Staff

Camp staff play a pivotal role in making Kennolyn a place where campers can be their best selves. We carefully select talented, caring adult professionals to lead our groups and activities. All staff are trained in the best practices of youth development, camper safety, and of course, fun! In addition to our training, a background check is required, and all staff are fingerprinted.

Many of our counselors come from around the globe. Our international staff brings an increased depth and dimension to all aspects of the camp community because they offer campers the opportunity to understand and appreciate the similarities and differences of people from a variety of cultures. In addition to the benefits of a culturally diverse staff, campers receive the benefit of the international counselors’ exceptional education and experience. The counselors come to us through a program that has rigorous standards – only those with the highest qualifications are approved.

Mike Higginbotham is the Camp Director. Mike is originally from Santa Cruz, California and has been a part of Kennolyn since he was 5! Starting as a camper and then ultimately the Resident Director at Kennolyn, he worked 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. 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. Mike came full circle back to Kennolyn in 2019. He brings a wealth of knowledge and loads of experience with all things on the water.

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

Anita Torbarina from Croatia is the Program Coordinator. She worked for 4 summers with Mike on the Adriatic and 3 more summers with an American camp on the East Coast. In between she has held various roles at the American International School of Zagreb. Anita reunited with Mike at Kennolyn in 2024 and will return in 2025. Her positive energy is infectious and helps make everyone feel they belong.