Leadership & Staff

Our core leadership has decades of experience in camping and youth development.
Our mission is to create an environment where kids thrive.

Zachary Friedman
Director

Zach grew up in the Boston Area and attended his childhood camp, YMCA Camp Coniston, for fourteen summers. He formerly taught middle school science, directed a day camp and community programming on an urban farm, and co-founded Eden Village West, a nonprofit farm and wilderness overnight camp in Northern California.

Zach received his B.S. in Chemistry from Tufts University and his M.S. in Nonprofit Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. Following graduation at UPenn he continued to serve as an Assistant Instructor for the course Empowering Nonprofit Leaders to Thrive, and has worked with students and nonprofit leaders across the world who are committed to building organizations (like camp!) that support people in flourishing. In his free time Zach enjoys backpacking and mountaineering in the White Mountains, gardening, and playing guitar. He lives with his wife, Lucy, and their two cats in the Boston area.


Tony Oyenarte
Director

Tony has been an overnight Camp Director for over 26 years, spending time in Florida at his childhood camp and as a seasoned New England Director. Tony has been active in the American Camp Association, including as Vice Chair of the National Board. He’s a safety fanatic, and is certified as a Wilderness First Responder and a Red Cross Lifeguard Instructor. At camp, you’ll find Tony fly fishing, paddle boarding with campers or sharing his passion for grilling while wearing his favorite Red Sox hat.

During the summers, Tony will be joined at camp by his wife Stacie, who has over 30 years of teaching experience in Middle School. She is currently an ESOL teacher and was named Teacher of the Year for her school. At camp, you’ll find Stacie walking their beloved golden retrievers—Scout and Summer. Tony and Stacie are the proud parents of Michael and Max. They are a true summer camp family, and love the water and enjoying Florida Gator sporting events.

Our Staff

At Camp Emerson we pride ourselves on selecting the best of the best to teach and care for your children.

We hire a staff of talented instructors who embody our philosophy and who are there for the campers. These are individuals who are skilled teachers in their specialty areas and are caring people who listen to the children. Our experience in hiring, training and managing staff shows in our return rate and in the feedback from our campers.

  • Ratio in the cabins: 1:5
  • Return rate 50+%
  • Extensive interview process
  • Intensive training program prior to camper arrival
  • Required lesson plans for all activities
  • Ongoing observations, feedback and training during the summer
  • Multiple reference and background checks for each staff member

Health Staff

We are grateful to have returning health center staff who love camp and are skilled medical professionals. Most of our staff have been with Emerson for multiple summers. Our Medical Director supervises a team of Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants and Registered Nurses to care for the health of our campers and staff.