Camp Nebagamon Scholarship Fund

• Jessica Stein Diamond, executive director
• Brian Kramer, president
• Amy Foxman, vice president
• Joe Shacter, treasurer
• Ric Best
• Troika Brodsky
• Andy Cohen
• Stephanie Hanson
• Brad Herzog
• Adam Kaplan
• Joey Laskin
• Jeff Levinson
• Jonathan Scharff
• Steph Tomasky
• Sally Lorber Stein, Advisor
• Jane Stein Kerr, Advisor

Former board members

• Bernard Stein, Advisor
• Charlie Barrows
• Gene Dattel
• Jim Gerstein
• Mike Goldman
• Jim Guest
• Bill Hensel
• Bud Herzog
• Fred Joseph
• John Montag
• Larry Rivkin
• Suzanne Bong Scharff

Jessica Stein Diamond, executive director

As the granddaughter and daughter of Nebagamon’s first two sets of directors, Jessie has Nebagamon in her DNA. While for obvious reasons, she did not attend Nebagamon as a camper, Jessie spent her early childhood summers at camp, enjoyed countless family camp sessions, pre-camp and post-camp work crews, and worked on the staff in various capacities from 1979 – 1982 and 1986 – 1987. A graduate of Cornell University, Jessie writes regularly for university alumni magazines and nonprofits, and provides writing and editing support to academics and faith leaders. Her husband, Scott, was a Nebagamon camper and counselor. They are the parents of Daisy and Ian, who enjoyed six tremendous summers at Nebagamon.

Brian Kramer, president

Brian spent the first 24 summers of his life at Nebagamon. His father, Eric “Rock” led the Tripping Program, so his first summers were spent on the Range with brother, John, and mother, Sara Jill. This was followed by six summers as a camper (1988 – 1993) and another six on staff down at the waterfront (1995 – 2000). Brian earned a BA in Economics and Environmental Studies from Macalester College and an MBA from Loyola University Chicago and currently is a senior director of Sustainability at Target Corporation. Brian and his wife, Andrea, reside in Highland Park, IL where they often run into fellow Nebagamon alums.

Amy Foxman, vice president

Amy was on staff at Nebagamon from 2004 – 2007, and she served as Associate Director from 2007 – 2009. Amy is the President of Ability ABA, which provides behavior analytic services to individuals of varying abilities. Amy has her doctorate in Special Education and a Master’s degree in Severe/Low Incidence Disabilities and Behavior Analysis. Throughout her career, Amy has worked extensively with individuals with autism and other disabilities, from early childhood to adult, providing both direct and clinical consultant services in settings that include private clinics, early childhood centers, public and private schools, family and group homes, and hospitals. Amy lives in Dallas with her family and cherishes remaining involved in the Camp Nebagamon Scholarship Fund.

Joe Shacter

Joe Shacter is Director, Program Management – Chicago Hub Improvement Program. In this role, Joe is spearheading the planning of important infrastructure investments that will improve Amtrak service throughout the Midwest. He also serves as Amtrak’s primary liaison with the state departments of transportation that support Amtrak operations in the region. Prior to joining Amtrak in 2015, he was Director of Public and Intermodal Transportation at the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), a role in which he oversaw state investments in transit and passenger/freight rail. From 2004 – 2010, Joe worked at the Environmental Law and Policy Center in Chicago and then as an independent consultant, primarily focusing on clean transportation policy. Joe worked in the museum industry between 1992 – 2004, serving as president of Chicago’s Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum for four years and the prior eight as director of exhibit projects at the Museum of Science and Industry.

Joe has master’s degrees in Journalism and Business Administration from Northwestern University. Years as camper 1971 – 1975; years on summer staff 1978 – 1981; years as assistant, then associate director 1982 – 1985. Loyal alum: forever!

Ric Best

Ric, originally from the Chicago area, is a first-generation member of the camp family who attended Nebagamon as a camper from 2001 to 2007 and for four additional summers as a cabin counselor, primarily in the Axeman village. At camp, Ric worked in various projects and was involved leading several larger projects, including Paul Bunyan Day and GTCs. Ric graduated Yale University in 2014 with degrees in Economics and Computer Science and then spent eight years living in Philadelphia working as a trader before moving to Nassau, Bahamas in 2022 to continue his trading career. Ric is an avid sports fan and whenever possible enjoys cheering on his favorite teams: the Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, and Longbell.

Troika Brodsky

Troika was a second-generation camper at Nebagamon from 1987 – 1993. Between 1995 and 2007, he was a Nebagamon cabin counselor, art specialist, campcraft director, and then program director. He is a graduate of Webster University with degrees in Fine Arts and Media Communications. Troika worked at Schlafly Beer from 2002 through 2015, where he most recently was Communications Director. In 2015, he founded two St. Louis-based non-profit organizations and opened a liquid-nitrogen ice cream parlor (it was a busy year). In 2022, Troika returned to Camp Nebagamon in his old role as campcraft director, but this time he brought along his wife, Elizabeth and their son, Daniel.

