Meet Our Year-Round Staff

	Sandy & Missy Schenck – Executive Directors Green River Preserve is owned and operated by the camp’s founder, Sandy Schenck and his wife, Missy. An economics major from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Sandy also holds an MBA from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. Missy graduated from Converse College with a BA in Studio Art and Art History. She also holds a Masters of Art Education from the University of South Carolina as well as graduate studies in art therapy and counseling. Her camp background includes over 30 years of camp management, including directing an all-girls summer camp along with 20 years of teaching school. Both Missy and Sandy fell in love with summer camps when they were teenagers and dreamed of one day owning their own camp. Together they have close to 50 years of experience in the camping industry. Missy and Sandy have six children with whom they share their love of the outdoors.

	Anne Mead – Assistant Camp Director (SEE, Expeditions Director, Farm Manager) A life-long camper, Anne found her calling and love of the outdoors early on in life! Her desire to be outside and learn from her surroundings led her to pursue an undergraduate degree in forestry and geology from the University of the South in Sewanee, TN. Shortly after graduating, she headed out west to the Teton Science School and completed a year of graduate work in ecology, place-based and environmental education. Anne spent the next five years exploring various places and communities and culminating these adventures with an MS focusing on community development, sustainable agriculture, and environmental education. Anne has worked at Green River over the years at summer camp and the school programs as a counselor, expedition leader, mentor and program director. Anne returns to us from Silverton, Colorado where she was Director of Education for the Mountain Studies Institute. When she is not working, Anne can be found trail running or backcountry skiing with her husband Steve and their pup Irie Bird!
	Stephen Mead – Assistant Camp Director (SEE, Expeditions Director, Farm Manager) Stephen grew up in Boston playing and following the major sports. His interest in trees began at a young age, but his love of the outdoors did not blossom until high school. After graduating from the University of Vermont with a BS from the school of natural resources he headed west in search of bigger mountains and more snow. This search lead him to his wife Anne whom he has lived with for several years in Silverton Colorado. Stephen’s experience includes wildland firefighting, watershed restoration, and forest management. In his spare time, Stephen can be found backcountry skiing, kayaking, mountain biking, trail running, basically doing just about anything active outside!
	Stephanie “Ruby” Compton - Summer Camp Program Director Ruby began her career in camping at YMCA Camp Widjiwagan in her hometown of Nashville, TN. At Camp Widjiwagan, she was a counselor who progressed over the years to camp administration. Prior to moving to Western North Carolina, Ruby taught experiential education at Nature’s Classroom Atop Lookout Mountain in Mentone, AL. Ruby found Green River Preserve to be a perfect blend of everything she loves: teaching environmental education, being curious about nature, calling contra-dances, singing about Itty Bitty Frogs, and learning from other outdoor educators. She is active within the American Camp Association, giving presentations at conferences and working as a faculty member of their e-Institute. Ruby is also an avid geocacher, runner, and Rubik’s-cube solver.
	Patti Rissman – Camp Registrar/Administrative Assistant A graduate of Miami-Dade, Patti grew up in Florida and moved to Brevard, NC from Cocoa Beach over six years ago after owning a promotional advertising company with her husband. She worked at YMCA Camp Greenville for several years and happily joined the GRP staff in the summer of 2010. At GRP she registers campers, is the camp receptionist, works with Sandy and camper parents on the Camp Rep Program and helps with marketing projects and the camp store.
	Sara Huffman - Administrative Assistant Sara is GRP’s new year round Administrative Assistant. Her primary responsibilities relate to“all things camper,” such as camper registration, camper billing, camp store accounts, cabin assignments, camper recruitment and marketing, and camper news. Sara will also serve as the Editor of Green River Preserve’s quarterly newsletter, Whispers from the Preserve, and join the social media team of our administrative staff. A local from Hendersonville, NC, Sara began her camp career when she was 8 years old and is thrilled to join the GRP family! After graduating from UNC – Chapel Hill, she had many adventures in the world of video and film production before returning to her home in the mountains to pursue her eternal love of camping. Sara is the fearless leader for EPIC (Emerging Professionals In Camping) in WNC and organizes trainings and events for local camp professionals. She enjoys promoting summer camp throughout the community, as well as hiking, listening to audio books, and debating the best flavor at local ice cream-ery Dolly’s.

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