Contact Information/Staff 

Josh Klynn's history with Camp stretches over two decades. In 1984 he traversed Nell Lee Road for the first time, coming back each summer as a camper until he was old enough to join the staff. As a participant in the STEP (now Machon) program in 1988, his love for Camp was strengthened as he realized his ability to provide memorable experiences for campers - just as his counselors had done for him.

In the years that followed, Josh served as Art Specialist, Sr. Counselor, STEP Director, and Lakefront Director, spending 12 years at Camp overall. While at Camp, he met the girl who was to become his wife, forged lifelong friendships, shaped his skills as a leader, discovered his strength as a communicator, and learned the importance of being part of a community. Josh went on to direct the C.I.T. program and the lakefront swim program at Camp Sabra, and ultimately served as Director of the camp programs offered by the Savannah, Georgia JEA and the West Palm Beach JCC. Most recently, Josh served as Executive Director of Congregation Agudas Achim in Bexley, Ohio, where he grew up in between summers at Livingston. In addition, he owns and operates his own freelance graphic design business, klynnnDESIGN. He has spent years working with children, teens and families of all ages, but his heart has always been at Camp Livingston.

Josh graduated from the University of Akron with a degree in Liberal Arts and from The Ohio State University with a degree in Sociology. He and his wife, Hillari, have three children, with whom they look forward to sharing their love of Camp. You can contact Josh at josh@camplivingston.com or directly on his cell phone at 614.266.6030.
 

Kris Baker will be joining the Camp Livingston team this year for her first summer. Kris has been working with adolescents and children for the past eight years. She has spent the past four summers at various Jewish residential camps in California in many different positions.

Kris has been a songleader for the past seven years and a musician for much longer. She has even had the honor of creating and running a camp from scratch!

Outside of the Jewish community Kris has been a school teacher in both public and private schools in Salt Lake City, UT as well as Orange County, CA. Kris also spent six months working for a therapy program called Second Nature, which provided wilderness therapy excursions for troubled youth across America. Shortly after that Kris took on a position as a manager of several Circuit City stores until she found her way back to the Jewish community where she will inevitably be able to use her many talents and knowledge to enhance every child’s and staff’s summer experience.

In 2005 Kris graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a degree in Social Science and Education. She is every excited to be joining us this summer and will be a great addition to our team. You can contact Kris at kris@camplivingston.com.
 

Mickey Baden has spent the last fifteen consecutive years as an active member of the Camp Livingston family. Starting as a first year Masada camper the summer of 1992, Mickey has been a camper, counselor, ropes course director, and AU unit head. Mickey has exuberance for life and a wide range of passions including art, camping, backpacking, spelunking, climbing, mountain biking, canoeing, and above all, working with children and adolescents. A lifetime resident of Cincinnati, he considers Livingston his second home and has an earnest desire to ensure the longevity of Livingston for generations to come.

Mickey has spent the last year and a half working for Outward Bound Discovery as a wilderness instructor leading 20 to 30 day wilderness expeditions throughout Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. Outward Bound Discovery is the only state funded Outward Bound Wilderness organization, as it works with a specific population of both adjudicated and at-risk students who have been court-ordered or referred to the program. Through his experience with this organization, Mickey developed a wide range of skills from behavior management and assertive communication, to wilderness therapy, and implementation of structure. Over the course of a year and a half and over 12 courses Mickey went from being an intern to a lead instructor. During the course of his contracted agreement he received training in therapeutic techniques, he became a Wilderness First Responder and was trained to effectively manage an instructional team as well as a group of high risk students in the field 24/7 for up to 30 days at a time.

Mickey graduated in 2004 from the Art Academy of Cincinnati with a bachelor’s degree in Sculpture. He is very excited to spend this summer as an integral part of the Livingston Family, and he looks forward to sharing his passions for the outdoors and his deep love of Livingston with both campers and staff. You can contact Mickey at mickey@camplivingston.com.