“Camp is a profession and a way of life where each summer reminds us how fortunate we are to play a role in every camper’s personal evolution all the while creating a lifetime of memories.”
Andy Lilienthal - Owner/Director
Andy Lilienthal - Owner/Director
As a third generation owner, Andy brings the love of camp and a dedication to experiential education and youth development to Winnebago.
Andy was raised at Winnebago and was a camper for 8 years and a counselor for 4 years. In the 1990’s, he ventured into experiences that would inform his value of the simple, yet profound experience of camping. He worked for Outward Bound and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer, which inspired him to obtain a Masters of Science in International Development. Prior to his transition into leading camp, Andy led sustainable development projects in Central America and the Caribbean, and domestically as an AmeriCorps staff member.
In 2000, he began a three-year transition with his father, Phil, and became the Camp Director in 2003.
Under Andy’s directorship, Camp Winnebago has continued to hold true to its core traditions and values of simple fun and adventure. To this strong foundation Andy has added programmatic aspects such as a much-expanded Staff and Leadership Training (S.A.L.T), and as well as excellent facilities improvements including a new 5000 square foot Field House.
Andy’s work in the camp world extends outside of Winnebago. He has chaired a national committee for the American Camp Association, served as a board member to the Association of Independent camps (AIC) and is the former president of the Maine Youth Camp Foundation (MYCF). Andy and his wife Laura have two sons who have grown up at Winnebago.
Learn moreJosh Holland, PhD - Associate Director
Josh Holland, PhD - Associate Director
Josh brings three decades of summer camping experience to Winnebago, the most recent being 12 years as the Director of Camp Cobbossee. Josh is deeply committed to whole child development on both a practical and a theoretical level. Josh has a Masters in English from Washington State University and a PhD in American Studies from the University of Texas. His doctoral work constituted a revisionist history of Outward Bound founder, Kurt Hahn, as well as a deep ethnography of the United World College of the American West - an altruistic residential high school in New Mexico. His background as a college instructor, a high school English teacher and sports coach informs his approach to life at Winnebago.
Josh’s expertise, life’s work, and research land squarely on the creation of transformative school and camp cultures. He knows that boys experience deep and complex emotional lives, and that camp and camp culture must be ready for that reality. This leads to boys (and staff) experiencing summers full of joy, challenge, accomplishment, and increased self-confidence.
When he’s not at Winnebago, Josh lives in Portland, ME with his partner, Jamie, who works as a Nurse Practitioner. He coaches high school swimming as a labor of love each winter. He’s an avid outdoorsman, and spends his time skiing, fishing, hunting and exploring Maine's gorgeous wild places. He also loves to cook great food for loved ones.
Learn moreSam Metzger - Head Counselor
Sam Metzger - Head Counselor
Now in his third decade at Winnebago, Sam has experienced camp from every perspective: camper, staff, and leadership. From his start as a camper in Bunk 1 to now serving as a central part of the leadership team, Sam has been a devoted member of the Winnebago faithful at every step. Sam has filled many roles as a staff member: from early days as a theater counselor to Section Leader to recently the supervision Winnebago’s entire suite of selected activities and evening programs. He now brings all this experience to bear as Winnebago’s Head Counselor.
Sam is deeply moved by the transformative power of Winnebago. He loves that every summer, campers team up with dedicated youth development professionals to co-create a camp culture that we all enjoy together. This small community causes big change.
Sam knows that one of the gifts of Winnebago’s size is that it allows campers and counselors to experience the tangible results of their efforts right away. This quick
feedback then drives the development of healthy psycho-social development in our boys. This process requires (and develops) resilience in our boys, which then leads to the development of practical skills and then to increased confidence.
Outside of Winnebago, Sam works as the Director of Education for the Irondale Ensemble Project in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. He holds a BA (English and Theater) from Bates College and earned an MFA in Devised Performance from the Pig Iron School in Philadelphia.
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