Beber Leadership

Michael has been devoted to Beber since the summer of 1982 where he arrived as a camper from Louisville, Kentucky. Since that time, Michael has enjoyed various roles at camp. Michael has a bachelors of science in Elementary Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He also has his MBA/JD from the University of Louisville. Michael and his family love spending summers in Mukwonago. Michael supervises the full-time and summer staff and all day-to-day camp operations. Talk to Michael anytime about all questions concerning your child and how best to prepare your camper for a successful summer.

Stacy’s journey at Beber Camp began when she was a camper in 1987, where she developed a love for the 3BC community.She continued to advance as a CIT, counselor, and Makor Division Leader.Stacy holds a B.S. in Elementary Education from Ball State University with a minor in Special Education, and an M.Ed in Multicultural Education from FloridaAtlantic University.For the past 20 years, Stacy has taught first and second grades in South Florida and most recently completed her long career in a self-contained classroom for students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing.Stacy’s ability to extend herself and set high expectations is proof that she will continue to develop the highest quality of camper care and programming at Beber.As the 2015 Palm Beach County Teacher of the Year, Stacy brings leadership, curriculum development, and an incredible amount of experience working with children and families back to the camp atmosphere.She believes that children need to establish interpersonal skills and enjoy being kids in this fast-paced world that we live in, and summer camp is the perfect place to develop these skills.Stacy is grateful to be coming home as a member of the full-time camp family. Stacy will be delighted to inform you of our community events, virtual programming, and our amazing summer programs.

Debbie is thrilled to be bringing her passion for Beber Camp to the Full-Time Team. She has enjoyed being the Camp Social Worker and Inclusion Coordinator for the last 17 years and is looking forward to expanding her role to provide additional mental, emotional, social, and health initiatives to the community. Debbie began her Beber Camp career in 1991 as a Ramot camper. She spent six consecutive summers as a camper, CIT, and then a counselor. After taking several years off to finish her undergraduate degree in Inclusive Elemental Education from Syracuse University, and then to teach Special Education for three years while completing a Masters degree from the University of Chicago in Social Service and Administration. Upon graduation, Debbie has worked as a School Social Worker and spent her summers at Beber! Schedule a call with Debbie to share all concerns about your child’s adjustment to camp. In addition, Debbie can arrange a pen pal for your camper to ease the transition from home to a summer away at Beber.

At the ripe age of 9, when asked what she wanted to do when she grew up, Julia Bessen responded with "I want to work for Beber Camp!". Hailing from Louisville, KY, Julia has had a deep passion for Jewish summer camp from a young age. Julia holds her bachelors in Management and Marketing from Tulane University, as well as a Masters in Management from the University of Sydney. She is a fiercely curious and creative individual who thrives in situations where she can fuse her analytical business background with the colorful funk and schtick of camp. Julia was proudly a part of the Foundation for Jewish Camp's third Fellowship Cohort, where she worked across the entire Jewish Summer Camp field. When not discussing summer camp, Julia can be found developing recipes, cheering on the New York Giants, and caring for her loving dog, Charlie Brown.

Trudy has been with Beber Camp for over 25 years. Trudy earned her bachelor’s of Social Work and Master’s in Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She started as our camp social worker in 1996, and has had many roles in camp since then, including health center administrator, division leader, Israeli staff supervisor, Cornerstone Liaison, Camp Mom, Tour Coordinator, and more! She joined the year-round team in 2016  as the Perlman Retreat Center Coordinator and has also continued In her roles as the first session Health Center Administrator and Tour Coordinator. Trudy and her husband, Steve, take campers on early morning birding hikes. It’s one of the most popular activities at camp!

Nancy Rappaport joined the Beber Camp family as the bookkeeper, bringing a long-standing connection that began when her daughter first attended camp in 2003. A Milwaukee resident for over 30 years, Nancy has owned and operated two art-based businesses in the area. Outside of work, she enjoys photography and taking long walks with her dog, Maggie.

Harrell started his professional camping career as the Camp Director of Beber Camp from 1993 – 2000. In 2014, Harrell became the executive director of the Association of Independent Jewish Camps (AIJC). The AIJC is a membership-based association that was established to create an opportunity for independent not-for-profit Jewish camps to collaborate in their continued efforts to grow and thrive. Harrell brings over 25 years of Jewish camping experience to the role of executive director of Beber and Perlman Camps. More importantly, both of his children have been campers and staff resulting in both receiving their 10-year blanket. Harrell is currently a member of the board of directors for the Equestrian Connection, a therapeutic horseback-riding program for children and adults with special needs.

Richard was born and raised in Mukwonago. He and his wife both raised their five kids in Whitewater, WI. In 2017 Richard moved his family and himself to Mukwonago. Richard has been a part of Beber since 2001. During the offseason of camp, Richard works on refurbishing the campgrounds and makes sure camp is open and ready to go before the summer. During the summer Richard spends his time working on boats, lights, toilets, etc,. In his free time, Richard loves to go hunting, fishing, and even riding his four-wheeler.

Shannon was born and raised in Whitewater, WI. Shannon moved to Mukwonago at the end of her junior year and attended East Troy High School for her senior year. She has been a part of Beber for 5 years, 2 years as a Makor camper, 3 years as a Housekeeper. During the offseason of camp, Shannon spends time deep cleaning cabins, painting cabins, stripping, and waxing floors. During the summer, Shannon enjoys working with her staff to make sure all campers and staff are healthy each and every day. In her free time, Shannon loves playing with her chickens, playing video games, and spending time with her family.

Kimberly (Kym) Bird embraces the true Beber mission. Arriving at age 6 in 1982 with her parents Ron and Cheryl Kaplan, Kym will be entering her 39th summer on Lake Beulah. Kym has worn many hats at camp from swim director at the waterfront, the first pool director, CIT leader, PIO leader, drama director, assistant program director, and Maccabiah planning guru. Spending her summers at Beber with her parents and her own kids Madison and Emily, who even got to have their Bat Mitzvahs at camp has been the highlight of her life. Graduating from SUNY Binghamton and a Masters from SUNY Cortland, Kym is currently teaching high school Biology and A&P, in Upstate NY where she also directs the high school musicals.  

Kym is responsible for planning and expediting out of camp trips, creating exciting programming in camp including Maccabiah, and working with the full-time team on scheduling, planning, and purchasing. Her organizational skills are the envy of all who know her.

Maya has been part of the Beber community since 2003. Originally from Cleveland, OH, she attended Beber Camp as a camper and moved through the Pio and CIT program, becoming a counselor, arts and crafts specialist, and Ramot Division Leader. Maya has a B.S. in Nursing from the Ohio State University. She works full-time as a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Nurse at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and is working on her Pediatric Doctorate of Nursing Practice at Johns Hopkins University. In her free time, Maya enjoys traveling, especially camping and backpacking, experiences she first had at Beber. Maya is excited to be spending her 20th summer at Beber and her third year as the Head Nurse.