Staff Bios

We want you to meet our 2008 Camp Staff.

Linda Lamphier Office Manager

A graduate of Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC, Linda worked at Screamin' Eagle Outfitters in Flat Rock, NC and at YMCA Camp Greenville in Cedar Mountain, NC before finding a home here at the Green River Preserve. Linda holds the office together, managing camper registration, telephones, mail and radio traffic. Moving from Orangeburg, SC to Henderson County more than 25 years ago, Linda is developing her own small Certified Wildlife Habitat in nearby Zirconia, NC.

Pam Ritchie Summer Program Coordinator

Pam was born in Shelby, NC and grew up going to camp and playing in the woods. She spent many summers as a camp counselor and was the summer program director her last summer at Camp Grier. Pam graduated from Appalachian State University with a degree in Outdoor Experiential Education. She worked at a wilderness therapy program for at-risk youth in the Idaho desert after college. Pam was a mentor for the fall school programs before she became the Summer Program Coordinator for Green River Preserve. She is responsible for recruiting and hiring summer staff and coordinating summer programs. Pam enjoys backpacking, primitive skills, daisies, snails and getting mud in-between her toes!

Ben Wyrick Mentor

Ben is entering his seventh straight summer as a mentor. He enjoys backpacking, photography, running long distances through the mountains, and his dog,Dante. Ben's project this summer is to complete and paint the camp tipi, which is being created with everyone's help. When he's not tromping through the Preserve, Ben lives in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where he teaches photography and graphic design at Blue Ridge Community College. Ben is also a professional photographer.

Michelle Grim Mentor

This will Michelle's second summer at GRP. As a child, she moved around a lot but is originally from Findlay, Ohio. She graduated from the University of Findlay in 2006 with a degree in Biology. Michelle's favorite things are early spring wildflowers, zero food waste, and giraffes!

Erik Stone, Reid Stone and Marlene Rye Mentors

Erik, Marlene and Reid live in Northampton MA, where Erik is a teacher, Marlene is a full time professional artist, and Reid is a pirate, Egyptian, knight, wizard or dragon respectively. This will make Erik and Marlene's 8th or 9th (they can't remember) summer at GRP, and Reid's 5th if you count the summer Marlene was pregnant. The whole family has a love for nature and seeking the joy. They look forward to a summer of laughing, learning, and fun. Erik and Marlene will be joining the GRP staff for Session 2.

Derrick Willard Mentor

Derrick Willard is currently a science teacher at Providence Day School, a K-12 independent school, in Charlotte, NC. While he is presently teaching Biology and AP Environmental Science to juniors and seniors, he has taught science at all grade levels from 6 through 12 over the last 12 years. Prior to his teaching career, Derrick served as an officer in the U.S. Army in armored cavalry and paratroop units. When not working, Derrick enjoys playing with his children, reading, hiking, and fly-fishing. Derrick will be joining the GRP staff as a mentor during Mini Camp and Session 1.

Courtney Brown Mentor

Courtney is originally from Naples, FL, but has lived in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand, for 5 years now with her family, Sene, Piper (14 months), step son, Sam (age 7) and Border Collie, Sweep. Together they own and facilitate a Holistic Health Retreat in Opua, NZ. Courtney started at the GRP as staff the very first year! She returns after 10 years with Green River experience as a Counselor, Activity Director, and Assistant Director. Courtney is a trained family therapist specializing in outdoor adventure programs and play therapy. Her passions include organic gardening, sustainability consultation, international service work and travel, family, health and healing treatments, sports and spiritual development. Piper is excited to be a camp mascot for the summer. Sene is a naturopath, reiki master, multi-sport competor,and fantastic dad. He will join the GRP family for the later half of the summer

Rachael Bergmann Counselor

Rachel is from Columbia, South Carolina. She is currently a freshman at Emory University in Atlanta. This will be her 10th summer with Green River: She spent 5 summers as a camper, 2 years on the Outer Banks Expeditions, and 1 year as a CIT. Rachel is really looking forward to another great summer with the Green River Preserve, it is sure to be unforgettable!

Rich Preyer Counselor

Rich is a rising senior at Wake Forest University, majoring in history and classical studies. He attended base camp at the GRP for five years and did BRX for two years in high school. He was also a CIT at the GRP in 2004. He loves backpacking and Ultimate Frisbee more than anything in the world and hopes to spread some of the passion to the kids this summer. Rich can't wait to get back to camp and knows that this summer is going to be magical!

Jeff Talbott Counselor

Jeff is finishing his Senior year at Florida Gulf Coast University located in Ft. Myers, Florida and is majoring in Environmental Studies with a minor in Biology. He loves the outdoors, photography, frisbee, is hopelessly addicted to music, and is an avid cross country runner. Jeff is really excited for all the experiences camp will bring with it, and he can't wait to have some adventures with the new staff and campers at Green River.

Evan Small Counselor

Evan is a rising junior at Elon University, majoring in History Education and Music Performance with a minor in Leadership Studies. He has attended GRP Base Camp for 5 years, the Wilderness Arts Expedition, the Outer Banks Expedition, and was a CIT for a summer. He loves to backpack, kayak, and do just about anything outside! He is really excited for this summer and can't wait for camp to start.

Becca Shareff Counselor

Becca is a former camper and Outer Banks expeditioner who is now a sophomore at Washington University in Saint Louis majoring in Philosophy Neuroscience-Psychology with a minor in Women and Gender Studies. She absolutely loves dance parties, flowers, grand slams, stars, traveling, and making campers laugh, even if it means getting food all over her face. That being said, she can't wait for her second year as a counselor at the GRP and all of the fun times to come!

