Our Team

We hire only the most energetic, innovative, and CREDENTIALED teachers to ensure that campers learn from the best.

We hire credentialed teachers from local schools to provide project-based, common core-aligned curriculum. These teachers are supported by college-student “Adventure Guides” (counselors) that assist campers and teachers while contributing their creative, zany personalities to the camp experience. The day-to-day operations are overseen by a Site Administrator, who is typically a current or retired teacher or school administrator.

Think you’ve got what it takes to join the team? Click here to learn more and apply!

The profiles below cover our “home office” team. To see profiles for staff members who will be working at a particular site, use the location finder to visit the location-specific page.

Meet Our Home Office Team!

Jennifer Hartvickson travels the country speaking to schools, art associations and after school programs about the importance of setting goals and making plans.

She has presented assemblies to over 200,000 students at over 300 elementary schools across the United States, using her experiences as an author and illustrator to delight, educate and inspire young readers and writers. Jennifer has extensive background in forward-thinking educational ventures. She served as Director of Marketing and Operations at A.S.K. Learning and was Campus Director of InsideTrack Learning, a student recruitment and retention services organization. Jennifer is a graduate of Stanford University, from which she holds a Master’s in Education and a Bachelor’s in Sociology.

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Hans is the author of books including the award-winning “Mister Lemur’s Train of Thought” and “It Will Take a Lot of Us to Lift a Hippopotamus,” and the founder of the educational band “The Scheming Lemurs.”

Hans and Jen are the creators of the GATE class “My Child The Author” and have taught eBook making workshops to teachers and librarians. He has also been an instructor at the Stanford Alumni Association’s “Alumni Creative Camp.” Hans earned an M.B.A from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. While attending Wharton, he served as the president of Wharton Toastmasters. Hans holds a B.A. from Stanford University, where he majored in economics and earned a secondary major in public policy. In addition to his work as an author, Hans spent 10 years in financial services, as a Vice President at an investment bank and a Senior Research Analyst at a San Francisco hedge fund.

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Jonny D. Lemur is the musical director for Adventures in Writing Camp.

In this role, Jonny blends his classroom experience as a 3rd grade teacher at San Ramon Valley’s Quail Run Elementary School with his passion for writing and playing music. In his early 20’s, he established his own record label and traveled the country performing music. Jonny currently performs regularly with two Bay Area musical groups. His musical teaching experiences include private instruction in guitar, song writing, and “full band” classes with Garage Band Academy. Jonny also developed a course called “Musicianship,” which he taught in the public school sector at West Sacramento Early College Prep charter school in West Sacramento, California. In addition, he has created and recorded entertaining educational songs with “KLABLAB.” Jonny has collaborated with Dr. Nordyke to create music-based writing curriculum for AIW camp.

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As an experienced elementary school principal, Kevin Keegan brings the public school administrator’s perspective to Kids Love Writing’s board of directors.

Kevin is currently the principal of the Ormondale School in the Bay Area’s Portola Valley School District. He has been recognized for his collaboration with staff and community, as well as with groups such as the Silicon Valley Educational Foundation and Altera Foundation to bring unique and innovative programs to his schools.
Prior to his time at Ormondale, Kevin spent time as the principal at Kathryn Hughes Elementary in the Santa Clara Unified School District, and as a 4th grade teacher. He is particularly interested in early literacy, equity, STEM education, and project based learning. Kevin is married with three children.

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Beth Sutkus Thompson brings substantial experience in educational non-profit operation to the board of Kids Love Writing.

Beth is the founding Executive Director of KIPP Bay Area Schools, an innovative organization that is revolutionizing education in low income neighborhoods. In this role, she developed and implemented a strategic growth plan for the organization, identifying and chartering new locations for new schools. Prior to KIPP, Beth was on the founding team of NewSchools Venture Fund, a philanthropic fund that invests in entrepreneurs that are transforming the public education system. At NewSchools, she provided strategic consulting and operational support to several nonprofit ventures in the portfolio, managed the due diligence and business plan review process, and spearheaded various events and initiatives to engage NewSchools’ network of business, education, and policy leaders. Beth holds a B.A. in political science, an M.A. in Education, and an MBA with a certificate in nonprofit management, all from Stanford University. She is married with one child.

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Andy McClelland is the Director of Operations for smartschoolsplus, a provider of educational staffing services to public school districts and charter schools.

