Our Leadership Team
Camp Director
216-593-6228
dutley@
mandeljcc.org
A Cleveland native, Rabbi Dan Utley is an alumnus of Beachwood High School and the College of Wooster, where he earned dual bachelor’s degrees in Music Education and Physics. He received a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management from CWRU’s Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences and earned a master’s degree in Jewish Education and was ordained as rabbi from the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles, CA
Dan developed a love for Judaism and Jewish community and music in his youth at The Temple -Tifereth Israel and as a camper and staff member of the URJ Goldman Union Camp Institute in Zionsville, IN. He was a member of the year-round staff at URJ Camp Newman in Santa Rosa, CA and on faculty at URJ Greene Family Camp in Texas – supporting campers and mentoring counselors for more than 15 summers.
Dan decided to pursue the rabbinate while working as Program Director at Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple where he led overnight retreats at Camp Wise Retreat Center. Dan brings a culture of care and compassion to Camp Wise that build’son the strong foundation of a welcoming community where each individualcan find friendship and build their own Jewish path.
Dan and his wife Rachel (a Jewish educator), along with their three children Eitan, Judah and Benji, call Beachwood, OH home.. Dan enjoys playing trombone, guitar and banjo and is excited to bring these talents to the Camp Wise community.
Director, Operations
216-593-6293
rcopeland@
mandeljcc.org
Rebecca Copeland joined the Camp Wise staff after five years at Case Western Reserve University Department of Physical Education and Athletics as the Associate Athletic Director for Facilities and Operations. Her wide range of responsibilities included the scheduling and oversight of the department’s many athletic facilities, day-to-day operations along with event operations for more than 200 varsity competitions and university events annually.
Rebecca initially served as Facility Manager for the CWRU Athletics Department from November 2004 through July 2007, before leaving for Johns Hopkins to become the Assistant Athletics Director for Game Operations. Following her time at Hopkins, she served as the Director of Events and Guest Services at the Pearlstone Retreat Center in Reisterstown, MD.
Over her career, Rebecca has also worked as the Coordinator of Team Operations for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Gund Arena, and as the Manager of Operations and Programs for the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission. She spent 4 years at Camp Wise (1985-88) as a camper and 3 years as a member of staff (1990-91 and 1994). The highlight of her time at the Home of Happiness was her final year on staff as head counselor in Noar.
Her responsibilities at camp will include staff recruitment, day to day summer operations, alumni engagement and ACA accreditation.
Outside of camp, Rebecca enjoys sports (watching them!), music (is currently missing live music), hiking and spending time with friends. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Actuarial Science with a minor in Business Administration from Ohio University, and her Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Cleveland State University.
Assistant Director Camper Experience and Engagement
216-593-6293
rsinger@
mandeljcc.org
Ryan has been at Camp Wise nearly every summer since 2006 as a seven year old
third generation camper. Ryan spent 9 years as a camper and 9 years as a staff
member holding a number of roles; Solel Supervisor, SIT supervisor, and for the
past 4 summers supervising the Israel and Europe travel programs.
Ryan is a Cleveland native and a graduate of the University of Virginia. Before
joining the CW leadership team, his love for summer camp fueled his career in
sustainability and recycling. Most recently, he served as the Owner and Director
of Partnerships for REALCYCLE, a large-scale recycling company serving thousands
of passionate recyclers in the New Orleans region.
Ryan’s main responsibilities at camp are camper recruitment and program
innovation. He is so excited to be back in Cleveland and live down his childhood
dream of working full time at the Home of Happiness!
Community Care Manager
lwithee@mandeljcc.org
Leia, a Columbus native, first came to camp in 2008 as a Rishon camper after a camp fair at her synagogue. Since then she has taken on the roles of counselor, camper care specialist, Ohalim supervisor, and social worker.
Leia earned her bachelors in Music Performance at Miami University. After her summer as camper care specialist, pursued a Masters in social work at The Ohio State University as well as a Jewish Communal Service Certificate from Gratz College. She spent last summer as Community Care Director at URJ Creative Arts Academy and currently she works as a social worker in a local high school.
Leia’s main responsibilities will be ensuring the well-being of the campers and staff at camp and working to create an environment where every person walks away feeling like they had a successful summer. She is so excited to get to know all the camp families, and to take on her dream role at camp.
