As summer programs wrap up and out-of-school time school programs kick into gear, our NHQ staff are hard at work supporting Camp Fire affiliates across the country. We asked team members to share a bit about who they are, from the best parts of their jobs to what’s bringing them joy, hope, and excitement right now. Keep reading to get to know the people behind the mission, what they’ve been enjoying lately, and what has them looking forward to the year ahead.
Shawna: Chief Executive Officer
What is the best part of your job? Connecting with people… my job takes me from visiting Camp Fire programs in action where I can connect with a young person through a shared activity, to connecting with alumni over a shared memory, to a funder meeting where we can connect over shared purpose.
What is a book, podcast, show, music, or hobby/activity you’ve been enjoying lately? Brene Brown and Adam Grant have made a resurgence in my podcast feed and I’ve been enjoying the unexpected leadership lessons they highlight in their show, The Curiosity Shop.
What is something workwise that you’re excited about right now? It’s a tie! Both building new partnerships that connect more young people to Camp Fire programs and planning Camp Fire’s National Leadership Conference.
What is giving you hope? Young people today. From the CITs who shared their ideas for improving camp to the young camper who told me how proud he was of himself for swimming in the deep end, there is a generation of caring, creative, and confident humans coming of age and I can’t wait to see what they will accomplish.
Diana: Senior Advisor, Native Partnerships
What is the best part of your job? Having the opportunity to be a visionary and create something unique for Camp Fire.
What is a book, podcast, show, music, or hobby/activity you’ve been enjoying lately? Sewing and beading
What is something workwise that you’re excited about right now? Launching the Native Institute
What is giving you hope? Seeing the possibility of Native education and Native communities becoming more connected, more locally powerful, more culturally grounded—and more capable of providing the spaces for the next generations to thrive.
LaSheé: Manager, Executive Operations
What is the best part of your job? The best part of my job is the flexibility. Leadership’s commitment to work-life balance helps create a positive and supportive workplace culture.
What is a book, podcast, show, music, or hobby/activity you’ve been enjoying lately? One show I’ve been enjoying lately is The Ark. I’m a fan of science fiction, and I enjoy the mix of mystery, teamwork, and problem-solving as the characters navigate life in space.
What is something workwise that you’re excited about right now? Our National Leadership Conference in December that brings together leaders across our network.
What is giving you hope? My grandchildren give me hope. Their curiosity, resilience, and optimism remind me to focus on the opportunities and possibilities that lie ahead.
Nikki: VP, Youth Safety & Well-being
What is the best part of your job? Visiting Camp Fire sites and seeing programs in action!
What is a book, podcast, show, music, or hobby/activity you’ve been enjoying lately? My favorite podcaster released a new season – Scene on Radio: The News, that I just started. My hubby and I have been watching the show Dark Winds this summer and love it!
What is something workwise that you’re excited about right now? I’m excited about expanding and strengthening youth protection systems across the Camp Fire network.
What is giving you hope? Seeing Gen Z leading the way in mental health and well-being.
Val: Accounting Specialist
What is the best part of your job? I enjoy working with numbers, solving problems, and making sure everything is accurate. I also like being able to help my team when they need support.
What have you been enjoying lately? Lately, I’ve been listening to podcasts about personal growth and traveling to see my daughter, who lives in St. Louis, MO. I also enjoy spending time with my growing family and friends.
What are you excited about at work? I’m excited about continuing to grow in my accounting career, learning new skills, and taking on new challenges.
What is giving you hope? I’m hopeful about the future and the opportunities to keep learning, growing, and reaching my personal and professional goals.
Tanna: SVP, Network Services
What is the best part of your job? Creating systems and opportunities that better support our affiliates and help them succeed.
What is a book, podcast, show, music, or hobby/activity you’ve been enjoying lately? I’ve been reading The Confidence Code by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman, and I’ve also been getting back out on the golf course.
What is something work-wise you’re excited about right now? I’m excited to help plan this year’s NLC Conference! It will be my first, and I’m looking forward to being part of the planning process and seeing it all come together.
