Our Team It’s all about Connection
Your Guides for the Summer of a Lifetime
Each summer, about 60 adults work at Odyssey Teen Camp, helping us fulfill our mission of delivering a one-of-a-kind, transformative summer experience. Our team members work long hours – but they always make time for having fun! Meet the members of our core staff, who return year after year to help us make OTC a success:
Adam Simon Founder & Executive Director
Adam founded Odyssey Teen Camp in 2002 with a vision to create a space where teenagers would feel safe and encouraged to try new things. He recognizes that teens face many obstacles, and OTC provides them with a judgment-free environment where they can explore who they are while pursuing their passions.
Adam has a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education from the University of Connecticut. He lives in Westchester with his wife, Jena, a nurse practitioner; his stepson, Zubin; daughter, Aviva; and a couple of Bernese Mountain dogs.
Mary Collins Camp Nurse (RN)
Mary is a nerdy, nonbinary, and neurodivergent Registered Nurse (RN). They spend the year working at a community hospital and have cared for patient populations ranging from newborns to end-of-life. A proud disabilities rights advocate, they have played in multiple all-abilities rock bands, performance projects, and creative collaborations. Mary fell in love with summer camp while working at overnight camps for people with disabilities in California and Germany and is delighted to bring their experience to OTC. Their intimate understanding of sensitivity and difference make them an excellent and attuned asset to teens seeking the resource of a healthcare professional while away from home.
Derek Thomas Director of Operations
Derek’s educational background in performance art and fabrication at Massachusetts College of Art and his involvement in experimental theater makes him the perfect producer for the wacky events and classes that have become a tradition at camp. At OTC, you’ll find Derek collaborating with teens to construct ephemeral sculptures and put on our exciting events. Derek and his team of teenage producers have created glitter-covered drag shows, karaoke parties in the woods, and a parade made up of golf-cart-animal floats.
Chloe Fitzpatrick Program Director
Chloe is a dreamer and big-picture thinker. When she’s not dreaming of new projects and programs for teen camp, she’s hard at work as a production designer and visual artist. Many of Chloe’s programming ideas for camp — evening activities like I Don’t Think So, Honey and our Artist in Residence Program — are inspired by the performance and art world. In 2013, Chloe obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Gender & Sexuality Studies from Earlham College. This background allows her to think critically about identity at camp and better support LGBTQAI+ campers.
Georgios Tsangaris Director of Communications
Georgios has been at OTC since its inception in 2002. He’s toured the country with two different circuses, is a published poet and is active in the underground theatre scene in New Orleans – a group that also helps run one of the largest Harm Reduction organizations in Louisiana. Georgios’s favorite part of camp is helping creative, idiosyncratic, and shy teens realize how cool they actually are!
Er Raff Camper Manager
We are super grateful to welcome Er to our leadership team because we know their deep compassion, love of creativity and fun, and unwavering patience benefit our camp community in so many ways. Er’s work as a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker is a tremendous asset to our team. When not at camp, Er specializes in supporting adult LGBTQIA+ folks who struggle with eating disorders. They also dance in several dance companies, rock climb, snowboard, and volunteer with Planned Parenthood. Er’s ability to support and connect with campers makes them a perfect asset to our team.
Emily Shuster Wellness Coordinator
Emily thrives in an activated, energetic environment. When Emily finally found her way to OTC in 2021, she quickly fell in love with the passion and creativity of this absolutely unique community. Emily is also a licensed social worker who wears many hats during the off-season, and her history includes working as a case manager, therapist, teacher, and labor organizer. Emily is skilled at supporting the creation of strong bonds, routines, and transformation within and between individuals, groups, and systems. She is delighted to serve as OTC’s Wellness Coordinator, which means that she helps out with communication and problem-solving with campers, caregivers, counselors, health staff, and administrators, both during and outside of camp sessions. Emily tries her best to keep colorful hair scrunchies, a water bottle, and her bicycle nearby at all times.
Danny Romeu Office Manager
Danny’s amazing organizational skills come from a long career in coordinating modern dance and performance work. Using his expertise at combining compassion and organization, Danny will be in the camp office to answer any questions regarding your child’s travel logistics. He’s our multi-tasking, deadline-meeting, tap-dancing office manager. If we’re lucky, he also may teach some dance classes! In the summer of ‘21, he and Er worked together to create a Dance Interpretation of the Salem Witch Trials in our Big Show.
Alexa Biano Staff Manager
During the year, Alexa works as a teacher and a mechanic and is involved in mutual aid networking around the country. Alexa is an expert at growing and building tradition at camp. She knows how valuable communal spirit is and has helped countless teenagers learn more about themselves and form their most cherished relationships. We are so lucky to have her on our team!
Have Questions?
We’d love to speak to you by phone or video. We talk to parents, we talk to teens. We sometimes speak to parents and teens together.
