

Our Staff
Pathfinder boasts a large staff of young men, homegrown from camper age, with canoe country expertise and a dedication to individual attention. A specialized complement of expert young women join in, creating a 1:2 staff to camper ratio unique in camping.
The position of Pathfinder counselor is one of caretaker, role-model and instructor focused on the campers. Pathfinder staff provide guidance and continuity of tradition. They share core Pathfinder values -- fraternity, service, teamwork, heritage, respect for the natural world, and personal goal-setting, achievement, and reflection.
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Our counselors give their guys Pathfinder’s magic mix of challenges and encouragement. They reward each genuine camper effort and milestone. They possess that rarest ingredient - empathy – to blend with the excitement, skills and maturity carried forward from their own camper years.


Staff & the Pathfinder Summer 2023
All Hail Our Amazing Pathfinder Staff!
The successful 2021 season, our 108th Pathfinder year, followed the only closed season in the camp’s history, a terribly sad necessity for our Staff as well as for so many of our camper families and alumni. For Pathfinder to have made a Covid-free comeback in 2021 says so much about that staff, who returned to Source Lake this past June from difficult and discouraging Covid isolations at home, but hit a collective home run for their kids.
Camp's return to action in 2021-2022 highlighted the staff qualities that make Pathfinder so special. Expertise, focus, hard work, dedication, empathy, patience, mutual good will, and a LOVE of FUN. All age groups of staff acted in the finest traditions of Pathfinder to make sure we had a healthy setting, a vibrant program, and the warmest sense of 'welcome home' for the campers. The Staff simply worked their tails off and gave everything with their whole hearts. The result was a camper experience including great trips, esprit de corps, healing routines and beloved traditions.
Looking to our upcoming 110th season, the Staff remain key to the Pathfinder experience. Already on the roster are the following staffers -- Glenn and Sladds return for their 22nd year of ownership, with Mary Chestnut in the front office, Paige Clark on program, Jack Sladden as assistant director, Andrew Beecher taking over the DOT role, Virginia Boyer running the waterfront, Chefs Gonzalo and Omar, camp medical directors Dr's Julia and Aaron Orkin, Indigenous educator Christine McRae, canoe maker Dave Statten, and CIT / LIT mentors Christian Kolaga, Nell Bruckner, Simon McNamee and Simon Jeens. The veteran Headman ranks already include all stars from last summer. Ella Born and Erin Iserhoff return to the waterfront as veterans, along with Leigh Moeser! And, we can't wait to see Tiger Lion, Pete Johnson, Corot Reason, Gyro Coakley, Josh Anderson, Zach and Stephanie Arem, Aubrey Spring and more in their Alumni in Residence roles.
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The target numbers for our summer community are 100-110 campers, with 75 staff members including up to 12 CITs. Camp this year will again be using a range of measures to safeguard the community and prevent the arrival or spread of Covid-19. See these measures summarized in the Pathfinder Covid Plan.
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Once again, the Staff will lead the use of vaccination, pre-screening, testing and limited cohorting. If needed, cohorts can live, dine, bathe, trip and in-camp-play together in what public health defines as a household unit, without masking and distancing.
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Our senior staff includes the directors, area supervisors and activity directors as usual. This management team will be its own cohort all summer, and will mask and distance as recommended so that their leadership between teams can’t accidentally allow any viral transmission.
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The Pathfinder Staff will see the return of a successful new LIT program. The counselor in training (CIT) summer has become an age-17 year. CITs will graduate into Second Man privileges later in summer, after their training and certification, while age-16 boys will become LITs, tripping all the time and enjoying tandem paddling life together with their directors, focused on guide skills in preparations for a Staff career.
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Our age-18 crew are the veteran Second Men group, while eligible age-19+ trip staff are the Pathfinder Headmen. This includes the 2021 rookie Headman class, and a stellar slate of veteran Headmen A full schedule of training, certification this June includes the fourth biennial Pathfinder Spruce Root, a unique wilderness leadership conference bringing renowned experts in a constellation of fields right to our Staff at the Island.
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We’re all excited to be reuniting as the 110th Pathfinder Staff season kicks off in June. We can’t wait!
Owners & Directors

GLENN ARTHURS
Owner
Youngstown, NY
St. Lawrence University
Glenn started as a camper at Pathfinder in 1960, serving as a staff member and
headman in the '70s, a parent through the '90s and 2000s, and a perennial volunteer supporter before joining with Sladds in ownership in 1999.
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Glenn is a Managing Director with the Arthurs Malof group at UBS Financial Services in Buffalo, NY. Glenn's sons Wyatt and Ryan were longtime Pathfinder campers and staff men, and his daughter Lindsay, a lifelong Northway camper / counselor also spent time on the Pathfinder staff.
Owner/Director

