Our greatest asset is our staff. We strive to hire and promote the best camp professionals available. Read about our key staff and feel free to contact any of them with questions.

Pam Caldwell Nootbaar (Pictured with her husband Joe and children Taylor, Tori, and newborn baby Natalie!)

Pam Caldwell Nootbaar has spent most of her life at Kennolyn. Today, as our General Manager she oversees all of the camp and event operations on both of our properties. She pays special attention to ensuring that our programs stay relevant in today's world while remaining true to the vision of her grandparents, Uncle Max and Aunt Marion. Pam is a graduate of UC Berkeley and has an MBA from Georgetown. She lives in Menlo Park.

Pam Nootbaar: 831.479.6714 ext.400
pam@kennolyn.com

Andrew Townsend (pictured with his wife Brenda and children Samantha, Mitchell, and Grace.)

Andrew has been a part of Kennolyn since 1985. Like so many people before and since, he found Kennolyn to be a destination rather than a stop on a journey. In that first summer he met his future wife Brenda and Kennolyn became their summer home. In 1993, Andrew and Brenda moved to Kennolyn full time and over the next few years Andrew became the Director of all our camps. With their three children, all committed Kennolyn campers of course, Andrew and Brenda continue to live on site. Andrew is currently finishing his second term as President of the American Camp Association (ACA), Northern California and is a past board member of the Western Association of Independent Camps. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Pacific Collegiate School in Santa Cruz. During the summer Andrew is very much hands on as Director of Resident Camp and provides daily oversight and support to our Day Camp Director, Jesse West. Brenda Townsend is the Director of our Family Camp programs.

Andrew Townsend: 831.479.6714 ext. 444 - andrew@kennolyn.com

Jesse West (Pictured with his wife Amber)

Jesse has been a part of Kennolyn since 2003. Jesse and Amber were married in November of 2002 and moved to Scotts Valley to finish up their educations. Together they worked as a team at Kennolyn for their first summer in 2003 and fell in love with Kennolyn and its many rich traditions. Jesse came on full time at Kennolyn in Febuary of 2006 as Day Camp Director. Jesse and Andrew Townsend provide oversight to all development, operations, and management of the Day Camp.

Jesse West: 831.479.6714 ext. 447 - jesse@kennolyn.com

Chris Woodrow

Chris came to Kennolyn from Northern Ireland in 2001. He continued as a counselor for Summer's '02 and '03 for the oldest boys at camp until 2004 when he took on the role of Waterfront Director for two summers. In 2006 he was the Head Counselor and made the decision at the end of that summer to work full time as the Program Director. Throughout his Kennolyn life he has lived in Northern Ireland, London, Los Angeles and Santa Cruz. Chris says his greatest achievement at Kennolyn thus far has been watching his little campers from 2001 become today's best Counselors!

Chris Woodrow: 831.479.6714 ext. 448 - chris@kennolyn.com

Mia Jackson

Mia, originally from St. Louis, Missouri, transferred universities in 2004 to fulfill her dream of moving to California. Mia has always enjoyed the outdoors and working with children, so in 2006 she spent a year teaching English in a small rural town in Costa Rica. Upon returning from Costa Rica, Mia sought out Kennolyn, excited at the prospect of continuing her work with children. She was hired as the Art Coordinator for Day Camp in 2007, and loved every minute of it. Today, she works as our Camps Office Coordinator, and is looking forward to her second summer!

Mia Jackson: 831.479.6714 ext.441 - mia@kennolyn.com

Founding Family

Marion & Max Caldwell: Started Kennolyn in 1946

"If I EVER get out of this alive, let's start a school or a camp."

Max Caldwell wrote those words to his wife Marion while serving on an ammunition ship in the Pacific during World War II.

These simple words that became the seeds from which grew Kennolyn Camps, a 300-acre paradise consisting of a residential camp, day camp, and conference center in the redwood mountains of Santa Cruz, California. Max and Marion had both been teachers before the war and loved working with children. Welcoming the first Kennolyn campers in 1946 was a life long dream come true.

They named their camp after their children Ken and Carolyn and began in 1946 with a 60-acre site and 26 campers. That first year, 11 of the campers were nieces and nephews who called them Aunt Marion and Uncle Max. Over sixty years later, the names still stick. The staff, the campers, the parents -- everyone calls them Aunt Marion and Uncle Max.

Now Kennolyn affects over 2,000 campers and 200 staff each year. What an achievement! They have touched over 75,000 children's lives at Kennolyn and have influenced the Camp industry that touches many more.