Staff

Email: bob@campfireusaia.org

Bob is proud to have served as a youth development professional for over 20 years.  His career in non profit management has taken him from Omaha to Minneapolis and finally back to Central Iowa, a place that has always been home.

Shortly after graduation from UNI, Bob started his career in Omaha working with career exploration and character development programs in middle schools and high schools. Bob specialized in working with "high risk" youth. During the summers, he ran camps and served as a lead facilitator on ropes courses, and served as the course director for National Camp School on C.O.P.E.

Bob then went on to serve as the Director of the Exploring and Learning for Life Division in Minneapolis, one of the largest divisions in the country.  There, he developed a diversion program for first time juvenile offenders serving over 600 youth per year.

An outdoor enthusiast, Bob loves hiking, camping and anything outdoors.  He has trained two search and rescue dogs, and has served as a team leader, evaluator and trainer in the search and rescue community.

As a parent, Bob believes in the power of Camp Fire to awaken a child’s senses, curiosity, and desire to learn, and is committed to ensuring that more youth will get the opportunity to grow through Camp Fire programs and traditions.  Bob and his wife Brenda, a Camp Fire Alumnus, have two sons and three dogs.

Email: james@campfireusaia.org

James Martinson hails from Decorah, IA and graduated from Pacific University in Oregon.  Before Joining Camp Fire in 2006, James worked within the nonprofit community delivering and developing residential treatment, recreation, child care and camping programs in the Pacific Northwest. 

He appreciates the impact and importance of youth serving organizations and looks forward to continuing the mission and tradition of Camp Fire USA. His interests include architecture, travel, music and the outdoors. 

Email: will@campfireusaia.org

Will started his journey in the camping world the summer after 1st grade.  Since that time he's missed only 2 summers at camp.  Along the way he graduated from Drake University with a degree in advertising.  He has worked for Camp Miniwanca in West Michigan, Camp Ondessonk in Southern Illinois, and the YMCA of Greater Des Moines. Will is passionate about disc sports, board games, and comic books.

Email: laura@campfireusaia.org

Laura is a native of Dallas, Texas. She grew up going to Camp El Tesoro, another Camp Fire camp. While at El Tesoro, she completed the CIT program and went on to work as a counselor, waterfront staff member, and most recently, CIT director. Laura believes in the magic of camp and the power it has to change children’s lives. Through her work at camp, she has molded her career path and life goals around the Camp Fire mission to  “Build caring, confident youth and future leaders.”

Laura attended Cornell University where she was a part of the NCAA Division 1 women’s rowing team. She later transferred to the University of Missouri where she completed two bachelor’s degrees: Psychology, and Photojournalism.

In her free time, Laura loves to play with her dog, be outdoors, work out, scrapbook, and of course, cheer on her Dallas Cowboys. Exploring other cultures and traveling are also important to Laura. Some of her travels have included a semester in Argentina, a job with the Beijing Olympics, and a month-long backpacking trip through Ecuador by herself. She’s always looking for an adventure and is very excited to join the Hantesa team.

Email: sarah@campfireusaia.org

Sarah Graves is a Des Moines native graduating from East High School and a recent graduate of theUniversity of Iowa (Go Hawks!) as of May 2010. Her camping experience began in second grade at Dayton Oaks Camp and Conference Center in Dayton, IA and hasn’t missed a camping season since. At Dayton Oaks she moved up the ranks from camper to Camp Coordinator throughout High School. She spent her college summers in Des Moines working for Camp Fire Community Center Day Camps progressively as a Camp Counselor, Aide Coordinator, and Site Director. Sarah enjoys hiking, cooking, laughing, and going to the pool.

Sarah believes in building up children to be confident, passionate, principled youth who will one day rule the world … Or at least the school.