Andy Cohen

Andy “Aco” spent 7 summers as a camper from 2004 to 2010 and then spent 9 summers on staff (2012 – 2021) as a cabin counselor in the Swamper, Axeman, and Lumberjack villages, and as the head of the sailing project. In 2019, Aco joined the camp administrative team and worked as the co-Lumberjack village director and then in 2021 as Axeman village director. Aco’s favorite part of camp for the last decade has been working alongside new and old staff members, many of whom he has known since they were campers. Andy was introduced to his partner, Julia Katzman, by a mutual friend, one of Andy’s Nebagamon cabinmates. Aco works in Hotel Management and currently is a Sales Manager of the Ritz Carlton hotel in his hometown of St. Louis. He holds a Graduate Certificate from Cornell University in Hotel Real Estate and Asset Management, and a B.S. in Hospitality and Tourism Management as well as a B.S. in Business Administration from The College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina. Aco credits his professional success to the life skills he learned as a camper and staff member at Nebagamon and is eager to support CNSF in their mission to provide transformative summers for children and teens affected by poverty and disabilities!

Brad Herzog

Brad Herzog was a longtime family camper at Nebagamon, a camper from 1978 – 1983, a cabin counselor in 1985 and 1986, Swamper village director in 2011, and a member of the 2022 summer staff. He is also the editor of The Keylog, the alumni newsletter, and created the book about Camp Nebagamon’s first 90 years (Thanks for the Pines). His sons, Luke and Jesse, have been campers and counselors. His parents (Hazel and former camper, counselor, and CNSF board member Bud) have been attending Family Camp annually for nearly 50 years. A graduate of Cornell University, Brad has been a freelance writer and author for more than three decades. He has written more than 50 books, including dozens of children’s books and four American travel memoirs (some of them featuring chapters about Camp Nebagamon), along with scores of national magazine articles and a handful of screenplays. After a 1996 journey through 48 states (chronicled in his first travel memoir, States of Mind), Brad and his wife Amy settled in the town of Pacific Grove on California’s Monterey Peninsula.

Stephanie Hanson

Stephanie is a graduate of Grinnell College where she majored in sociology. After managing a fundraising office for a few years in the non-profit sector for an environmental organization (knocking on doors to collect money!), she earned her masters of business administration at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Following graduation, she spent three years in marketing at Hewlett-Packard before choosing to become a stay at home mom, for a short stint, with her three children, Josh, Ben and Josie. In 2003, Stephanie and her husband, Adam Kaplan, became co-directors of Camp Nebagamon.

 Adam Kaplan

Adam’s summers at Nebagamon include six as a camper, twelve as a staff member, and a growing number of years as co-director since 2003. Moreover, he served for three years as the director of Four Winds*Westward Ho, a traditional co-ed summer camp in Washington state’s beautiful San Juan Islands. Prior to his career as a camp director, Adam was a teacher and school administrator in Minneapolis, Chicago, and Boise, Idaho. Adam is a graduate of Grinnell College and he received his teaching certification from DePaul University. Adam is married to Nebagamon co-director Stephanie Hanson and has three children, Josh, Ben, and Josie.

Joey Laskin

Joe, a first generation Nebagamon camper, started in Swamper 1 in 2000 and ended his time as a camper in Throck in 2006. He then proceeded to spend seven summers on staff (2008 – 2014) working primarily in tennis, but also on trip staff for two summers. While on staff Joe had the privilege to lead four Big Trips to Quetico Provincial Park and lead the planning effort on four Paul Bunyan Days. Joe holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies with a minor in Business Administration from the University of Oregon in Eugene. Since leaving college, Joe has enjoyed seven years of employment in the environmental non-profit sector and assisted in the development of numerous parks and open spaces. Currently his is the Project and Development Manager with North East Trees, an urban forestry non-profit that employs local at-risk youth in Los Angeles to plant trees, build parks, and ‘Bring Nature Back.’ In his spare time Joe enjoys a relaxing 18 holes of golf, spending time with friends and family, and drawing from what he learned at camp; he will do just about anything to be outdoors.

Jeff Levinson

Jeff spent five transformative summers at Camp Nebagamon as a camper and three more summers on trip staff, way back in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He is one in the line of stewards of the Eat a Peach trip staff canoe paddle. He serves as Senior Vice President and General Counsel at NetScout, a cybersecurity and network management software company that helps assure our digital ecosystem. At NetScout, Jeff is responsible for the company’s global legal strategy and operations, leads the Office of ESG, and serves on the company’s charitable and community engagement executive steering committee. Jeff has served in national and international leadership roles at the Association of Corporate Counsel and as a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors’ regional chapter programs committee. He was trained in 2020 by Vice President Al Gore as a Climate Reality Project leader. Raised in Memphis, Jeff lives in Boston with his lovely wife and has two fantastic grown sons.

