
Meet the Staff | YMCA Camp Silver Beach
Meet the Staff
YMCA Camp Silver Beach employs 80+ men and women, from all over the world, to work and play with children in this coastal camp environment. Our year-round staff and summer counselors are highly motivated, dedicated and willing to spend their summer providing a great experience for children.
Meet the Staff
Danny Vestal, Executive Director
Danny is from Lewisville, NC and has been with the YMCA since 1993. He began his Y career as a lifeguard and swim lesson instructor in Winston-Salem, NC. During his career, he has served in the roles of Aquatic Director, Senior Program Director, Associate Executive Director and Executive Director. He has been at Camp Silver Beach since 2012 and is inspired every day by the impact the camp experience has in the lives of children. His greatest satisfaction is seeing the growth in his daughter and hearing her talk of the friends she made, the counselors she learned from and what they mean to her.
Liz Lomba, Senior Camp Director
Liz is originally from Michigan and has a B.S. in Sociology from Central Michigan University. She started her Y career as a counselor at Camp Nissokone in Oscoda, Michigan. Liz has more than 20 years of camp experience working in summer camp, outdoor education, and conference groups in Michigan, California, and now Virginia. Liz joined the CSB team in 2016 and always loves to hear about the impact that camp has on children and adults alike.
Rachel Spencer, Business Director
Rachel is from Cape Charles, VA and has been working at Camp Silver Beach since June 2018. In addition to working at Camp Silver Beach, she also has worked at other camps on the Eastern Shore. She has a BA in Sociology and Communication Studies from Randolph-Macon College. Rachel is our Administrative Director, assisting with registration and with whatever parents may need. Rachel loves seeing how happy campers are during their stays at camp and hopes that children from all over could experience the positive effects camp can give.
Teri Claar, Program Director
Teri is originally from Ohio and has a B.S. in Education from The University of Akron. Teri began her Y Career as a camp counselor at YMCA Camp Kern. She has spent 17 years working at camps and in youth development in Ohio, Arizona, California, Missouri and now Virginia. What drives Teri is ensuring as many children as possible get to attend camp and experience this one of a kind, magical, journey. Teri enjoys traveling with her family and exploring the great outdoors.
Mackenzie Lucy, Administrative Director
MacKenzie is originally from Reading, PA. She graduated from Chowan University in 2021 with a major in Business Administration and a minor in Marketing/Management. She has been with the YMCA since 2015; throughout the years she was a lifeguard, swim instructor, swim coach, and member experience leader. MacKenzie is excited on expanding her YMCA family and looking forward to seeing the impact Camp Silver Beach has on the kids.
Megan Lewis, Marketing and Conference Director
Megan is originally from Virginia Beach, VA and has lived on the Eastern Shore of VA since 1999. Her work experience includes roles in stewardship, donor development, events planning and hospitality with the Nature Conservancy of VA at Brownsville/Virginia Coast Reserve and most recently, Sales Manager and multi-media advertising sales and marketing solutions with the Delmarva Media Group of Salisbury, MD. She has a son who has attended Camp Silver Beach each year since he was 8 years old and she gets great satisfaction from seeing the new levels of growth and personal development he achieves each year from his camp experience. Megan enjoys cooking, fishing, and spending time with her son and their pets.
Laura Thornton, Food Service Director
Laura is from Cashville, VA, and joined the YMCA Camp Silver Beach family in May of 2022 as the Food Service Director. She has 25+ years in the food industry from management to owning her own restaurant. She has competed in professional Kansas City BBQ Society (KCBS) and Steak Cookoff Association (SCA) competitions and took home several trophies. In her spare time, her passion is walking on the beach, baking, and trying new cookie recipes.
Tyler Parks, District Property Director
Tyler is originally from the Eastern Shore of Virginia. He has been full time at Camp Silver Beach since 2015 and also oversees Northhampton County and Eastern Shore YMCA’s. In his spare time, he enjoys spending with his family and being on the water.
Kyle Fitchett, Property Director
Kyle grew up on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. He has been working at camp since 2015 as a part of our property team and became a full time director in the spring of 2021.
Summer Staff
Camp Silver Beach employs 80+ men and women from all over the world to work and play with children in this coastal camp environment. Our counselors are highly motivated, dedicated and willing to spend their summer with children. Many of the summer staff return each season providing continuity of leadership. New counselors come highly recommended and are carefully selected after a comprehensive interview process. Staff members are recruited from around the world to enrich the diversity of the camp community.
Summer Staff Training
Staff members attend a week-long training program to strengthen leadership skills in specific activities and in group settings. Many of the staff attend an additional week of certification and training to qualify them as instructors in specialized activity areas. All counselors are CPR and First Aid certified. Junior Counselors are rising high school seniors. Senior Counselors have graduated from high school or equivalent.