Caroline Ellerbe Counselor

Caroline Ellerbe is a rising Junior at Princeton University studying History and Creative Writing. She spent four years as a camper, two on Blue Ridge Expeditions, and worked last summer as a counselor. She enjoys writing, running, frisbee, rock climbing and playing outside. She had the time of her life working last summer and can't wait to be back!

Elan Solveson Counselor

Elan is a rising senior at Florida Gulf Coast University majoring in Environmental Studies with an emphasis on Environmental Education. Elan loves playing the guitar, watching sunsets, playing in the rain, and spending time in the woods. Elan is so excited to spend some time in the mountains and can’t think of a better place to spend her summer than Green River!

Samantha Pfeffer Counselor

Sami will be a sophmore at Mount Holyoke College in the Fall. While she loves school, she misses North Carolina constantly! Especially the mountains, so she's "wicked" excited for Green River (to use her newly acquired Western Massachusetts vocabulary).

Brian Clark Co-Counselor

Brian a rising senior at Grimsley High School in Greensboro, NC. This will be his first year on the GRP staff, but he has gone through four summers of base camp and an expedition to the Outer Banks. I run cross country, play lacrosse and enjoy other activities like: hiking, kayaking, ultimate frisbee, capture the flag, climbing trees, hacky sack and reading a good book. He plays clarinet and guitar. This past year he did some work with the Student Conservation Association, preserving and creating trails in the California Redwood Forest. He can't wait to come back to the GRP!

Kartik SethuramanCo-Counselor

Kartik is a rising senior at Grimsley High School in Greensboro, NC. He hasgone to the Preserve for 7 years, including both OBX and BRX but this will be his first year working here. He plays violin and guitar, and enjoys backpacking, hiking, Ultimate Frisbee, Capture the Flag, reading, Cross Country, Track, and just being out in nature. He has always looked forward to going to the Preserve every year and can't wait to get back!

Andrew Henderson Co-Counselor

Drew is a rising high school senior from Spartanburg, South Carolina. A former base camper and expeditioner, Drew is looking forward to spending this summer back at the Preserve. When he's not planning his next daring adventure, Drew enjoys spending time with his family, reading, and reclining in hammocks.

Geneva Preston Co-Counselor

Geneva is a seventeen-year-old Georgia native who enjoys backpacking, hiking, and camping almost as much as she enjoys breathing. She is a rising sophomore at Bard College at Simon’s Rock (an early college), and though she is very much undecided about her major, she is thinking about studying botany or plant ecology. Geneva loves to sing, laugh, play, and have fun. This summer, she is really hoping to learn how to juggle. She will be joining the GRP staff for sessions 3 and 4 and she can’t wait to go back down by the Green River where paradise lay!

Carson Ellis Co-Counselor

Carson is a rising senior at Asheville High School in Asheville, NC. She has spent five summers at the GRP as both a camper and an expeditioner, and can’t wait to be immersed in the sunshine, the rain, the laughter and the beauty of the GRP again this summer! Her two loves are art and nature; photography, fungi, ceramics, trees, music, salamanders, painting and the Preserve are only a few of her favorite things. When she’s not behind a desk in a classroom, she loves to get outside and hike, bike or garden (currently, she’s growing some lovely peas, potatoes, corn and watermelons!) and on weekends she volunteers as a tutor at a local elementary school."

Frank Castelblanco Camp Nurse

Frank was born In Colombia and grew up in NJ, where he attended Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Frank spent some time living in Colorado, was a school teacher for 3 years and a restaurant manger. He went to Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College for nursing and currently works at Mission Hospitol with the Cardiac ICU and stepdown patients. Frank lives in Asheville with his three kids Phoebe 13, Alesandro 3 and Paiden 1.5 and his wife, Samantha. He enjoys soccor, hiking and running. Play Soccer, hike and run. This will be Frank's third summer as a Camp Nurse for GRP! Frank will be one o the Camp Nurses during Session 2.

John Giles Outer Banks Expeditions Staff

John Giles graduated with a bachelors degree in Outdoor Education/minor in Biology at Georgia College and State University. John worked as a gourmet chef for seven years before going to college and decided he wanted to get out of the kitchen and focus on the natural world. John fell in love with the ocean after several coastal wetland classes and hasn't looked back since. John has worked many different positions at GRP for five years and has found his true calling in the Outer Banks Expedition. This will be his second year as the lead mentor for OBX and his third year on the expedition. John loves to play music with whatever instrument he can grab and enjoys making people happy with food!

Rachel Brett Outer Banks Expeditions Staff

After graduating from Brown University last May, Rachel has spent the last year eating homemade granola, climbing really big mountains, and working for an environmental nonprofit in Boulder, Colorado. She has spent nine summers at GRP as a camper, expeditioner, counselor, and mentor, and although she is slightly prone to seasickness, she is nonetheless excited to hit up the beach this summer while leading Outer Banks Expeditions. Rachel loves long walks on the beach, bears, shooting stars, her guitar, getting dirty, and frisbees, and is so excited to go back to camp after a year of pretending to be an adult.

Eric Thompson Blue Ridge Expeditions Staff

Eric graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2005 with a bachelors degree in Biology and a passion for field studies. He has spent the last 3 years working various outdoor jobs for The Student Conservation Association (SCA) in places like Maui, Utah, and Southeast US. He loves backpacking, canoeing, frisbee, and exploring. Eric is super excited about being a Blue Ridge Expedition Co-Leader for his first summer with GRP.

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