New Ohana Family Camp Director

Dear Aloha Community,

I am delighted to announce that Scott Ellis—Upper Valley resident, outdoor educator, and long-time Aloha Foundation program participant and former staff member—will serve as the new director of Ohana Family Camp on Lake Fairlee.

When you have the opportunity to meet Scott, you’ll discover he exudes a passion for the natural world and for bringing people together. Combined with his expertise as an outdoor educator and his infectious energy, he will lead Ohana with skill and intention in its next chapter.

Scott’s connections to the Alohas are deep and varied. He and his extended family have attended a winter weekend camp at the Hulbert Outdoor Center for the past two decades. He’s also been a camper and counselor at Hulbert’s family camp for 15 years, a program held in August at Aloha Camp on Lake Morey. From 2003-2011, Scott led wilderness trips and fine-tuned his Success Counseling skills as a Hulbert instructor, and was also on the Ohana staff when it first opened in 2008. Fun fact: he was one of the first-ever caretakers of the Ohana property when it was acquired by the Aloha Foundation.

Scott shared this with the search committee: “Ohana is a special place to me—I am invested in its success. Every step in my journey has been leading to this goal and preparing me to be the best family camp director I can be. As the Ohana Director, I will hold on to important traditions, innovate toward new programs and ideas to improve the facilities and the participant experience, hire and train outstanding staff, keep a close eye on safety, pay close attention to the details, and play a critical leadership role in the culture of Ohana.”

Now in his fourth year as the Outdoor Program Coordinator at Thetford Academy, Scott will assume the Ohana Director position as a seasonal role and continue to teach an interdisciplinary environmental studies and outdoor education course at Thetford Academy.

One great way to learn more about Scott and his approach to outdoor education is to watch him on NHPBS’s Windows to the Wild with Willem Lang. Scott has been a frequent guest and host on the show—and one of the nine episodes he was featured on, Family Vacation, was nominated for an Emmy.

Scott and his wife Jenny Silverstein Ellis, a former Hive camper and counselor, were married at Ohana. They live in Norwich, VT with their six-year-old daughter Maggie, a Horizons camper.

I’d like to thank my four colleagues who joined me on the search committee. They dedicated considerable time to reviewing resumes, conducting multiple interviews with a group of highly qualified candidates, and generously contributing their insights and support throughout the process: John Bova (Trustee and Ohana Family Camp camper), Gretchen Grote (Human Resources and Ohana Camp Event Coordinator), Steve Trage (Ohana Head Chef and Executive Chef of the Aloha Foundation), and Jenn Merritt (Director of Communications).

We’re thrilled Scott is on board to steward family camp. I can’t wait to see him in action at Ohana this summer. In the meantime, his email is sellis@alohafoundation.org if you’d like to be in touch.

Welcome, Scott and family!