Email: lauren@campfireusaia.com

Lauren was born in raised in Des Moines, in the Beaverdale area, graduating from Hoover High School and more recently from the University of Northern Iowa with a Bachelor’s degree in Leisure, Youth and Human Services and an emphasis in Outdoor Recreation.  While she participated in a few summer camps growing up, it wasn’t until joining Camp Adventure in college that she became immersed in the camping world. She spent three summers and one semester as a camp counselor, as well as one summer as a program director with Camp Adventure, traveling the globe to Japan, Italy, Germany, and Hawaii, working with youth ages 5-12 on Military bases. Upon graduation she took an internship turned job in Key West, Florida, again working on a Military base but with youth ages 10-18 in a programmatic setting. In her spare time she enjoys being outdoors, reading, cheering on the Green Bay Packers, and of course spending time with family and friends. She is very excited to be back home in Iowa and thrilled to be working with Camp Fire!

Email: shelbie@campfireusaia.org

Shelbie is a native of the small town of Mountain Home, AR. After graduating high school, she moved to Des Moines where she is currently attending AIB College of Business for her associate's degree in Business Administration. Shelbie spent her first two summers here in Iowa working as a Camp Counselor with Camp Fire at the West Side site and Pioneer Columbus Community Center, where she now also leads a club. Shelbie has a passion for working with children and is excited to combine that with her education and career choice.

Shelbie spent her summers camping beside the beautiful Lake Norfork in Arkansas where she learned to swim, hike, and, most importantly, skip rocks. It is also where she developed a love for the outdoors. She and her husband, Chance, enjoy things such as shooting, four-wheeling, fishing, and mudding together.

Email: rick@campfireusaia.org

Rick Carter is the Facilities Manager for camp. He grew up in the Boone area, and has worked at Camp Hantesa for the past five years. Rick’s job keeps him very busy, but he enjoys what he does. It’s Rick’s responsibility to make sure the “dirty work” gets done so that everyone can have a fun and safe experience at camp. If your son or daughter chooses to take the Hunter Safety course here at camp, Rick is the instructor.

Email: nancy@campfireusaia.org

Nancy has been the Office Manager at Camp Hantesa for the past five years. She was born and raised in Boone, and was a Hantesa camper from 1963-1973.

She and her husband, Kent, have a farm, north of Boone. Nancy enjoys camping and taking care of our miniature donkeys in her free time. When Nancy returned to camp in 2005, it was a dream- come- true for her. She loves working with the kids and staff here at Camp Hantesa. Nancy said “I feel tremendous pride when I say that I work at Camp Hantesa, as it truly is the best.”

Email: katelyn@campfireusaia.org

Katie has been a Des Moines resident her entire life.  She enjoys canoeing, hiking, and everything the outdoors has to offer.  Being a Des Moines native and the daughter of a former Camp Fire Girl, Katie has taken advantage of the summer day camp programs the Hawkeye Council has had to offer since she was 10 years old.  First attending Zoo Camp and Riverview and progressing as a camp Aid, she eventually made the obvious decision to be on summer staff as a counselor in 2008 and has continued to do so for the past 3 years.  

Katie is currently attending Iowa State, hoping to finish a degree in Child, Adult and Family Services in the Spring of 2012.  She is also heavily involved in the Iowa State Taekwondo program with Grandmaster Yong Chin Pak learning self-defense as well as respect for herself and others.  As she gains experience in school, at camp, and in life; Katie hopes to continue her journey in the world of youth programming to one day have all kids benefit from the amazing experiences that the outdoors and Camp Fire has to offer.

Email: kelly@campfireusaia.org

Kelly has recently come back to Iowa after spending four years living in New Hampshire.  She received her bachelor's degree in Animal Science from the University of New Hampshire in 2010 and is now working towards a master's degree in Agricultural Education at Iowa State University.

Kelly is a third generation Hantesa camper - her grandmother first attended Hantesa in 1939, and her mom and aunt were campers as well. She has been on staff for summers 2006, 2007, and 2011, most recently as Barn Director overseeing the Herman's Ranch and Riding Day Camp programs.

Kelly is a certified riding instructor through the American Association of Horsemanship Safety, and enjoys teaching riding lessons and training her own horses.  While at the University of New Hampshire, Kelly got her first taste of three-phase eventing and is hooked!  She believes that horses can teach many things apart from riding skill, from compassion to leadership, and that her horses are truly her coworkers.

While horses are her passion, Kelly enjoys cooking, camping, canoeing, and hiking, as well as both digital and darkroom photography.  Kelly also enjoys cheering for Boston sports teams, with hockey season being her favorite.