Judaic Educator & Rabbi
Rabbi Shana Nyer’s career at The Home of Happiness began as a camper in the late 1980s. During the 1990s and early 2000s, Rabbi Shana returned in a variety of roles such as Arts & Crafts Specialist, Judaic Specialist and Program Director. After some time away, she returned to CW as our Jewish Educator in 2016 and has been with us since then.
When Rabbi Shana is not on camp, she serves as the Director of Lifelong Learning at Suburban Temple – Kol Ami in Beachwood.
Rabbi Shana earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Jewish Studies at the University of Maryland, and then studied at Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in New York, where in addition to achieving her rabbinic ordination in 2003, she earned her Masters of Arts in Hebrew Literature in 2002, and her Masters of Arts in Religious Education in 2016.
Rabbi Shana has published multiple articles on inclusion in Jewish Education. She is a gifted story teller who loves to teach Jewish values through this medium and also gets excited when her lessons combine her knowledge of and passion for Judaism, and her interest in all things pop culture.
216-593-6250
hmendelsohn@
mandeljcc.org
Hannah spent many summers at Jewish overnight camp, both as a camper and a staff member, and is thrilled to be a part of the experience again. Hannah is a native Clevelander and participated in many Mandel JCC programs growing up. Hannah graduated from Hawken School and received a Bachelor’s degree from Brandeis University and a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Michigan.
Most recently, she worked for the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland promoting Jewish overnight camp and camper incentive grants.
She is the proud mom of two Camp Wise alumni and has been a regular participant at our Camp Wise Women’s Weekend for the past 17 years!
Hannah is looking forward to working with our camp families and spending her summer out at The Home of Happiness.
Facilities Manager
zrheaume@
mandeljcc.org
Zach joined the Camp Wise team in January 2012 as a Maintenance Associate, and became the Facilities Manager in the Fall of 2021. Before that, he spent several summers working maintenance at the Scout camps he attended as a child.
He has spent his time at Camp Wise designing and building almost anything the staff can dream up, as well as helping supervise the SIT projects each summer. He can’t wait to see what he will get to build next.
Zach also spent time in California working and living among the redwoods, repairing and maintaining buildings built in the 1930’s and 40’s by the CCC. He has a BS in Forestry with a concentration in Recreation Resource Management, an AAS in Forest Recreation, as well as a certificate in GIS, all from Paul Smith’s College in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State.
Maintenance Associate
Chris joined Camp Wise in November 2021, returning from Texas to his home state of Ohio with his wife and four children.
He has over 20 years of experience in the electrical trade and is looking forward to the many new trades he will get to be involved in working at Camp Wise.
Maintenance Associate
Ron has been with Camp Wise since the spring of 2009. Originally from Conneaut Ohio, Ron holds both a BA and MA from Allegheny College. You can find Ron on camp most afternoons during the off-season and all summer long.
When Ron is not on camp he teaches teaching 20th Century US History and AP United States History at Chardon High School.
Ron is married and the father of six children.
At the heart of Camp Wise is a compassionate and energetic team of 150 staff members. Our staff is comprised of dedicated leaders working together to create a vibrant and comfortable Jewish community for our campers. Our low staff-to-camper ratio ensures that each camper receives attention and guidance.
Selected for their experience, skills, and dedication to kids, our counselors and specialists understand that they are the key to a successful camp experience for each child. Their caring and sensitivity create the foundation for a warm, welcoming home away from home.
Support Staff
Millie and Bridget are integral members of the Camp Wise office staff. Their main skill set is keeping everyone happy, eating snacks, and giving kisses upon request.
Camp Committee
The Camp Wise Committee reports to Mandel JCC’s board of trustees. Consisting of a group of dedicated, active volunteers who work closely with the professional leadership of Camp Wise, the Camp Committee strategically ensures the best possible camp experience for our campers and seasonal staff members. The Camp Wise Committee is comprised of alumni, camper and staff parents, and community members. If you are interested in joining this dynamic group, contact the Camp Wise office at wisekids@mandeljcc.org
Eliana LeVine – Chair
- Loren Chylla
- Larissa Elgudin
- Carol Feltoon
- Amanda Goldberg – Alumni Co-Chair
- Lesley Gordon
- Jenny Slate Grischkan
- Kerry Kertesz
- Debbie Klein
- Shayna Kling
- Jori Mintz
- Heidi Perla
- Rob Port
- Alan Semel
- Sara Schiavoni
- Marty Shankle
- Sharon Barr Skolnick
- Jeremy Sosin
- Erica Starrfield
- Eli Steinberger – Alumni Co-Chair
- Fred Sternfeld
- Rob Zimmerman