Francisco, Presidio Heights – Site Director
Born in San Francisco, as a child Mario attended a progressive elementary school where he had access to a wide variety of activities daily including tai chi, sewing, conga drums, and creative writing. After graduating high school he chose to start his own small recording studio, while mentoring younger students and coaching youth basketball. Later, he returned to school and earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Management. Currently Mario spends his free time studying American Sign Language as well as mentoring young people and volunteering in the Bay Area.
Ben Hartel – Los Gatos Site Director
This is Ben’s first year with Steve & Kate’s camp and he is stoked to be working at the Los Gatos location. Ben is originally from New England, raised in Southern California, and now lives in Santa Cruz. Ben studied at Calvary Chapel Bible College and has nearly 20 years management experience in the business world. But, whether he’s been leading youth groups, serving as a Jr. High Pastor, a summer camp counselor, or Sunday school director, Ben continues to find himself working with kids. When he’s not at camp this summer, you’ll probably find him surfing, training for a marathon, watching baseball, or working in the vegetable garden with his wife and kids.
Massimo Pacchione – Pleasanton Site Director
Originally from the wilds of Philadelphia, PA, Massimo moved to the Bay Area 3 years ago to attend graduate school at the San Francisco Art Institute. Having just received his Masters degree this spring, he is excited to be exiting his art studio and re-emerging as a functioning human being. Having spent much of his childhood drawing cartoons on the floor, Massimo has a true interest in advancing the role of creativity in the lives of children. As a former competitive swimmer and a diehard Philadelphia sports fan, he also brings with him a very boisterous disposition. He looks forward to utilizing his extensive experience and very loud voice at the brand new Pleasanton site.
Robyn Kopp – Santa Rosa Site Director
After having the summer of a lifetime making movies with Santa Rosa campers as the Film Specialist, Robyn is excited to return to Sonoma Country Day School for another Steve & Kate’s summer as Site Director. Robyn is currently in her third year of graduate school at San Francisco State University, gaining her MFA in Cinema Production. Having recently completed her Thesis script, Robyn is very excited to be heading back to beautiful SCDS campus to say hello to both old and new friends. Places you can always find Robyn: dancing like crazy in the Performing Arts Studio, taste testing camper’s creations in the Culinary Studio and, of course, chatting with budding filmmakers in the Film Studio.
Jonathan Crouch – San Jose Site Director
Known for his large sputnik like cranium and a stellar sense of humor, Jonathan joins Steve & Kate’s camp for his first year at the San Jose location. Growing up in the great outdoors of Colorado, Jonathan discovered his own inner creative genius. He now lives to see children unlock their own creative abilities and share them with the world. A typical day will find Jonathan life coaching, philosophizing, doing stand up comedy, building community or leading a small revolt with his 2 children against green vegetables being served on the dinner plate.
