Camp Echo : Our Leadership

Jay Pilnick, Associate Director, has been at Echo for more than 30 years! From counselor of 8-year-olds to Division Leader to Associate Director, and many positions in between, Jay’s areas of expertise are camper life and program. Jay has raised his two sons at Echo since they were three months old. Sam is now in the Trailblazers Division, and Noah is a 49er. During the off-season, Jay is assistant principal at Roslyn High School on Long Island. He holds a BA in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from NYU, an MA in Special Education from Syracuse University, and a Professional Diploma in Administration and Supervision from Queens College.

Herb Silkowitz is Division Leader of the Trailblazers and Village Leader for the Boys. He has been on the staff and leadership team of Coleman Family Camps for more than two decades and during that tenure ran Coleman Cross Country with his wife Lisa. Recently retired as assistant principal of a middle school, Herb has a BS and an MS in Health and Physical Education from City College, an MS in Guidance and Counseling from Brooklyn College, and a Professional Certificate for Administration and Supervision from Queens College. He and Lisa have four grown children.

Lisa Silkowitz is Division Leader of the Trailblazers and Village Leader for the Girls. She has been with Coleman Family Camps in a variety of leadership roles for almost 20 years, and with husband Herb, directed Coleman Cross Country. A middle school special education teacher in Oceanside, she has a BS in Health and Physical Education from Ithaca College, an MS from NYU, an MA in Special Education from Hofstra University and a Professional Certificate for Administration and Supervision from Touro College. Lisa is also an EMT. She and Herb have four grown children.

Gail Jordan-Gold is Division Leader of the 49ers Girls. An Echo veteran of five years, she previously worked at Coleman Country. She is a first grade teacher in the New York City School system. She has a BS in Elementary Education and an MS in Special Education from Hofstra University. Gail says she loved camp so much that she even talked her parents into working there (Gene runs the Echo ceramics program, and Sue is a Pioneer Counselor for Gail’s youngest, Abby, who is not yet ready for camp!). Besides 2-year-old Abby, Gail’s daughters are Amy (Trailblazer) and Victoria (49er).

Brandon Cloyd is the Division Leader for the 49er Boys. A veteran counselor and “Lead” at Camp Echo, he spent all his summers throughout his college years being a role model to our boys. He hails from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and he holds a B.S. degree in theater and business institutions from Northwestern University in Chicago, where he currently works during the off-season. As a performer, Brandon especially enjoys working with outreach programs in theater for young audiences. He was recently seen in a production of Shakespeare’s Cymbeline, and he had a huge success in directing a children’s theater production. As one of the founders of the famous “Echo-Prov,” Brandon brings this and other talents to our camp community.

Sherryl Garry is Division Leader of the Explorer Girls. An Echo veteran, she teaches middle school math during the year in East Meadow, NY. Before that, she was a nursery school teacher at the East Meadow Jewish Center. She has a BA from Queens College and an MS in Education from Queens. She and her husband Leigh have three children: Jason, a 49er; Ashley, a Trailblazer; and Matthew, an assistant counselor at Coleman Country.

Kat Foecking is Division Leader of the Explorer Boys. A seasoned Echo leader, Kat has been working at resident camps for 10 years. In fact, she met her husband Bernd (Adventure Supervisor) at camp and got married at camp! Currently, Kat is a dorm parent for 10- to 15-year-old boys at Hampshire Country School, a boarding school in New Hampshire. She has a BA in psychology from Dickinson College and is a certified elementary school teacher. Three-year-old daughter Elisabeth attends camp as a Pioneer, our youngest division exclusively for children whose parents work at Echo! Kat and Bernd are eagerly anticipating the birth of Camp Echo's youngest camper, due to debut on this Earth in March, 2007! (Our Pioneer campers have their very own counselors, so that their parents can devote themselves exclusively to our campers.)

Elena Bacon is the Aquatics Supervisor at camp. She has more than 20 years of experience at Coleman Family Camps, the past five heading aquatics at Echo. She is a New York State certified special education teacher with Nassau BOCES and a teacher in a contained classroom of middle school students. She holds a BS in Interdisciplinary Studies from Molloy College, an MS in Elementary Education and Special Education from Adelphi University, and currently is working on her post-graduate degree in school administration at Dowling University. Her niece, Nicole, is an assistant counselor at Coleman Country Day Camp, where her nephew, Donny, is a counselor-in-training.

Rich Bernstein, Athletics Supervisor, has spent close to 30 years at Camp Echo – from camper to counselor to athlete-in-residence to area supervisor of athletics. Rich is a reading specialist in the East Ramapo Central School District. He also is a coach and an athletics consultant year-round. He has a BA in elementary education from Rider College, an MS in reading from Long Island University, and an MS in educational leadership from the College of New Rochelle. His son Daniel is an Explorer.

Bernd Foecking returns to camp as the Adventure Supervisor, a position he has held for several years. During the school year, he is the Academic Dean at Hampshire Country School in New Hampshire. He has a BA from Ruhr University in Germany, where he had a triple major in history, education and English. He currently is studying for an advanced degree in Adventure Learning. He comes to camp with his wife, Kat, a Division Leader, and their young daughter, Elisabeth, who is a Pioneer camper at Echo, who will have a baby sibling this summer!

Quinton Buckley returns as Supervisor of the Arts at Echo. He graduated from Wilmington College in Delaware with a degree in elementary education. He is the arts coordinator at the Georgetown Boys and Girls Club, where he plans and teaches programs in drama, choir, drawing, painting, and cooking for 4th - 7th graders. He has extensive experience at resident camps, including the Ott YMCA in Delaware.

Geri Cohen is Camp Mom for the Boys, a position she has held for the past few years. Previously, she was a counselor of boys at Coleman Country. During the off-season she is a kindergarten teacher in Floral Park, Queens. Geri has a BS in psychology with a minor in child and family studies from SUNY Stony Brook, and a Master’s in Early Elementary Education from Hofstra. Geri’s children are campers: Ilyssa, an Explorer, and Matthew, a 49er.

Beth Srour is Camp Mom for the Girls, a position she has held for several years. Previously she was a counselor at Coleman Country. During the school year, she is a teacher’s assistant for sixth and seventh graders at Woodmere Middle School. She has a BA in child psychology from the University of Maryland. Beth’s three children are campers: Zachary, an Explorer and Alison and Ilana, both Trailblazers.

Lisa Hallinan is the year-round Operations Manager with more than a decade of experience at Camp Echo. She is a New York State certified teaching assistant (SUNY New Paltz). A familiar name at camp, whether in the office or on the grounds, she ensures that all operations at camp function efficiently and professionally. She heads all the support services at camp. Along with husband Chris, she has two daughters who have grown up at camp – Courtney and Layla, both Trailblazers.

Chris Hallinan is the year-round Site Manager with more than 10 years at Echo. He is an expert in commercial and residential wiring, a wiz at carpentry (a Union carpenter), and a Certified Pool Operator. With wife Lisa and daughters Courtney and Layla, they truly are the First Family of Camp Echo!