We are thrilled to announce that Kendall Thomas has joined our year-round team as an Associate Director, with her main area of focus on programming. She is a recent graduate of Georgia Southern University with a degree in Recreation and Tourism Management and a concentration in Outdoor Recreation. During her tenure at the University, Kendall worked as a trip leader with Southern Adventures, a program that offers a range of trips, from weekend outings around the Southeast to week-long trips across the country, as well as trainings onsite at the University.
Kendall’s path to Keystone is one of the more uncommon scenarios, as she found her way to us by way of Falling Creek Camp in nearby Tuxedo, NC. In the spring of 2024, Kendall applied to work at Falling Creek. However, because of their limited number of female staff (they are a boys’ camp), they didn’t have space for her that summer. The summer camp world is a small community here in western North Carolina. Since the staffing director at Falling Creek knew we were looking for someone to head up our rock climbing program, he reached out to us, recommending we interview her. And the rest, as they say, is history! We knew from our first interview with her that Kendall was the perfect fit for Keystone.
After joining the summer staff in 2024, Kendall became a standout in our outdoor programming. She helped re-engineer the rock climbing program, and was an integral member on our support team. She was especially helpful and nurturing with our youngest campers, always visiting Crabapple and Pisgah cabins to assist during their nighttime routines.
When it came time to determine who would be the best fit to serve as our head counselor this past summer, we knew Kendall fit the mold perfectly. We ask a lot of our head counselors each summer, and Kendall stepped in with enthusiasm, flexibility, and the willingness to do whatever needed to get done in the moment. From fulfilling administrative duties to helping out in all the ways a head counselor does, Kendall managed the role with grace and humility.
As our team moved into conversations this summer about the programming associate director position, it was important to us that the right candidate put camp, and most importantly, our campers, first. We also needed someone with the skills, expertise, and knowledge to develop Keystone programming that is realistic for our current abilities and capacity. We knew Kendall could transition into this role seamlessly, bringing a fresh perspective, new ideas, and exciting goals for the future.
We are incredibly excited to move forward as a new year-round team, working hard to develop a camp program that is not just fun, but is also strong and allows for the true development of skills and passions.
Welcome, Kendall!
