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, Camp Director

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 Kennolyn, his first overnight camp.  Mike is the Director of Kennolyn Camps, Huntington Lake.

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