The North Country Camps Foundation

Established in 2017, the North Country Camps Foundation, Inc. is inspired by the 100+ year history of the North Country Camps and has been created to support and conduct the successful continuation of camps Lincoln and Whippoorwill into the future.

Our nonprofit organization offers families the opportunity to choose summer experiences for their children centered on wilderness living, learning, leadership development and diverse community living.

Nestled in the Adirondack region of New York State, the North Country Camps were established by Colba “Chief” Gucker in 1920 and have invited children and their families into the camp community ever since.

The foundation will continue to expand on the Gucker family’s legacy with the support of generations of campers, parents and our extended community.  It is led by a Board of Directors comprised of individuals who understand the history and tradition of the North Country Camps and are committed to carrying out the Foundation’s mission.

Board Members

Barry Needleman attended Lincoln from 1977 to 1981, and was a staff member from 1984 to 1993.  He has returned for portions of each summer since 1993 to lead trips for both camps and help run the Lincoln waterfront.  Barry and his wife, Ruth, met at camp in 1989.  Ruth is currently an Associate Director who runs the trip programs at both camps.  Their children, Hannah and Sam, both attended camp and worked there.

 

Barry is the managing partner of McLane, Middleton, New Hampshire’s largest law firm. His practice focuses on energy project development and environmental law.  He has held several leadership positions at McLane, including spending eight years on the firm’s Management Committee and chairing McLane’s Energy Practice Group.  

 

Barry served as the Gucker Campership Fund Counsel from 2006 until 2017.  He also served for two years on the Board of the Adirondack Mountain Club.

 

Barry holds a B.A. from Clark University, a J.D. from Lewis and Clark, Northwestern School of Law and an LL.M. in Environmental Law from George Washington University.  He and Ruth live in Hopkinton, New Hampshire but also spend time at their home in Essex, New York.  Barry has completed multiple rounds of the Adirondack 46, including two winter rounds, and loves sharing his passion for the mountains with campers during the summer. 

 

After years of listening to her father tell stories about his time at Camp Lincoln, Allie attended Camp Whippoorwill from 2000-2005, along with her sister.  She returned as a Whippoorwill staff member in 2008. 

 

Allie has spent her career working in the financial service industry in a variety of client service, operations, and product management roles.  Currently, she works at Northern Trust as the Global Head of Service Delivery for Total Portfolio Solutions.  Her team is focused on providing investment analytics and support to asset manager and asset owner clients. 

 

Allie holds a B.A. from Colby College and an M.B.A. from DePaul University.  Allie resides in Guilford, CT with her husband David, also a second generation Lincoln Alum, and two future birdies.

Anda Adams attended Whippoorwill from 1990 to 1993, and served on the staff from 1997 to 2001.  She credits her camp experience as the catalyst for her career in education.

 

In her work as an educator and administrator over the last 18 years, Anda has focused on the powerful impact of outdoor educational opportunities and the importance of providing access to rigorous and joyful learning experiences for all students.  She currently serves as the Assistant Superintendent for the Cambridge Public Schools (MA), where she oversees curriculum, instruction, assessment and professional learning.

 

Anda holds an A.B. in History from Brown University, a Masters of Public Policy from Georgetown, and a doctorate in Education Leadership from Harvard.  She lives in Framingham, Massachusetts.  With great joy, she introduced her daughter Tilda to North Country Camps at Old Timers' Weekend in August 2016 and cannot wait for her to have the full camp experience. 

Elaine Mizer was a Whippoorwill camper from 1974 to 1979, having been introduced to camp by Steve Frauenthal, who taught with her father for 20 years.   

 

Elaine has spent her entire career in Human Resources and is the Chief Human Resources Officer at Commonfund, an asset manager that supports school endowments and foundations.  Elaine previously served on the board of Fertile Hope, a non-profit focused on providing fertility resources to cancer patients.

 

Elaine holds a B.A. degree in Human Resources from Western Connecticut State University.   She resides in South Salem, New York with her husband Ed and two teenage sons, Brett and Travis.

Emily Byrne was a camper at Whippoorwill from 1994 to 2000.  She spent most of her early childhood summers in and around the camp health centers helping her mother, Betsy, nurse broken and sick campers back to health.  Emily subsequently served on the Whippoorwill staff from 2004 to 2008.

 

Emily currently serves as the Deputy Fiscal Officer for the Vermont General Assembly, Joint Fiscal Office.  Currently she also volunteers on the Board of the Vermont Federal Credit Union.

 

She holds an M.P.A from Syracuse University, a M.S. from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin.  Emily resides in Montpelier, Vermont with her family, a former Wheezer and third generation Lincoln alum, a future cubbie, and a future birdie. 

Mark Sabath is part of three generations of family that have spent their summers at the North Country Camps, including—as of summer 2024—his two children. Mark was a Lincoln camper from 1987 to 1991 and a counselor from 1995 to 1996.

 

Mark has devoted his professional career to public interest environmental law, first with the U.S. Department of Justice and currently with the Southern Environmental Law Center, a nonprofit environmental legal organization rooted in and focused on the South. Outside of the office, he can be found at Washington, DC-area venues playing keyboards with his band Northeast Corridor.

 

Mark holds an A.B. from Princeton University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, with his wife Kay and children Nori and Ben.

Matt Summers was a camper at Lincoln from 2002 to 2008 and a Leadership Trainee/Dishwasher/Counselor from 2009 to 2013 and 2015Matt Summers was a camper at Lincoln from 2002 to 2008 and a Leadership Trainee/Dishwasher/Counselor from 2009 to 2013 and 2015. Matt has visited camp every summer since 2002 to lead trips or teach kayaking (except in 2016, when he was on an English teaching Fulbright in South Africa).

 

Matt founded and chaired the board of Debate Spaces, a non-profit that connects and empowers kids from dozens of countries. He is an Associate in the Appeals and Complex Briefing practice of Berger Montague, a law firm dedicated to advocating for consumers and promoting competition. And he is also a national champion in kayak polo—a sport he was introduced to at camp.

 

Matt holds a B.A. from Bates College and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He lives in San Mateo, CA with his wife, Tessa, who grew up spending summers in the Adirondacks on Saranac Lake.

Rachel Willner Thompson was a Whippoorwill camper from 1986 to 1990, and returned as a staff member for several years beginning in 1994. Her two eldest children, Caleb and Nate, are now enthusiastic campers at Lincoln.  Rachel is a pediatric emergency medicine physician and assistant professor of pediatrics at Boston Medical Center & Boston University School of Medicine.  In addition to her clinical role, Rachel is the Clerkship Director for pediatric medical education for the BU medical students and loves the opportunity this provides for mentoring those students who choose a career in pediatrics.

Rachel holds a B.A. from Harvard College and received her M.D. from Yale University School of Medicine.  She and husband Joel live in Jamaica Plain, MA with their children Caleb, Nate & Nora.

 

Ted Sonneborn was a camper from 1998 to 2002 and returned as a staff member from 2004 to 2015, and from 2017 to 2021. During his time on staff, he was an associate director, trip program  director, afternoon program director, trip leader, section head, and cabin and activity counselor. Ted has returned to camp in recent summers to support programming and staff training. He currently works in the mental health field with children, adolescents, and young adults. Prior to his work in the mental health field, Ted worked as a school administrator, teacher, and coach at day and boarding independent schools.

 

Ted served on the Gucker Campership Fund board of directors from 2010-2024 in a variety of roles including secretary and vice president. He also served on the boards of the Adirondack 46ers and the North Country New York Planned Parenthood.