Our Leaders & Staff

Let’s talk about your child and how Kennolyn can partner with your family!

Pam Caldwell Nootbaar

Pam Caldwell Nootbaar has spent most of her life at Kennolyn, starting as a camper at age 2. She took over operations as General Manager in 1995 and started our wedding & retreat business. Today, as our President/CEO, she oversees all of the camp and event operations on all three of our properties. She pays special attention to ensuring that our programs stay relevant in today’s world while remaining true to the vision of her grandparents, Uncle Max and Aunt Marion. All three of her daughters grew up attending Kennolyn and have worked in our camp programs. Pam is a graduate of UC Berkeley and has an MBA from Georgetown.

Pam Caldwell Nootbaar, President: ext.400 – pam@kennolyn.com

Andrew and Brenda Townsend

Andrew has been a part of Kennolyn since 1985. Like so many people before and since, he found Kennolyn to be a destination rather than a stop on a journey. In that first summer he met his future wife, Brenda, and Kennolyn became their summer home. In 1993, Andrew and Brenda moved to Kennolyn fulltime and over the next few years Andrew became the Director of all our camps. Andrew served two terms as President of the American Camp Association (ACA), Northern California and is the current president of the Western Association of Independent Camps. He also served on the Board of Directors of Pacific Collegiate School in Santa Cruz. Brenda has held many positions with Kennolyn. In the past several years Brenda has been our Food Service Manager. We’re grateful for her tireless efforts and the tasty food! They raised their three kids at Kennolyn and they all now work at Kennolyn too.

Andrew Townsend, General Manager: ext. 444 – andrew@kennolyn.com

Lindsey Caldwell Johnson and Dan Johnson

Lindsey and Dan met at Kennolyn as counselors and raise their family of 3 boys nearby in Capitola. Lindsey grew up going to Kennolyn every summer, then worked as a staff member for many years. She’s now the Director of Communication & Parent Relations and loves to enhance every family’s experience in the same spirit that her grandparents Aunt Marion and Uncle Max did for so many thousands of campers! Dan has been with Kennolyn since 1993, is a former teacher, loves high ropes and all things water-related, and is excited to be back running Day Camp which he ran for many years.

Lindsey Caldwell Johnson, Communications Director: ext 440 – lindsey@kennolyn.com
Dan Johnson, Day Camp Director: ext 447 – dan@kennolyn.com

Samantha Townsend Bundy

Samantha grew up at Kennolyn, starting in cabin Acacia in 1999. She has been on staff since the summer of 2011 in roles such as Ceramics Coordinator and Program Supervisor. Samantha graduated from the University of Redlands in 2015 with a degree in Psychology and a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential. She spent the next year traveling and working for Camp America in England. In the fall of 2016, Samantha joined the Kennolyn team full-time, was promoted to Assistant Director in 2018, and the Santa Cruz Mountains Overnight Camp Director in 2023. She is married to Miles Bundy who she met at camp in 2012! Samantha loves carrying on the camp traditions that have been such a big part of her life.

Samantha Townsend Bundy, Santa Cruz Mountains Overnight Camp Director: ext 448 – samantha@kennolyn.com

Mike Higginbotham

Mike Higginbotham is originally from Santa Cruz, California and has been a part of the summer camp experience since the age of 5! Starting as a camper and then a counselor, Head Counselor, Program Director, and Resident Director at Kennolyn working alongside our founders, Aunt Marion and Uncle Max (who also happened to be Mike’s real-life Great Aunt and Uncle!) In 1992, Mike moved into international summer camp staff recruitment.  He spent 15 years as the International Country Director in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and South Africa recruiting young adults to travel to the United States each summer to work at summer camps. In 2003, Mike was the founding director of Europe’s first traditional American-style summer camp in central Europe.  In 2014, Mike was again the founding director of the first American-style camp in Southeast Asia, located in Vietnam.  He has now come full circle, back to Santa Cruz and back to Kennolyn, his first overnight camp.  Mike is the Director of Kennolyn Camps, Huntington Lake.

Mike Higginbotham, Huntington Lake Overnight Camp Director – mike@kennolyn.com

Miles Bundy

Miles first came to Kennolyn in 2012, from Southampton, England. He started as a Cabin Counselor and continued to return summer after summer in various different roles until he moved to California permanently in 2016. He is one of a few people that have spent some time working for all of Kennolyn’s different departments (including Facilities!). He took a break from Kennolyn in 2018 to take a corporate job, but returned to working at Kennolyn in April 2022 in a full time role as our Operations Coordinator. He splits his time between our Camps and Events department dealing with all the logistics that go into keeping Kennolyn tick. 

Miles Bundy, Operations Coordinator: ext 430- miles@kennolyn.com

Daniel Barnett

Daniel started at Kennolyn in 1996 as a Camp Counselor in cabin Davenport.  He returned for several summers holding a variety of positions including Head Counselor, Special Activities Director, and Assistant Director.  Daniel received his Bachelor’s Degree from Chico State University in addition to a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and Special Education Teaching Credential.  He took a break from Kennolyn to focus on education and has taught Special Education in Woodland, CA,  Paradise, CA and Indianapolis, IN. He rejoined the Kennolyn team as the Associate Director in 2022 and is eager to move back home to California in the Spring of 2024. Currently, he splits his time working remotely for Kennolyn during the off-season and at camp during the summer months.

Daniel Barnett, Santa Cruz Mountains Overnight Camp Associate Director – daniel@kennolyn.com