Jonathan Scharff

Jonathan was a camper at Nebagamon from 1973 to 1976, a counselor from 1979 to 1982, and Nebagamon’s associate director from 1985 to 1987. A graduate of Grinnell College and Saint Louis University School of Law, Jonathan has worked at Buckman Laboratories Inc., a Memphis-based international specialty chemical company, since 2012, and is now the company’s Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Legal Counsel. He lives in Memphis with his spouse, Suzanne Bong Scharff, who preceded him on CNSF’s board. Their three daughters – Madeline, Julia and Elana – have each worked at camp. Their family has enjoyed their cottage near DQ in Lake Nebagamon since 2008. Jonathan and Suzanne have been very active in their community with the Memphis Art Museum, Memphis Planned Parenthood, Temple Israel, Girls, Inc., Collage Dance Company, and other organizations.

Steph Tomasky

Stephanie’s first summer at Nebagamon was in 2006, the first summer her husband, Mitch Cohen (1979 – 1984, 1990 – 1993), was camp doctor. She hasn’t missed a summer since. When not at camp, Stephanie is an Emmy Award-winning documentary producer who believes in the power of storytelling and messaging. She has more than two decades of experience as a director, producer, and writer creating content for HBO, NBC, A&E, HGTV, and the History Channel. After stepping away from her full-time career to raise her daughter Ava, Stephanie continues to produce and create meaningful stories for non-profits and corporate clients. Her passion for storytelling, combined with her interest in the environment, brought Stephanie to the Woodwell Climate Research Center, the world’s leading climate change research institute; she led the organization’s rebranding of its marketing, communications, and storytelling. In 2021, Stephanie co-founded and is CEO of Settee, a sustainable design and furniture startup that aims to disrupt the furniture industry through craft and sustainable design. Stephanie and Mitch (a trauma surgeon and basic science investigator at University of Colorado), along with their daughter, Ava, currently live in Boulder, Colorado. When they’re not traveling, running, or hiking, they can be found hanging out with their 2 Golden Retrievers, Winnie and Nova, and their cat, Tigger.

Sally Lorber Stein, Advisor

Sally first came to Camp Nebagamon in 1934, and has an unbroken record of being there for part or all of every summer since. Her parents, Muggs and Janet Lorber, founded Camp Nebagamon. Sally graduated from the University of Michigan in 1955, was Camp Nebagamon’s associate director for four years and directed camp for 30 years (from 1960 to 1990), along with her husband, the late Nardie Stein. Sally’s knowledge of camping was enhanced by her membership in the American Camp Association and her experiences as a mentor for camping colleagues. She and Nardie are the parents of Jane Stein Kerr, Ted Stein, and Jessie Stein Diamond and the grandparents of seven grandchildren. Sally volunteered with Planned Parenthood in St. Louis for 20 years a counselor for women ambivalent about their pregnancies, and was a Juvenile Officer at the St. Louis County Juvenile Court for several years. In 2009, she and Nardie published Keeping the Fires Burning, A History and Memoir of Camp Nebagamon. Sally and Nardie lived in St. Louis until 2018 when they moved to Minneapolis; and she continues to enjoy time at their Lake Nebagamon home. Sally and Nardie administered the Camp Nebagamon Scholarship Fund for 50+ years, for which now Sally serves as an advisor.

Jane Stein Kerr, Advisor

Jane Stein Kerr has been a part of the camp family since 1958 when she was born to then directors Nardie and Sally Stein. Like all camp directors’ children, she spent her childhood summers at camp. She was on staff at Nebagamon in 1975 – 1976 and 1979 – 1980, and moved to the Twin Cities in 1981. She has been at camp nearly every summer since as a visitor, family camper, or camp parent. As such, her camp memories span several generations. Jane is married to CN alumnus Euan Kerr. Her son Malcolm was a camper and counselor and her daughter Sarah was on staff for several years. Jane was a technical writer for over 20 years and then worked as an events manager at the University of Minnesota. She twice served as president of the parent teacher organization of her children’s schools. She well appreciates the role that institutions like schools and camps can play in the lives of children.

Past board members

Bernard Stein, Advisor (1931 – 2022)

Nardie spent his childhood in Fort Smith, Ark., graduated from  Washington University in 1953, and served with the US Army Signal Corps Far East headquarters in Japan from 1953 to 1955. During his first summer at Nebagamon, 1955, Nardie was a counselor in Swamper One. He and Sally served as associate directors for the next four years, and together they directed Camp Nebagamon from 1960 to 1990. Nardie are the parents of Jane Stein Kerr, Ted Stein, and Jessie Stein Diamond and the grandparents of seven grandchildren. Nardie’s community service included 50+ years as a board member of Sherwood Forest Camp, a nonprofit camp in Missouri, many years on the board and as president of the American Camp Association’s St. Louis section, and volunteering with Reading is Fundamental. In 2009, he and Sally published Keeping the Fires Burning, A History and Memoir of Camp Nebagamon. Nardie and Sally administered the Camp Nebagamon Scholarship Fund for 50+ years, for which he served as an advisor. Nardie and Sally lived in St. Louis until 2018 when they moved to Minneapolis. He enjoyed time at their Lake Nebagamon home through his final year of life.

Charlie Barrows

Gene Dattel

Jim Gerstein

Mike Goldman

Jim Guest

Bill Hensel

Bud Herzog

Fred Joseph

John Montag

Larry Rivkin

Suzanne Bong Scharff