OUR
FAMILY
our staff
The Summer of a Lifetime
Each summer 60 or so adults gather in the Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts at Odyssey Teen Camp to live in community, work hard, and help teenagers accept themselves for who they are. We work long, tough hours and change lives every day—while having a lot of fun! Here’s a little bit about our dedicated core staff below, who return year after year to help us run OTC.Â
tami harrah
Camp Nurse
As a New Englander, I relish the summer months and spending gloriously long days outdoors. Smelling camp fires, hearing summer crickets, tree frogs and loons are magical to my senses. They also remind me of my childhood summers at sleep away camp. The skills I learned at camp have stayed with me since then and I’m passionate about the value of camp.
I’ve been a camp nurse at sleep away camps since my kids were old enough to come with me-now they’re grown adults and their mom still goes to camp every summer! When not at camp I live at an independent boarding school as their resident nurse. I am a board certified school nurse of 25 years and a member of the American Camp Nurses Association. I also serve on various professional committees in my field.
I love working with teenagers and I love camp- so it’s a win-win! I not only bring a wealth of camp nursing knowledge to OTC, I bring an understanding of the challenges and needs of teens in today’s world. OTC is a special place and I am grateful that I can pass my energy, passion and commitment to everyone there.
Tami Harrah – Camp Nurse #1
lisa gozbekian
Pod Leader
Lisa has been at OTC for 9 great years. Before coming to camp, she had never been to an overnight camp or been in the woods for longer than a few days. She loves dance parties and is ready to bring the support, honesty, and love needed to allow teens to be their best and unique selves.Â
georgios tsangaris
Pod Leader
Georgios has been at OTC since the beginning. He has toured the country with two different circuses, is a published poet, and is active in the underground theatre scene in New Orleans. His favorite thing at camp is helping weird and shy teens realize how cool they actually are!
Georgios Tsangaris – Pod Leader
sean callanan
Pod Leader
Hey, I’m Sean (He/Him pronouns). At camp, I will be teaching Kung Fu, Ultimate Frisbee, and Hacky Sack. I am excited to dress up for wacky Wednesdays, run in the sun, and hold space at my favorite place in the world.
Sean Callanan – Pod Leader
riley thomas
Pod Leader
Riley Thomas aims to foster an environment of radical love and acceptance of self and others here at OTC. A firm believer in the healing power of silliness, laughter, and hope she looks forward to returning to camp each summer where these are abundant. Her favorite thing about camp is helping teenagers discover their inner strength and validity in their ideas, thoughts, and feelings. Throughout the year she can be found working toward her M.A in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and thinking about the magic of laughter over a campfire.
alana zendano
Counselor / Art Hut Manager
Alana is one of the individuals running the Art Hut this year at OTC. Alana believes the best part about camp is human expression! There are so many ways teens get to express themselves at OTC, whether it be through dance parties, sign language, visual arts, cooking, making music, and so much more! When Alana isn’t at camp, you can find her studying art and Speech-Language Pathology or leading creative arts programming in Ithaca, NY.
Alana Zendano – Counselor / Art Hut Manager
julie saha
Counselor
I am a passionate vegan cook who cares deeply about health and wellness. I find comfort in nature, and what better place to connect with nature than OTC! My favorite thing about OTC is getting to support and inspire campers while growing alongside them.
Julie Saha – Camp Counselor
heidi schlipmann
Camp Nurse
My happiest memories are of the days I spent at summer camp as a kid. So much, in fact, that I resigned from my 18-year corporate career so summers would be free to be a camp nurse. I’m so looking forward to meeting all the extraordinary campers and staff at Camp Odyssey. I’ll be around to cover those inevitable cuts, put ice on bumps and keep your rashes from itching. Oh and no, you will not be seeing double your other camp nurse is my identical twin sister, Tami! That should keep things interesting in the Health Center!
Heidi Schlipmann – Camp Nurse #2
chloe fitzpatrick
Program Director
Chloe joined the OTC fam in 2006 as a fifteen-year-old. She came back again and again because she’s never laughed louder than in the woods, surrounded by the loving community of Odyssey Teen Camp. This year, she so excited to create inspiring, fun programming and can’t wait to get to camp!
ian vallone
Pod Leader
Ian Vallone has been with OTC for over a decade (WOW!) first as a camper, and then as staff. At camp, he is involved with sports (mainly Ultimate Frisbee) and all things nerdy. In his other life, he teaches high school physics to a group of wonderful teens. He likes stars, high fantasy, and numbers.
Ian Vallone – Pod Leader
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