Camp Fire River Bend will hold our Annual Meeting on Tuesday, December 6 at 6pm EST. The Annual Meeting is a public meeting, and we invite you to join us (virtually). During the meeting, we will provide a Year-in-Review for Camp Fire and our programs, and elect new board members, officers and committee members. The meeting will take place on Tuesday, December 6 at 6pm EST. Please pre-register below to attend this meeting.
When: Dec 6, 2022 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
You must register in advance to attend this meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
To serve a 3-year term:
Maria Carlson (1st term). Maria Carlson is an elementary teacher at Cornerstone Christian Montessori School in Elkhart, Indiana. Maria is an Elkhart native, and holds a degree in English from Kalamazoo College. Her 14-year-old, Ava, has attended Camp Tannadoonah for the past four summers. Maria was a member of the Camp staff in 2020, as a co-kitchen manager. She is active in the community, as a member of the Board of Directors for Swanson Community Pool and Irish Aquatics Swim Club. She enjoys reading, music, theater, and spending time with friends and family.
Michael Chapple (2nd term). Mike Chapple joined the Board of Directors for Camp Fire River Bend in December 2019. He currently serves in the role of Vice Chair. 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.
Melissa Diglio (1st term). Melissa Diglio is the Senior Vice President for Belonging and Participation at Leo Burnett in Chicago, IL. She has previously served as a creative director and marketing strategy director at marketing agencies including Leo Burnett, Digitas, and Bennett Adelson. Melissa holds a degree in graphic design from Ohio University. She is passionate about DEI and positive culture in the workplace. Melissa's daughter, Cora, was a first-time camper at Camp Tannadoonah in 2022. Originally from New Jersey, Melissa attended Camp Nyoda as a child.
Elizabeth Lankford (1st term). Elizabeth Lankford is an IT Project Manager at the University of Notre Dame. She has a Masters degree in Nonprofit Administration and a bachelors in Music Theory, both from the University of Notre Dame. She currently serves as the vice president for Notre Dame's THRIVE! Inspiring ND Women Organization. She has experience in strategic planning, nonprofit leadership, and project management. Elizabeth's two boys, ages 10 and 7, attended Camp Tannadoonah in 2022. As a family, they enjoy travel, music, and birding.
Sarah Mayeda (1st term). Sarah Mayeda is the founder and president of InStride Advisors. InStride provides key support to organizations looking to address challenges, grow strategically, engage their teams, and manage change. Sarah has experience facilitating the strategic planning process for nonprofit organizations, helping with change management, and capital campaign development. Sarah has a Masters of Education in Instructional Leadership from the University of Illinois Chicago and a bachelors in social policy from Northwestern University. Sarah's two children, Elliott and Lila, have attended Camp Tannadoonah. They reside in River Forest, Illinois.
To serve a 1-year term:
John Michel, Chair (1st term). John Michel joined the Board of Directors for Camp Fire River Bend in 2018, and served as Treasurer from June 2018 - November 2021. For the past year, he has served as the at large member on the Executive Committee. John has been 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 received his doctorate from Columbia University in New York.
Susanne Klein, Executive Committee At Large (1st term). 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.
To serve a 2-year term:
Carrie O'Brien, Secretary (1st term). 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.
To serve a 2-year term:
Bob Bender (2nd term). Bob Bender joined the Board of Directors in December 2020 and serves on the Board Development Committee and is co-chair of the Strategic Planning 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. 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.
Melanie Como (2nd term). Melanie Como is a lifelong resident of Birch Lake. She is a former camper, and her son, Tyler, has attended Camp T as a camper, and more recently as a member of the summer camp staff. Melanie is a yoga and pilates instructor at Beyond Zen in Granger, IN. She previously worked as an account manager and HR representative in Elkhart, IN.
Holly Wozny (1st term). Holly Wozny, her husband Blair, and their two young children reside in Niles, Michigan. Blair's family has been on Birch Lake for over 50 years. Holly has previously worked as a Legal Secretary at various law firms in South Bend, and now stays home with their children. As a family they are very involved in a variety of different charities and organizations such as Women’s Care Center and Center for the Homeless. Their son Kane is very anxious to attend camp this year and years to come!
Young people want to shape the world.
Camp Fire provides the opportunity to find their spark, lift their voice, and discover who they are.
In Camp Fire, it begins now.