MIKE SLADDEN
Rochester, NY
Connecticut College
'Sladds' started as a Pathfinder Cree, a
third generation camper and staff man in the 1970s and '80s.
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Sladds' college studies led him to photographic history and graduate work at SUNY’s Visual Studies Workshop. He joined the education staff of the George Eastman Museum in 1986, becoming Curator of Education in 1989. Over the next decade he directed museum education programs, working as both a team member and manager on numerous exhibitions and public programs interpreting the history, art and technology of photography.
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Sons Jack and Quin are longtime campers, now staff men. Sladds spends six months in residence at Pathfinder and the winter months working from Rochester. He is Camp's full-time Director. He maintains a ropes course certification and WFR status, and is a Director of the Ontario Camps Association, and a Fellow of the Canadian Society of Camp Directors.
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Assistant Director, Operations
MARY CHESTNUT

Williamsville, NY
College of Wooster
Teacher, Wellsville Schools (ret)
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Mary has been an invaluable part of the Pathfinder experience for four decades. Her dad Al was a staff man at Pathfinder where he met her mother Helen, the camp nurse, just after WWII. While Mary attended Oconto, her brothers also made their own mark on Camp over the years.
Mary came into the Pathfinder front office from a career as waterfront director and was the first female to hold a senior title. At camp today, she manages operations and finance.
Mary recently retired from a career in middle school math instruction in Wellsville, New York. Likely Mary's will be the cheerful voice on the phone during summers.
Ask her what any boy is doing at Camp that day, and she'll know!
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DAVE STATTEN
Canoe Builder
Bracebridge, ON

JACK SLADDEN
Assistant Director
Rochester, NY​
Champlain College

ANDREW BEECHER
Director of Canoe Tripping (DOT)
Buffalo, NY
Fordham University

PAIGE CLARK
Program Director
Rochester, NY
Skidmore College

SIMON MCNAMEE
Director of Facilities/ Dir. of LITs
Ottawa, ON

VIRGINIA BOYER
Director of Waterfront
Louisville, KY
Colgate University

AARON ORKIN, MD
Pathfinder Medical Director
Toronto, ON
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JULIA ORKIN, MD
Pathfinder Medical Director
Toronto, ON
In-Camp Leaders
Waterfront, Medical, Culinary & Alumni

GYRO COAKLEY
Alumni in Residence Program

Tiger Lion
Alumni in Residence Program

AUBREY SPRING
Alumni in Residence Program

PETE JOHNSON
Alumni in Residence Program

COROT REASON
Alumni in Residence Program

VIRGINIA BOYER
Swim Staff / Sailing Lead
& Raven Area Supervisor

ELLA BORN
Swim Staff
& Loon Area Supervisor

ERIN ISERHOFF
Swim Staff & Nursing Staff

OMAR TERRAZAS
Chef, Baking/Pastry

GONZALO PANTOJA PARADA
Head Chef

Thania Flores
Chef

Liam Duggan
Kitchen Assistant

Nakita Geary
Kitchen Assistant
Headmen
The title of Pathfinder Headman is hard-earned. A Headman has apprenticed for 3-years after his camper career and is fully qualified for the responsibility of leading canoe trips.
A Headman is the lead on trips ranging from 1-40 days. Navigation, strategy, food planning, medical care, camper-care, and morale are just some of the roles taken on by a Headman.

PETER KOCH
Senior Headman

SAM HAMLETT
Senior Headman

ANDREW BEECHER
Senior Headman

SIMON JEENS
Veteran Headman

AIDAN MCPHAIL
Veteran Headman

BEN ZIEF
Director of Canoeing
& Veteran Headman

HENRY CLARK
Veteran Headman

ELY MILLER - WILSON
Veteran Headman

AIDAN WALTERS
Rising Headman
& Director of Canoeing

TATE PIERSON
Rising Headman

SIMON COUSINEAU
Rising Headman

CHRISTIAN KOLAGA
Rising Headman

CJ LENAHAN
Rising Headman

EVAN POPAT
Rising Headman

JAMES HERRON
Rookie Headman

BENJI PIAFSKY
Rising Headman

JACOB SEIFRED
Rising Headman

JAMIE SILLS
Rising Headman

JAMES FAIR
Rising Headman

DAN BUNDGARD
Rising Headman

DECLAN EADY
Rising Headman

GRAHAM HALL KEOUGH
Rising Headman

BEN MILLER WILSON
Rising Headman
Secondmen
The summer following CIT year our staff become Secondmen, when they take on duties such as finding and chopping wood on trip, assisting their Headmen, and taking care of campers.
Staff are Secondmen for 2 years - rookie and veteran - giving them time to learn and develop the skills necessary to become a Headman. This year, due to our lost 2020 summer, our Secondman class will combine this 2 year program into 1 year.

PETER BROWNRIGG

GIDEON DENT

MAC FABENS

ANDER GUSTAFSON

DILLON HARKNESS

SILAS WITMORE

SAM ZIONTS

JAKE MARTIN

MAX CROCKER
CITs
This summer, our Counselor in Training group is made up of our 17 year old staff. They completed their AA camper year at age 15, which including a challenging 30-40 day whitewater AA canoe trip. This summer will include staff training and certification courses, as well as hands on learning in camp and on trip throughout the summer.

ASHER MILBERG

ALEX BEECHER

WES PRICE

HENRY ZIEF
