As a charitable non-profit, the role of our volunteer community board is essential to our well-being and direction. We appreciate the time and support our Board of Directors provides us.
Born and raised in Ohio, Bob Brown is a graduate of The University of Vermont where he studied geography, and Michigan State University from which he received a degree in college and university administration. A veteran cyclist with more than 40 years of touring and racing experience, Bob operated Adventure Bound Bicycle Tours, conducting summer bike trips for teenagers in the northeastern USA, France, and Canada. Bob’s experience operating Adventure Bound during his college years inspired his 30-year career in college admissions and secondary school guidance. Between jobs and during vacations, Bob hit the road, completing solo cross-country bike tours in the USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. A lifelong cycling enthusiast, Bob has joined or established cycling clubs wherever he has resided and he is the founder of a community bicycle program in central Ohio. Since moving to Maine, he has been a volunteer mechanic and instructor at the Portland Gear Hub. In addition to cycling, Bob and his partner enjoy hiking, kayaking, and snowshoeing from their base in Freeport.
Peter grew up in western Massachusetts and spent his summers at his family’s cottage on Higgins Beach. Over the years most of Peter’s six siblings and their families have settled in or near Scarborough, and he and his wife Donna followed suit and bought their home here in 2017. Peter had a 30-year career in finance, based in New York and London. A big focus was on financing not-for-profits. He has volunteered and worked for Acumen, a global impact investing pioneer, for the past 20 years. He currently serves as an advisor and on investment committees. Peter has also served on the boards of several social enterprises as well as local not-for-profits. Peter and Donna love spending time with their daughter Sophia, and their large extended family (and their two dogs and two bunnies). They are avid hikers and love the outdoors.
Educated in Vermont and California, Jay worked in college administration in Massachusetts following two years of active duty as an Army tank platoon leader. He moved to Maine in 1980 and married his wife Martha the next year after meeting her when buying her house in Portland. A 34-year career in personal finance helped support their two daughters. Choosing self-unemployment in 2012, Jay was an early and avid volunteer with the Portland Gear Hub which, along with formative years as a summer camp counselor, led to his affiliation with Ketcha Outdoors and its terrific mission and staff. Post-career, he’s led hiking and cycling trips and still finds the natural world the place where he most likes to be.
Born in North Carolina and raised in Delaware, Jeff’s first introduction to Maine was a two-week canoe trip with his local Boy Scout Troop. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance from Wilmington University, 20 years later Jeff returned to Maine with his wife Ginger in early 2012.
Jeff is currently the Director of Finance with Atlantic National Trust in Portland, ME. His professional background includes 10 years of public accounting experience with tax planning, compliance, and small business consulting. He lives in Falmouth with his wife Ginger and two boys, Oscar and Teddy.
Jeff is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys mountain biking, camping, and hiking in the spring/summer/fall and skiing or snowshoeing throughout the winter. He joined the board of Ketcha Outdoors in March 2021.
Born in the mountains of western North Carolina, Simon spent his childhood hiking, camping, canoeing, and swimming in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Simon later attended the University of the South where he studied biology. Since college Simon has worked as a carpenter and cabinet builder. Simon moved to Maine in 2017 with his wife Amy and three kids, twin boys Charlie and Raylan, and daughter Ellis. The family spends its free time exploring the coast and mountains of Maine – camping, hiking, boating, and skiing.
Dave is a Senior Manager at BerryDunn, a Portland, ME based business advisory firm. After being born in Massachusetts, Dave moved to Vermont as a child and grew up in the town of Brattleboro. Swimming, biking, fishing, skiing and generally enjoying the great outdoors. After a stint in Florida, Dave completed his undergraduate studies at George Mason University and also earned a Master’s Degree at the University of Virginia. He lived in Northern Virginia for about 12 years before moving to South Portland in 2005 with his wife Kathy, a teacher by training who currently works as a literacy EdTech in the Portland school system.
Kathy and Dave are very proud of their two sons: Dylan and Jack. Both kids attended programs at Ketcha while growing up. Dave has been the Chair of Ketcha’s annual golf tournament fundraiser and enjoys working with the great crew at Prouts Neck every year. Dave enjoys the four seasons that Maine has to offer, and in the past few years has taken up Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP). He can be seen enjoying the wonderful open land at Ketcha with his trusty companion Beau, a rescue mutt from Tennessee!
Dave Johnson is a native of Scarborough and attended Ketcha summer programs as a child. After graduating from Scarborough High School, he enlisted in the United States Air Force and continues to serve to this day as a part-time Judge Advocate with the Maine Air National Guard. Following separation from active duty, he attended law school at Suffolk University in Boston. He is now a shareholder of the law firm of Perkins Thompson in Portland specializing in Commercial Finance, Real Estate, and Business Transactions.
