Allie’s first love is, and always has been camping – first as a camper, then as staff, and ultimately as a camp director. She takes great pride in mentoring staff and teaching them the wonders of passing on their knowledge to children. Allie is an active part of each camp day and enjoys interacting with campers and their families – creating a culture of respect, kindness, ruach (Hebrew word for spirit, breath, or wind), and love. Her door is always open to kids and parents. You can reach Allie by clicking here.
Jo loves Camp Pinebrook and has worked here since it first opened in 2018. It has been amazing to see campers return year after year and to witness their growth and development. She also loves meeting new campers and helping them become part of the Camp Pinebrook family. For this summer, Jo will be the Associate Director of the Gadol division, grades three to six.
Jo has been working as a teacher since 1990 and taught two-year-olds through sixth graders. Currently she teaches four-year-olds at Beth El Nursery School in New Rochelle. Summers have always been spent working at various camps as director, counselor-liaison, and counselor.
Jo’s two teenage children, Bug, attends SUNY New Paltz, and Ben, is a senior in high school. There are also two dogs, named Bella and Mister York. Working with and being around children is fulfilling and amazing for Jo! No job is more fun than camp!
Jana is so happy to be part of the Camp Pinebrook family! During the year she teaches nursery school and is currently in her 13th year. While she’s a 4s teacher now, she has also taught 3-year-olds, as well as kindergarten. Prior to that, she taught elementary school in both second and fourth grades. Jana was a Group Leader for nine summers before coming to Camp Pinebrook, where she worked as a Unit Head, overseeing our 3-5 year-old campers. Jana lives in New Rochelle with her husband, Steve, and teenage son, Mikey, and looks forward to spending her summer with your child(ren).
Stan Friedmann has designed, developed, and implemented a variety of successful education and recreation programs for children and adults, for over forty years. They all share one key ingredient….THE FUN FACTOR, which helps people learn, grow, and feel great about themselves. Stan is best known in our area as the former long-time director of Mount Tom Day Camp in New Rochelle where he began his “career” as a six-year-old camper in 1961! It was under the tutelage of camping legend Mel Tanenbaum that Stan learned how to help children be their best in a safe, nurturing, relaxing, yet structured environment where they could be themselves and succeed. Stan is married and lives in Bergen County. He has grown children and is the proud “Opa” of six grand children!
Mallory Chinn is thrilled to return to Camp Pinebrook for another summer on the Leadership Team. Mallory is a mother of three, a 26 year veteran social studies teacher in Chappaqua, a District Leader, a union representative, and the manager of the Mamaroneck Family Chorus. Mallory enjoys watching her children chase their dreams, community service, and her 5 am daily workouts! She loves to build community through fun and engaging activities that bring everyone together for a shared experience.
Diane is a retired special education teacher, and worked with many age groups and populations of people. She spent the last 20 years of her career working with preschoolers with developmental delays and as the Inclusion Coordinator at Larchmont Temple Religious School. Diane began working at Camp Pinebrook in 2020 as the Arts & Crafts counselor. From 2021 through the present, she has been the Camper Care Manager, working with campers, families, and staff to ensure that all the children have safe, successful, and happy experiences at camp. This summer Diane will be part of the Smile Squad, having a lot of the same responsibilities but with the assistance of another staff member.
Kimberly Gevint has over thirteen years of experience in the field of mental health, practicing as an LCSW-R in several states. She graduated as a Hartford scholar, receiving her MSW from the Wurzweiler School of Social Work at Yeshiva University.
Kimberly aims to help clients recognize their unhelpful negative thoughts and manage them with in-the-moment techniques. Practical feedback often helps to normalize behaviors that are long-standing while helping one move away from shame toward acceptance. Easily relatable, she provides a warm, non-judgmental environment where clients can learn practical tools to reduce stress and anxiety and build resilience. She uses a holistic approach with her clients and believes that physical and mental health are intertwined and have a symbiotic relationship. Kimberly’s expertise lies in confidence, self worth, and self-esteem skill building, anxiety and stress management, and support with life transitions from adolescents to seniors.
Diandra has over 20 years of teaching experience, and currently teaches English at The Harvey Milk School. Diandra is the 2023 recipient of the Big Apple Award given to teachers who inspire students, model great teaching, and enrich their school communities.
Diandra has been a camp professional for many years and loves working with kids in all aspects of camp. She has two amazing children, Mike and Arya, who are Pinebrook campers!
Patrick has been working for the NYC Public schools for the past 10 years as a Paraprofessional. He has also earned a Master’s degree in Special Education. Patrick volunteers for the South Riverdale Little League for the past 18 years. Also in that time, he has coached basketball, hockey, and softball, as well as numerous travel teams. Patrick is married 26 years and has two amazing, athletic children. He likes to incorporate fun and excitement in his teaching of sports. Patrick believes that sports teaches life lessons, such as teamwork, sharing and caring as well as helping with individual achievements. “Push yourself, you will be surprised at what you can accomplish when you do.”
Chris Graham is a high school social studies teacher, certified lifeguard, and a Red Cross WSI swimming instructor, with over 30 years of experience. Basing his process on the foundations of the Red Cross’s Learn to Swim Curriculum, Chris has designed a fun and safe developmental swim program for day camps and sleep-away camps alike. Having learned to swim as a day camp camper, Chris now leads Camp Pinebrook’s swim program that helps campers develop their skills, explore free swim experiences, build camper confidence and learning, all while making swimming and watersports a safe lifelong activity through what he believes is the “magic” of camp.
Bonnie has been an elementary school teacher for the past 23 years, teaching grades K-2. She loves working with children and seeing them develop their critical thinking skills as well as fostering close bonds with their peers. Bonnie grew up going to camp, so being part of a camp environment is in her blood. This will be her second summer at Pinebrook overseeing the Specialty program. Bonnie enjoys being active, traveling, and loves music.
Sara is our Office Manager, keeping the office motor running each day, coordinating between families, campers, and staff. Sara has years of experience working with both parents and children, teaching at both schools and camps, and an extensive background in administration. She is mom to two teenagers. If you have any day-to-day camp questions or requests, please email Sara at sara@camppinebrook.com, or call the office at (914) 235-1800 ext. 216.
Michele Birnbaum is a member of the leadership team at Camp Pinebrook, and this will be her fifth summer working at camp. She was formerly a preschool teacher for 17 years and has taught nursery (3 year-olds), pre-k and kindergarten and has worked in the camp industry for the past 18 years. She is a resident of New Rochelle where she and her husband have lived and raised their two sons for the past 25 years. She recently joined the administrative team at Temple Israel as the Program & Office Administrator.
Jerry taught Science in the NYC DOE for over 30 years before retiring. He is a long-time summer-camp professional whose focus has been staff development. As Counselor Coordinator, Jerry meets with each counselor throughout the week to check-in and discuss any issue they may be having, acting as liaison between group leaders and counselors. Jerry has two grown children, and he and his wife enjoy traveling the world in the off-season.
