Meet Our Staff
Executive Director – Max Yamson
Max Yamson has been the Executive Director of Camp Livingston since 2017. Prior to this role, Max served as the Development Director of Camp Livingston, and before that as a member of Camp’s Board of Directors. Max’s involvement with Camp Livingston dates back to 1993, when he became a camper and later served as a counselor, the lake director and senior staff member.
Max has been active in Cincinnati’s Jewish community for many years having served as a board member of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati and on the YAD (young adult division) board as well as on the Executive Committee of Jewish Family Service. Max currently is a board member of CircleTail, an ADI accredited organization in Cincinnati that trains and partners service, hearing and facility dogs.
Max earned his B.A. in Business Administration and Management from Wilmington College and was previously the Sales Director at CityBeat and a Marketing Executive and Strategic Account Manager at LivingSocial. Max lives in Amberley Village with his wife Elida, their son, and their facility therapy dog, Tweed.
Camp Director – Abby Solomon
Abby is a graduate of the Ohio State University with a major in Human Development and Family Science and minors in Education and Nonprofit Studies. Abby has spent 21 total summers at Livingston, starting as a Golan camper. She has held multiple supervisory positions as a member of Livingston’s senior staff. Before beginning full time at Livingston in February of 2016, Abby was the Teen Coordinator at the Mayerson JCC in Cincinnati. There she oversaw the city’s BBYO chapters, facilitated and led the March of the Living Delegation, and was the Assistant Director of their Camp at the J. Abby was previously Camp’s Assistant Director and later Associate Camp Director and was promoted to Camp Director in 2022.
Assistant Director, Camper Care and Staff Experience – Blake Canowitz
Blake grew up in Columbus, Ohio attending Camp Livingston for 7 years as a camper and 2 years on seasonal staff, previously as a Unit Head and Inclusion Coordinator. Blake graduated from University of Michigan having earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology & Communication and Media Studies degree and is currently finishing up her Masters of Social Work at The Ohio State University. Blake brings recent work experience at Nationwide Children’s Hospital Behavioral Health as a Social Work Intern at Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders & The Child Development Center as well as a strong passion for working with children, teens, and young adults to our team. It was her earlier work at Camp that inspired her to continue her education in Social Work.
Assistant Director, Development and Operations – Ethan Wittenberg
Ethan spent many of his childhood years growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and began attending Camp Livingston at the age of eight. He has held many seasonal positions at camp, including as a counselor, Ropes Director, and AU Unit Head. Ethan graduated from Miami University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a minor in Community-Based Leadership. During his time at Miami, he developed a deep admiration for nonprofit organizations and the important work they do. Ethan’s experiences at Camp Livingston have given him first hand insight into the positive impact Jewish overnight camps have on a child’s development.
Assistant Director, Programming and Retreats – Bradley Brown
Brad’s journey in camps began at 17 years when he immediately immersed himself in outdoor education, particularly learning the basics of adventure/climbing courses. His experience sparked an interest in psychology and sociology, driving him to pursue the fields in higher education with the hope of becoming a valuable resource for camps. While in college, Brad balanced full-time studies with spending weekends and summers traveling to camps, eager to learn more about outdoor adventure course building, inspecting, and training. After graduation from the University of Akron, Brad continued to hone his skills while practicing behavior management through adventure at a youth center, where he facilitated group therapy and substance abuse counseling through adventure courses. His curiosity and drive to learn led him to travel across the U.S., building adventure courses and training staff how to utilize these tools at dozens of camps. Now, after gathering a broad range of experiences over the past 17 years, Brad is thrilled to focus his efforts at Camp Livingston, where he will continue to learn and grow in the field of camping.
Facilities Director – Bryce Hart
Bryce lives year round on the Camp Livingston property. Bryce is part of the Clark family, who has a long tradition of overseeing the camp property going back to Bryce’s great grandmother. Bryce oversees the maintenance of the more than forty buildings and 680 acres of grounds as well as special construction and improvement projects on the camp property.
