Camp Fire River Bend | Camp Tannadoonah

Camp Fire River Bend Board of Directors

At Camp Fire, our leadership believes in strong mentorship and modeling behavior that leads to success. Our Board of Directors come from a varied background of education, technology, youth development, financial services, media, and nonprofit organizations. Board Members are elected to serve a term of three years, and Officers are elected to serve a term of two years. Members and Officers may serve up to two consecutive terms. The Board of Directors meets every other month throughout the year.

We also have a number of standing committees on which individuals may serve. You do not have to be a member of the board to serve on a committee! The current committees are: Executive, Finance, Strategic Planning, Alumni, and Board Development.

If you or someone you know is interested in serving on the Camp Fire Board of Directors or on a committee, you can submit a nomination onlineOr contact us at 574-387-6095 for more information about serving on the Board or on a Committee.

Officers

John Michel, Chair

John Michel joined the Board of Directors for Camp Fire River Bend in 2018, and has served as Treasurer from June 2018 - November 2021. He has served on the faculty of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College Business for twenty years. He teaches courses at the graduate and undergraduate level in Nonprofit Management and Planning, Foresight in Business and Society, and Strategic Management. He has won three outstanding instructor awards as voted on by the students. He received his doctorate from Columbia University in New York. John and his wife Maggie live in South Bend.

Mike Chapple, Vice Chair

Mike Chapple joined the Board of Directors for Camp Fire River Bend in December 2019. Mike is the Academic Director of the Master of Science in Business Analytics in the Mendoza College of Business at Notre Dame. Mike earned both his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from Notre Dame in computer science & engineering. He also holds a MS in computer science from the University of Idaho and an MBA from Auburn University. Mike, his wife Renee, and their three sons live in Granger, IN.

Jameson Green, Treasurer

Jamie Green was elected to the Board of Directors in December 2021, and currently serves as Treasurer. Jamie is the Director of Corporate Development for Caterpillar Inc. He holds an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BS in Mathematical Economics from Wake Forest University. He has been a resident of Birch Lake since 2017.

Carrie O'Brien, Secretary

Carrie O'Brien joined the Camp Fire River Bend Board in July of 2022. She currently serves as Senior Vice President- Employment Law for Reyes Holdings, based in Rosemont, Illinois.  For the past 22 years, she has been an employment attorney in the Chicago area, starting with the law firms of Winston & Strawn and Drinker Biddle and Reath (formerly Gardner, Carton and Douglas) before moving in-house.  She has her B.A. from the University of Notre Dame, and her J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law.  She resides in Glenview, Illinois with her husband, Chris O'Brien, and their three children, who have been enjoying time during the summer months at Birch Lake since 2020.

Members at Large

Bob Bender

Bob joined the Board of Directors in December 2020 and serves on the Board Development Committee. His wife Layna and their three children have had a summer home on Birch Lake since 2008. Each of their kids spent many summers at Camp Tannadoonah when they were younger, with great memories for the whole family. Bob is the COO of The Commodore Corporation, the largest privately-owned offsite manufacturer of single-family homes. He has an engineering degree from the University of Illinois, an MBA from the University of Rochester, and has served on boards related to the housing market.

Maria Carlson

Melissa Diglio

Melissa (she/hers) joined the Camp Fire River Bend Board in December 2022. She serves as the Employee Belonging and Participation Lead at Leo Burnett Group. She gets her energy from supporting others and co-creating platforms on which they can flourish. She’s a big believer in people and it guides everything she does. She is a white woman unlearning, a mother constantly learning, and flagrantly committed to both. She lives in River Forest, IL with a passionate Tannadoonah camper.

Tom Edgerton

Tom Edgerton joined the Board in 2018 following 49 years in the travel industry. After graduating from IU South Bend in 1970 with a Bachelors in Business Administration he joined Edgerton’s Travel Service and directed expansion to schools and tour operation throughout the Midwest. He now spends time traveling, gardening and teaching Sunday School. Tom is an active member of the Kiwanis Club of South Bend, IN, and also serves on the Board of Directors for Cultivate Culinary. Tom and Carolyn have two children and three granddaughters.

Susanne Klein

Susanne Klein joined the Board of Directors in December 2020. She was born and raised in South Bend. Susanne is a member of a three-generation Camp Tannadoonah family: she has aunts, a sister, cousins, a niece and nephew, and her two children who have all been campers. Susanne was a camper back in the mid 80’s when The Chick was still in use. Susanne holds a bachelor’s of arts degree from Webster University in St. Louis, MO. Susanne and her family live in the Champaign, Illinois area where she currently works in Research Administration as an Award Negotiator at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Tom Kuhn

Tom Kuhn was elected to the Board of Directors for Camp Tannadoonah River Bend in February 2022. Tom has been a member of the Finance Committee since 2014 and previously served on the Board from 2014-2016. He retired as a Senior Vice President at The Northern Trust Company in Chicago after a 34 year career in investment management. Tom is a graduate of Northwestern University. He and his wife Jan, a former camper at Camp Tannadoonah, live at Birch Lake.

Elizabeth Lankford

Elizabeth Lankford joined the Campfire Riverbend Board of Directors in 2022. She has worked for the University of Notre Dame for the past nine years, most recently as a project manager in the Office of Information Technologies. She also attended Notre Dame where she earned her Bachelor's degree in Music Theory/Music Performance and her Executive Master's of Nonprofit Administration. She also holds a Master's Degree in Musicology from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. During her time at Notre Dame, she has served as a founding member and leader of THRIVE!, the women's affinity organization on campus. Elizabeth lives in South Bend with her two boys who were first time campers in 2022!

Sarah Mayeda

Sarah Mayeda joined the Camp Fire River Bend Board in December 2022. Sarah is the Founder of InStride Advisors, a consultancy that supports leaders and teams as they navigate organizational change, leadership transition, and strategy development in non-profit organizations, government entities, and philanthropy.  Sarah earned her bachelor's degree in Public Policy from Northwestern University and an MA in Instructional Leadership from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She lives in River Forest, IL with her husband and her two children, both enthusiastic Tannadoonah campers (past and present).

Lily Schinbeckler

Lily joined the Camp Fire Board in November 2020 as the youth representative. She has been a camper and CIT at Tannadoonah, and hopes to join the camp staff in the future. She is currently a high school student in Edwardsburg, Michigan, where she is active in the theater program.

Tricia Stitz

Tricia Stitz joined the Board of Directors in December 2020. She is currently employed at enVista, a global software solutions and consulting firm headquartered in Carmel, IN. She is a Senior Financial Analyst and has been with the company for 15 years. At enVista, Tricia is a of member of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee and is the corporate sponsor for philanthropy with Outreach.org, Water for People, and Habitat for Humanity. She has a bachelor’s degree from Saint Joseph’s College. Tricia and her husband John split time residing at Birch Lake and Westfield, Indiana. Their three children have all enjoyed time at Camp Tannadoonah.

Lauren Willis

Lauren Willis has served on the board of directors for Camp Fire since March of 2019. Lauren is a CPA and works in the Athletic Business Office for the University of Notre Dame. She attended Manchester University in Indiana, where she earned a bachelor's of science in accounting. Lauren serves in the finance committee and the board development committee for Camp Fire. She also volunteers with the LaPorte County Draft Horse Association and Cultivate Culinary. Lauren and her husband Bryan live in South Bend with their two daughters.

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