Directors and Staff

Jessica Lewis
Managing Director

I have been privileged to work for some pretty remarkable organizations across the globe, however it is Wabun, the land, the people, the ethic that created it and sustains it that has done more to shape my character than any other experience/entity in my life. For me, working with young people is my calling. I love it! I remember times as a Wabun trip staff when the day drew to a close and my body ached to reunite with my tent and sleeping bag, but I could not pull myself away from the fire and the ring of young women around it laughingly rehashing the day. There is a spark – an engagement with life, playfulness, and an innate drive to discover in young people. In the classroom, on expeditions, and on service sites, I have sought to find ways to set the stage for kids to kindle that spark in themselves and one another. At Wabun, it has been my pleasure to find there has been no need for me to set that stage. The campers do it themselves and we adults get to bask in their glow.

Email: jess.lewis@wabun.org

Julie Hinchman
Assistant Director

First coming to Garden Island in 1967 as a staff child, I became the first female camper enrolled at Camp Wabun in 1977 and went on to lead the first all-female trip to James Bay in 1986. Wabun is in my blood and soul. The work, the fun, the challenges and successes have sustained me and made me the person I am today. My proudest moments at Wabun have been watching my own daughter grow through her Wabun experiences over the past seven years. Over the years I have seen many boys and girls grow into exceptional men and women because of their experiences at Wabun. I am excited to take on the role of assistant director at Camp Wabun, and to help continue the legacy of helping others to have the sort of formative opportunities that will allow them to become leaders in their schools and communities. I know that Wabun does that for every camper and staff member every summer. Outside of Wabun I have been a high school science teacher and dorm parent at the Loomis-Chaffee School in Windsor, Connecticut for twenty-eight years. Teaching, coaching, advising the robotics team, implementing a Sustainability Committee and subsequent Agriculture Program are just a few of the initiatives I have undertaken in my career with Loomis that allow me to work elbow-to-elbow with my students.

Email: julie.hinchman@wabun.org

Craig Lawrence
Associate Director

I am so excited and humbled to join the Camp Wabun family as your new Associate Director. I may be new to Wabun but am not new to camping life. I was privileged to work with a superstar team at Darrow Camp in Maine in 2007 and spent 4 summers as an Assistant Director.  The magic that formed there has lived on in my heart and solidified my passion for teaching young people and facilitating wilderness experiences.

From the age of 15, I have been so fortunate to have been mentored by some of the absolute best in the ways of wilderness, traveling both in summer and winter. That passion for traditional skills and equipment has always been a focal point of my 40-year career as a guide/instructor/teacher.

Temagami was home to me for many years and the time I spent on Anima Nipissing Lake taught me a way of life that defined who I am. During that time, I ran wilderness trips with Northwest Expeditions, was the Operations Manager at Smoothwater Outfitters and spent my winters running dogsled trips and revisiting the lakes and land that I travelled in the summer.  When the opportunity to run the dogsledding/winter program for Outward Bound Canada presented itself in 2005, it started a (snow) ball rolling that would later become Snow Forest Adventures. It grew to be a world class outdoor adventure travel company that would give me the opportunity to share my passion for winter wilderness travel with so many.

My wife Carmen, and I live just outside of Algonquin Park on the shores of the Oxtongue River. We share our cabin and our lives with three dogs and a cat who rules the roost.

Favorite Camp Meal: Corn Beef Hash (with lots of ketchup) 

Favorite Dessert: Buttertarts

Favorite Author/Book: Paradise Below Zero – Calvin Rutstrum

And there is always time for tea – with maple syrup, of course.

Email: craig.lawrence@wabun.org