In this role, he consults with superintendents, administrators, and school board members to help them balance their educational and budgetary needs. Andy’s operational and “workforce management” expertise positions him to provide the board valuable insights on camp staffing and retention. Andy is a graduate of Stanford University, where he majored in Sociology with a concentration in Organizational Management. Andy and his wife have 3 children, as well as an unexpectedly agile 120 pound African Sulcata tortoise.

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Cheryl oversees, trains, and supports the Adventures in Writing Camp Site Administrators, preparing and empowering them to be effective leaders for their site teams.

Cheryl is a retired teacher and principal. She has provided professional development and curriculum for Citizen Schools in California and New Jersey, and served as Coordinator for a nine-district grant with professional development and curriculum writing opportunities for teachers implementing the Common Core State Standards. Cheryl is also a lecturer and supervisor for student teachers at Notre Dame de Namur University. Reaching over two million viewers via the YouTube professional development channel she created is helping teachers around the world. She is an avid reader so is very excited and passionate about the “written word” and the opportunity to give students the path to authorship. Cheryl majored in economics and business in undergraduate work and has a Masters Degree in Educational Administration.

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Caitlin works with schools, districts, and churches to arrange optimal facilities space for Adventures in Writing Camp’s sessions.

She is also involved in interviewing and assessing the prospective camp staff members to ensure that AIW Camp teams continue to be comprised of exceptionally talented, dynamic teachers.

Prior to her work in Adventures in Writing Camp’s “home office,” Caitlin served as a camp director at both the Fullerton and Tustin AIW Camp locations. She has coordinated grants for the Fullerton School District’s non-profit arts education program “All the Arts.” In this role, she has helped develop after-school programs, summer camps, arts education professional development activities, student art shows, and community outreach strategies.

In addition, Caitlin has been a project liaison for several years, taught art lessons to elementary school students, and taught English for three years in rural Japan. She is an award-winning, cum laude graduate from Mount Holyoke College.

Writing has always been a passion for Caitlin, and she enjoys writing book and play reviews for local media organizations, and working on her own collections of short stories. Beyond her talents and experience, Caitlin is an infectiously upbeat and creative person. She can’t wait to nurture that love in elementary students through Adventures in Writing Camp! Caitlin believes that fostering a love for writing in students at an early age is a vital part of their success in academics.

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Lindsey has over ten years of experience in administrative and executive assisting, and loves to see those with a passion for creativity and community succeed and grow.

She handles a wide variety of responsibilities to make sure that things run smoothly for all involved with Adventures in Writing Camp. Lindsey has supported Bay Area businesses focused on health, transportation, social services, education, child welfare and the creative arts. She holds associates degrees in Social and Behavioral Sciences and Arts and Humanities. Lindsey has also studied American Sign Language, alternative healing arts, and is a supporter of legislative reform for adoptees and foster youth. In her free time she is a novice gardener, armchair traveler, and enjoys going to local art and music events.

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Emily brings energy, enthusiasm, and almost a decade of camp experience to Adventures in Writing Camp.

She has her Master’s in Education from Stanford University and is a third grade teacher. Emily has spent two summers as a camp director for AIW Camp, and has held various positions related to staff recruitment and evaluation, curriculum development, and staff training. Prior to her involvement with Adventures in Writing Camp, Emily spent three years living and teaching in Madrid, Spain, where she received a Master’s in Teaching English as a Foreign Language, a certificate in Spanish Fluency, and a love for tapas and tortilla española.

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Sami creates video content and graphics, works on web design and development, and assists with other administrative tasks as an intern at the AIW Camp office.

She has also worked as an Adventure Guide at camp, where she is better known as “Samurai Sami.” During the off-season, Sami is a student at Vanderbilt University, where she is pursuing a double major in Elementary Education and Computer Science. She is the founder of Code Ignite, a student-run organization that provides computer science education to local schools and community centers in Nashville.

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Blake manages the web presences, handles IT needs, and generally oversees all things technical in the organization.

Blake’s background includes extensive experience in web application development and commercial art and design, which enables him to provide a fusion between creative and technical. He has been involved in web development since 1996 and has worked with several education focused companies, including ASK Learning. Blake is an accomplished photographer and videographer, currently working on a stop motion short about a young boy’s vivid imagination as an Astronaut. He is originally from Sydney, Australia.

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