What is giving you hope? Stories of ordinary people who refuse to give up on the idea that our communities can be better and who are willing to sacrifice, learn, grow, and do whatever they can to make their communities and our nation better. I find that incredibly hopeful.
Joyce: Coordinator, Network Services
What is the best part of your job? Creating Work Health Love Awards
What is a book, podcast, show, music, or hobby/activity you’ve been enjoying lately? Criminal Minds
What is something workwise that you’re excited about right now? Preparing to process summer surveys
What is giving you hope? Cooler weather is giving me hope for an early fall.
HK: Director, Program Services
What is the best part of your job? When staff member at an affiliate says that something our team has created helps them, eases their mental load, or makes their program better. Best feeling ever!
What is a book, podcast, show, music, or hobby/activity you’ve been enjoying lately? I have been listening to a ton of emo and math rock lately and my favorite band for this is Del Paxton, a little emo band from Buffalo, NY. I think my music wrapped will have me in their top 1% of listeners…
What is something workwise that you’re excited about right now? I’m really excited about the partnerships we’re building with other values-driven subject matter experts and organizations, like Justice Outside. Working together with these folks makes our network stronger and gives us fresh ideas, insight, and energy.
What is giving you hope? The stories that don’t get covered on the news of people coming together to change something for the better. A recent example – conservation efforts and cooperation,the Great Barrier Reef has made a huge comeback this year. Two-thirds of the Great Barrier Reef has recorded the highest coral cover in nearly four decades!
Monica: Chief Operating Officer
What is the best part of your job? I love being able to take something that feels complicated or unclear and bring structure to it. Whether it’s a process, a financial issue, or an organizational challenge, I enjoy figuring out how all the pieces fit together and creating something that works better for the people involved.
What is a book, podcast, show, music, or hobby/activity you’ve been enjoying lately? I recently started HOTWORX and am really enjoying it. I decided I wanted to become one of those “morning workout people,” which for me means a 6:30 a.m. workout! Somehow, I’ve actually been sticking with it, and it’s become a great way to start my day. And on a completely different note, I’m so happy Ted Lasso is back on!
What is something workwise that you’re excited about right now? I’m about four months into my role, so I’m at that exciting point where I’m moving from learning and assessing into actually building and implementing. I’ve learned so much about the organization in a short amount of time, and I’m excited to start turning some of those observations into improvements that will help us work better.
What is giving you hope? Seeing things move forward. I’m someone who gets energized by progress, even when it happens in small steps. When people are willing to have honest conversations, try something differently, or work together to make something better, that gives me a lot of hope.
Emilia: Manager, Program Services
What is the best part of your job? The best part of my job is being able to support the people and programs of the Camp Fire network in a variety of ways, whether that’s facilitating a CoP for a small group of affiliates or creating a new course to be used by the whole network.
What is a book, podcast, show, music, or hobby/activity you’ve been enjoying lately? Lately, I’ve been enjoying the Handsome podcast, hosted by three comedians that I love. It’s the perfect blend of funny, heartfelt, and serious.
What is something workwise that you’re excited about right now? I’m excited for the upcoming school year and some of the new supports and releases we’re launching for afterschool, as well as initiatives specifically targeting amplifying youth voice.
What is giving you hope? Young people are giving me hope! Seeing young people engage with their local communities and advocate for themselves is exciting.
Chris: Director, Office Technology
What is the best part of your job? Opportunities to analyze, build and lift us up through systems.
What is a book, podcast, show, music, or hobby/activity you’ve been enjoying lately? My new turntable.
What is something workwise that you’re excited about right now? The new build outs coming to Learning Lab, our internal learning and professional development platform.
What is giving you hope? The steps we are taking to strengthen the network.
Julia: Senior Brand Manager
What is the best part of your job? I love thinking about different ways to communicate things. Choosing the way to present an idea or design an educational document may seem mundane, but it feels like part of the creative process. Not everything can be absorbed or processed in the same way, and I love that I get to make things feel accessible to people through design and language.