When Dave isn’t in the office you will most likely find him outdoors hiking, biking, fishing, kayaking, or skiing. Dave is the father of two girls who are also part of the Camp Ketcha family.
Recently retired from L.L.Bean, Ken served as the Sr. Vice President of Retail for 17 yrs. He was responsible for developing and executing the retail growth strategy. He was also responsible for the Outdoor Discovery Programs helping thousands of adults and children learn and enjoy outdoor activities. He is currently the Board Chair for Gardener’s Supply Co. out of Burlington, VT. Ken and Penny have lived in Scarborough for over 36 years and reside at the other end of the trail from Camp Ketcha. They enjoy hiking, snowshoeing and biking.
Erika is a CPA and a Manager in the Finance Transformation practice at Grant Thornton. She lives in Scarborough with her two children and husband. She served on one other board for an art gallery in Kansas from 2017 – 2020. Erika’s 6-year-old daughter attends our summer camp, aftercare, and vacation camp programs. Erika is interested in volunteering her time and professional experience to help Ketcha Outdoors and has specific expertise in finance and governance. Erika is interested in arts, education, and outdoor activities and wants to become more involved with the local community and build a deeper network in Maine. She is currently on the finance committee.
Jennifer Ogden works as the Vice President of Human Resources and Organizational Development for Evernorth; a regional organization representing affordable housing projects across Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire. Jenn has over 15 years of experience in the Human Resources industry in both public and private entities and industries such as manufacturing, affordable housing, transportation, government, education, and more. She is a member of SHRM and is a certified SPHR. Jenn has a bachelor’s in professional writing from NYIT – Master’s in Human Resources Management and Labor Relations from Ellis University.
Jenn is a mother of three children, 2 of which attended Ketcha Outdoors in their younger years and one who attends Ketcha’s Preschool currently. Jenn joined the Board during the summer of 2022.
Beth attended Camp Ketcha during the summer of 1964 as a Campfire Girls Bluebird and was proudly named best camper of the 2nd grade. One of her sons attended Ketcha’s summer camp nearly 30 years ago and her grandson will attend during the summer of 2024. Beth has recently retired from a career as an attorney, college and law school professor, and corporate executive. She currently serves as Vice President of the Maine Volunteer Lawyers Project board, and volunteers with the Ketcha Barn committee tending to the goats and chickens on weekends. Beth is Mom to Bennett and Seth, and Gigi to grandchildren Andon and Parker. She is an avid pickleball player, Master Gardener, and Master Food Preserver. Beth lives in South Portland with her husband, Peter, a Master Beekeeper, where they keep several hives, an ever-expanding fruit and vegetable garden, and their doodles, Lola and Molly.
Originally from Boston, Claudia moved to Maine with her husband Jeff in 1982 after graduating from Williams College and never left. She worked 18 years in clinical practice as an orthopedic physician assistant and then another 14 years as the administrator of an orthopedic practice group. She was Compliance Manager for a large multi-specialty group and assisted the Maine CDC as a contact tracer before retiring in 2021.
As a student in the Gear Hub bike mechanic class, she learned more about GearHub’s mission and soon became an enthusiastic volunteer. Claudia loves all things outdoors- whether biking, hiking, Nordic skiing, camping, kayaking, foraging for mushrooms, or creating a pollinator-friendly food forest in her backyard. Claudia is the mother of 3 grown children, 2 of whom attended Camp Ketcha.Karen began the role of Executive Director for United Recovery Fund in June of 2023 after retiring from a 23-year career with CARITAS in Richmond, Virginia, and relocating to Biddeford, Maine. CARITAS is one of Richmond’s largest and most effective human services organizations which provides a continuum of services including year-round, housing-focused emergency shelter, Virginia’s only furniture bank, a 300+ bed residential recovery program called The Healing Place, a workforce development and life skills program for men and women with significant barriers to employment, and 47 sober-living apartments.
As President and CEO, Karen led the successful $15.5M capital campaign and the development of a complex tax credit model including historic and New Market tax credits to create the CARITAS Center. CARITAS moved into the new $28M, 150,000-square-foot facility in December 2020. Karen has been recognized for her leadership with many awards over the years. In 2020, Karen was a Richmond Times Dispatch “Person of the Year” honoree and in 2022, she was the Ukrop Community Vision Award winner. She served on several boards in Virginia and since moving to Maine, has joined the board of Ketcha Outdoors and begins her term as Chair in January 2024.