Leadership Team
We returned to Camp Pinnacle this year because we felt it was very important for Conor to be outdoors, take part in all the activities available, and see some old friends and make new ones. Also, all the steps and precautions Camp Pinnacle took to open really made us feel at ease. Coming from NY, that was not an easy decision! While clearly a different year with respect to the pandemic, the experience was just as good as his first year. The team at Camp Pinnacle has done a fantastic job in ensuring such a great experience for all of the kids. It’s the reason we make the trip from NY! – Tom Torpey, parent from Tomkins Cove, NY
Fayssoux & John “JG” Moss
Executive Directors
Fayssoux is a third-generation Camp Pinnacle camper who joined the Director team in 2014. JG was working as a director at nearby Camp Highlander when the two met. They married at Camp Pinnacle in 2016 and after the birth of their oldest son, Hobbs, in 2019 Fayssoux and JG joined forces to lead the Pinnacle director team.
Fayssoux and JG understand the importance of campers and staff spending their summers having fun while fostering independence and building communication and collaboration skills. They are dedicated to creating those experiences for the community of Camp Pinnacle.
Fayssoux and JG, live across the street from camp with their children, Hobbs and George, and loyal dog, Gunner, and are actively involved in all aspects of camp.
Walker Hendry
Director
Walker is responsible for assembling and managing our amazing team of counselors and activity instructors, focusing on our staff’s personal and professional growth, and assisting in day-to-day operations. Walker has a degree in Outdoor Education from Georgia College and has an extensive background in wilderness medicine and safety management, maintaining his Wilderness First Responder certification since 2010. Walker’s family includes his wonderful wife, Sara Jane, and his springer spaniel, Wyatt, who you will certainly see running around camp this summer. You’re sure to catch Walker on the disc golf course, casting his fly rod on Wolfe Lake, or running and biking the trails of western North Carolina.
Alice Burch
Associate Director
Alice Haefeli didn’t go to camp as a child, but she has been working in the camping industry in some capacity since her junior year of high school. She has experience working at day camps, residential camps, and camps for children with diverse needs and has seen first-hand the power that camp has to change people’s lives. Alice graduated from Hunter College in NYC with a degree in music and upon graduation began teaching. She continued going back to camp every summer until she realized that it was the right career for her. She still keeps music very much in her life, and in her spare time, you can find her sitting at a piano or strumming a guitar. Alice is very happy to be at Camp Pinnacle, a place that feels like a second home!
Rylie Young
Program Director
Growing up in Minnesota, Rylie attended summer camp for three summers and began her love for camp at an early age. She found Camp Pinnacle in 2020 and the rest is history! Over her first five summers, Rylie held a number of seasonal roles at camp; including Wolfe Pack Counselor, Head of Evening Programs, and Head of Older Girls – “Let’s go Otters!”. Before becoming a member of the Director Team, Rylie worked for two years in the Outdoor Education field full time, starting at The Outdoor School in Marble Falls, Texas and then moving to the Pali Institute, located in southern California. At Pali she worked as the Assistant Ropes Director and gained a wealth of knowledge surrounding programming and risk management. We are so glad to have her on our team and she can’t wait to see you all this summer.
Gretchen Roeder
Administrative Director
Tom McCartney
Facilities Manager
Tom is a master craftsman and carpenter and oversees the Camp Pinnacle facilities. From treehouses to lily pads to the Lognasium, much of the magic of Camp Pinnacle’s facilities is a result of Tom’s understanding of how our children’s experiences can be affected through the camp’s beautiful grounds. Tom is a native of Western North Carolina and has an associate’s degree in forestry. He’s worked with the United States Forest Service and as the head of the Environmental and Conservation Organization in Henderson County.
Michelle Zimmer
Events Coordinator
Michelle fell in love with the mountains spending her childhood summers in North Carolina. Originally from Michigan, she earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Central Michigan University. With her passion for continuing education, Michelle is currently pursuing her master’s degree in mathematics education through East Carolina University, and she just received her TEFL certification while studying and teaching in Thailand. In her free time, Michelle enjoys planning her next travel adventure, practicing yoga, and cooking for her friends and family.
Steve & Susie Baskin
Owners
Susie and Steve Baskin live in Texas with their four children: Wiley, Liam, Terrill, and Virginia. Though they reside in Texas, Steve and Susie play a valuable and supportive behind-the-scenes role at Camp Pinnacle.
After graduating from Davidson College, Steve worked on Wall Street before attending Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar. Steve has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and American Way publications, serves on the board of the American Camping Association, and is a featured blogger for Psychology Today.
Prior to dedicating herself to summer camp, Susie was a family and adolescent counselor at a hospital in Wellesley, MA, and later became a manager at a Boston hospital. She attended the University of Michigan and got her MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Business.
On two separate occasions, they took their children out of school for a year to backpack as a family. They remain surprisingly sane.