What is a book, podcast, show, music, or hobby/activity you’ve been enjoying lately? My favorite podcast is Sounds Like a Cult. I think humans are so fascinating, and we are all so culty lol. No matter who you are, there is a cult out there for you. And we all want to belong and feel like we have purpose. The podcast is really tongue-in-cheek and touches on pop culture as well, while also being really thoughtful. It’s a really good time.
What is something workwise that you’re excited about right now? I love seeing how the brand evolves over time. I have been with Camp Fire for almost 10 years now, and it is fun to see the brand move with the times and the young people we serve while also staying true to who we are.
What is giving you hope? My son. He finds joy in everything. And it reminds me not to take things so seriously. Nothing is that urgent. Slowing down on our drive home to look at a bulldozer isn’t a tangent or inconvenience; it is the whole point of being alive. The world is big and beautiful. No matter how long we have spent here, there is more to learn and more magic to experience. Watching him discover the world reminds me that I, too, am still discovering things.
Erin: VP, Marketing & Communications
What is the best part of your job? I’m a words person and a communicator at heart. I love the challenge of trying to find the best ways to communicate something, and how to make it as clear and to the point as possible. Good communication can make a big difference in any situation. I also love big picture thinking, being creative, and collaborating with others on projects. The social aspect, as well as dreaming, and using my strengths to further work that is making a difference – it gives me life!
What is a book, podcast, show, music, or hobby/activity you’ve been enjoying lately? I listen to music every day and love discovering new music. These days, I just really need a good beat to fuel my work and creativity! I’ve dipped my toes into deep house and electronic dance music, as well as crossovers from there. Activity – in the summer you’ll find me at the pool reading a book whenever I have the spare time!
What is something workwise that you’re excited about right now? The marketing team has been taking some storytelling trainings to learn how to become better interviewers! Along with this professional development, we are creating a training for the rest of our network on our internal learning platform so we can support the affiliates to learn these skills too. I’ve always felt like I was good at asking questions, but some interviews I did this year left me feeling like I was missing the mark. I’ve been learning so much and am excited to share the information so we can strengthen our ability to capture Camp Fire’s impact and enhance the storytelling of all the incredible things we have going on across the organization!
What is giving you hope? Being involved with some community groups, there is a lot quiet work happening behind the scenes that isn’t getting publicity – people who are helping and looking out for others in major ways. This gives me a lot of hope as I have to believe it not just happening in my Kansas suburb, but all over our country. I also get glimpses of amazing stories through TikTok, and that also gives me hope. I know so many amazing people, especially women. Their friendship and examples inspire me. I am not alone! You are not alone!
Nav: Chief Strategy Officer
What is the best part of your job?
Supporting affiliates to do their best work, whether that’s helping them secure a new grant, troubleshooting a challenge, or connecting them to each other.
What is a book, podcast, show, music, or hobby/activity you’ve been enjoying lately?
I’ve been trying to train my wild dog.
What is something workwise that you’re excited about right now?
I’m excited about new things happening this year, including affiliates visiting each other and the expansion of Native Partnerships.
What is giving you hope?
Counting down to November 7, 2028.
Alexis: Digital Marketing Associate
What is the best part of your job?
I like to strengthen my storytelling muscles on social media and getting creative with videos.
What is a book, podcast, show, music, or hobby/activity you’ve been enjoying lately?
For podcasts, I’ve been really enjoying The Psychology of Your 20s. I’ve also been reading a book called In Your Defense. It’s a memoir that follows British lawyer, Sarah Langford, through twelve cases she’s been on. It’s been fun learning about her perspective and seeing how the lives of the people she’s representing impact her as a person.
What is something workwise that you’re excited about right now?
Something I’m excited about right now is an interview I did with Diana Cournoyer, Camp Fire’s Senior Advisor of Native Partnerships. This will be live soon!
What is giving you hope?
What’s giving me hope right now is spending time with my friends and family this summer. It’s so nice coming together, spending time with each other, and learning from each other as everyone continues growing and learning.
