Jim "T-Foot" Bentley, Camp Director 2001 - Present I was born in Florida, where I grew up and got involved in YMCA programs in the 10th grade. I feel the YMCA helped me figure out who I was at a very important time in my life which kept me interested in furthering my involvment with YMCA programs. I began my camping career at YMCA Camp Indian Springs in Tallahassee Fla. as a counselor for two summers and the Program Director for one summer. The following summer I graduated from Auburn University at Montgomery with a B.A. in Sociology. My background in the YMCA and resident camping convinced me that working with children is what I wanted to do for a living and the resident camp environment was where I wanted to do it. I became a Program Director at the Tallahassee YMCA where I ran Youth Sports, Middle School Programs, and Day Camps for two years before I became the Resident Camp Director at Camp Indian Springs. After two years at Camp Indian Springs my wife April and I decided to move to Michigan for her to attend Law School at Thomas M. Cooley. I became the Camp Director at Camp Algonquin for the Barry County YMCA. As April neared the end of Law School we began discussing where we wanted to settle down and agreed that Maine was the right choice. I am a true believer that everything happens for a reason and as I began my job search the Director position at Camp Jordan was being advertised. I was fortunate enough to be hired here at Camp Jordan and we have been living on the shores of Branch Lake for 8 years now. My wife now works for the law firm of Rudman and Winchell and we could not imagine a better camp to call home. Colin "OJ" Talbot, Assistant Director I am 22 years old and I am currently studying Industrial Enigineering at Northeastern University where I will begin my senior year in the fall. I love being active as I am a member of Northeastern's Rugby Club. I also enjoy camping, listening to music, and watching movies. This summer will be my 9th summer at Camp Jordan. I have attended summer camps since I was 8 years old and I can truly say that I had the best time at Camp Jordan because of the activities and the great counselors that made it so much fun. I attended as a camper from 1998-2000 and as a staff member from 2001-2002 and 2004-2007. I have been through many levels of the staff, from Program Aid to Counselor to Sports Regulator to finally now, the Assistant Director. Through all my years at Camp Jordan I have gained very useful wisdom and important life lessons that helped me mature greatly. I would not trade any of my summers at Camp Jordan for anything and the only regret I have is that I did not find out about Camp Jordan sooner. I sincerely hope that every child has a chance to attend a summer camp (especially Camp Jordan) for at least one week in their childhood. I have made many friends from all around the world at camp and it is an experience like no other that I will never forget. I hope you will give Camp Jordan a chance and I will try my best to make sure you have the time of your life! Shane "Q" Yardley , Director of Sports and Recreation I graduated from the University of Maine with a degree in Secondary Education with a concentration in history. I have been working for the Bangor Y in various childcare positions for the past four years,spending the past two summers as the Sports Regulator at Camp Jordan. I am currently working as a 7th and 8th grade Social Studies teaching in Downeast Maine. I have a passion for sports and games and can't imagine a better place to spend my summers than at beautiful Camp Jordan. Joe " Java" Knox, Director of Boating I am a native of Maine, and graduated from Gardiner High School and the University of Maine (if you want the years, I suppose I could tell you). Most of my childhood was spent lakeside at family camps, and I learned how to handle a canoe at age 7. I have been a Registered Maine Guide since 2003, trained in wilderness first aid, and am also a certified waterfront lifeguard. Currently I work as an Ed Tech with special needs students, and am also conditionally certified by the State of Maine as a secondary social studies teacher. I live in Bangor with my wife, five-year-old stepson, and Spidey the Super-Cat. Fiona "Tofu" McMahon, Director of the Waterfront Hello, my name is Fiona McMahon. 2008 will be my second summer as the waterfront dirrector at Camp Jordan, but it will be fifth year lifeguarding at Camp Jordan. Outside of my wonderful life at Camp Jordan I attend the University of Maine. I am majoring in Biology and am minoring in Neurobiology. I can't wait for the summer to hurry up and get here so we can start a wonderful summer at Camp! Gretchen "Gonzo" Leightizer, Director of Creative Arts My name is Gretchen Leithiser, and I'm originally from Old Town, ME. I grew up going to school in Hampden, and I now attend Clark University, a small liberal arts school in Worcester, MA, where I major in Screen Studies. I have a passion for any form of art, whether it be painting or making music, but film making is what I most love to do. My favorite thing about camp is seeing such amazing kids express themselves through art and how much fun they can have while doing it. I've found that there is rarely a kid that doesn't like to draw, and that just makes me so happy. While I do try to teach all of my campers basic techniques and artistic styles, my main goal is just to have fun. If they're smiling, so am I.