Camp Kesem is by far the best camp I have ever been to. Everyone there had about the same reason for being there and it was nice to know others had the same experiences.” ~Camper

 

Program Directors 

Sigall Rave

Liz Gray

Development Director

Sarah Blumenfeld

Board of Directors

Dave Baldwin

John Bradburn

David Cronin

Ron Cassel

Keith Dierkx

Ron Glickman

Jerry Katz

Mary Long

Mark Olson

Iris Rave

Jessica Yu

Staff and Board

Camp Kesem Staff

Sigall Rave began working as a National Program Director for Camp Kesem in June, 2007.  Sigall (otherwise known as "Nemo" to campers and counselors) founded Camp Kesem at Indiana University in 2004 and served as a co-chair at Indiana for three years. In 2007 Sigall graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor's in Social Work. Sigall is from Malvern, PA and currently resides in Los Angeles, CA.

Liz Gray began working as a National Program Director for Camp Kesem in May, 2008.  Liz (otherwise known as "Phishy" to campers and counselors) helped found Camp Kesem at Indiana University in 2004 and served as a coordinator and a co-chair at Indiana for three years.  In 2007 Liz graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor's in Elementary Education. She also received a minor in Outdoor Recreation and Resource Management.  Liz is from Indianapolis, IN and currently resides in Summit County, CO.

Sarah Blumenfeld began working as Development Director for Camp Kesem in March, 2008. She is a UCLA graduate with years of experience in finance, administrative management, event planning and a variety of community volunteer projects.  Sarah is from Pasadena, CA and currently resides in Lafayette, CA.

 

Camp Kesem Board of Directors

Dave Baldwin is President of Baldwin Construction, a Custom Home Builder in the Los Angeles area.   He received credentials in Construction and Business Management from UCLA in 1988 and has been an entrepreneur in the field of Construction for over 25 years. Dave is committed to excellence in every aspect of business development, motivation, and transformational results. He lives in Palos Verdes California with his wife Lori and two children.

John Bradburn (Treasurer) is an accountant working for KPMG in Chicago, Illinois.  He works in transaction services, primarily advising clients on mergers and acquisitions.  He received his MBA and undergraduate degrees from Indiana University, where he first became involved with Camp Kesem.  John has been involved with Camp Kesem as both a student and alumnus for the past five years.

Ron Cassel was one of the founding members of SkyRadio Network, the premiere network launched in 1990 that provides airlines with all of their audio and video programming needs. Ron's expertise in creating, directing and developing marketing strategies and his keen execution has proven to be successful for the past 20 years. His high energy, networking skills and ability to mentor and lead a highly motivational team, has allowed his expertise to continue to evolve. His work with non-profit organizations includes City of Hope, National Center for Missing and Exploited ChildrenONE.org, and Juvenile Diabetes. This is why he loves going to work every day....to make the world a better place.

David Cronin (Secretary) is currently a marketing consultant working out of New York. He has over 20 years experience in the financial services industry and has worked in New York, Hong Kong and Singapore. He has been on the Board for nearly two years and is the Board Secretary. 

Keith Dierkx is an executive with IBM Corporation with global responsibilities focusing on transportation and supply chain clients. He sits on a number of start-up advisory boards, and is currently on the Business Advisory Board of San Francisco State University School of Business and the Transportation Center Board at the Kellogg School at Northwestern University in Evanston IL. He lives in Piedmont CA with his wife and children.

Ron Glickman (Chairman) has been the board chair of Camp Kesem for 5 years, leading our growth from 3 programs to more than 25 campuses today. He lives in Palos Verdes Estates, CA and works in long Beach as a senior executive for UTi, a global supply chain services company.

Jerry Katz is the Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of Marlin Equity Partners, a private equity firm in Los Angeles, CA.  Jerry has over 26 years of experience as lead counsel advising public and private corporations in complex transactions and general business ventures and as an executive involved in operational matters. Prior to joining Marlin Equity Partners, Jerry was a partner in the law firm of Glaser, Weil, Fink, Jacobs, Howard & Shapiro LLC.  Jerry has worked with a wide range of clients including technology and internet companies; solar and renewable energy companies; sports, media & entertainment companies; real estate firms, and multiple lenders and investors across industries.  Jerry, as a LEED Accredited Professional, is an expert on green building and renewable energy matters.  Jerry earned a J.D., cum laude, from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and a B.S. from the University of California, Berkeley, Undergraduate School of Business.

Mary Long received her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work in 1995 from The University of St. Thomas/College of St. Catherine in St. Paul and had a short stint at Northwestern’s business school, Kellogg. Mary has had a variety of work experiences including working with elementary school children, at Hennepin County Juvenile Corrections, and media sales and marketing for several large corporations including: Disney, Target, MSSB and Nielsen Media. In addition, Mary has donated much of her time to fundraising, event planning, and public relations for several non-profit organizations including: Starlight Foundation, Lookingglass Theater, Gateway Green and the launch of Gen Art Chicago. Mary served as the Project Director of the Village Training Institute of Father Joe’s Villages and was also the Development Director for KIPP schools. Recently, she has devoted her time to other charity organizations such as the LA Misson Clinic and the LA Free Clinic. Currently, she is the West Coast Sales Manager for TNS Media, which is a part of WPP group one of the largest media companies in the world.

Mark Olson is a strategy consultant specializing in healthcare for Oliver Wyman. A noted speaker, he enjoys working with leadership teams to drive growth and accelerate performance. He holds undergraduate and MBA degrees from the MIT Sloan School of Management. Mark currently resides in suburban Chicago with his wife and four kids.

Iris Rave Wedeking (Founder) developed the vision for the first Camp Kesem project at Stanford University in 2000 and pursued national expansion of the program in 2002 after recognizing a nationwide need for Camp Kesem.  She holds a degree in Child Development from Tufts University and an MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley.  Iris has over 13 years of residential camping experience in staff and management positions.  She is currently an Associate Marketing Intelligence Manager at The Clorox Company.

Jessica Yu (Alumni Representative) graduated from Stanford University in 2008 with a degree in Human Biology, specializing in Adolescent Health and Development. As an undergrad, Camp Kesem was her extracurricular passion - she spent four years with the organization in many important positions. She is now Research Coordinator for the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine, where she manages multi-site research projects focusing on childhood and adolescent disorders. Jessica resides in Mountain View, CA.