Leadership & Staff
Leadership
A Family Run Girls’ Camp for Four Generations
Director
Patty Lifter
Patty Lifter is the fourth generation Director of Camp Pinecliffe. Growing up in a camping family, it’s not surprising that over her 30 years at camp, Patty has held numerous positions.
Meet Patty
Assistant Director
Marcy Lifter
Marcy brings over 20 years of camping experience to Pinecliffe. As a child, Marcy spent her summers at camp in Maine and during college worked as a bunk counselor and water ski instructor at Pinecliffe.
Meet Marcy
Assistant Director
Maja Toncic
Maja is an Assistant Director at Camp Pinecliffe, working closely with Patty, Marcy, and Casey. She began her Pinecliffe summers as a third generation camper in 1990, in 2000 returned as a counselor, and joined Pinecliffe full-time in 2010.
Meet Maja
Associate Director
Casey Conroy
Casey Conroy, Camp Pinecliffe’s Associate Director, has worked at camp for over 30 summers. Casey’s focus is on facility and operations management, keeping camp running smoothly.
Meet Casey
Parent Liason & Head Counselor
Tobie Feigenbaum
Tobie has worked as the Parent Liaison and Head Counselor at Pinecliffe for nine summers.
Meet Tobie
Parent and Alumnae Liason
Kate Goldstein Legge
Kate has spent too many summers at Pinecliffe to count. Kate is now returning to Pinecliffe as a year-round employee working as our Parent and Alumnae Liaison.
Sue & Jim Lifter
Director Emeritus & Financial Administrator Emeritus
Sue came to Pinecliffe as a camper from 1940 – 1947, returned in the 1950s as a counselor, and became Director in 1959 alongside her mother, Helen “Hammie” Rosenthal. She attended Hobart William & Smith College in Geneva, NY and has been at Pinecliffe for 50 years.
Jim’s mother attended Pinecliffe’s first summer and his sister came in the 1940s. Jim and Sue met as teenagers at dance lessons. Jim spent over 20 years working as the camp’s Financial Administrator.
Our Staff
Our staff is dedicated to creating an environment where our campers can learn while having fun, and where they can take risks while feeling safe and included.
Each summer, Pinecliffe’s teaching staff numbers 100, which makes for approximately a 1:2 staff to camper ratio. Staff come to Pinecliffe from all over the United States, and other English-speaking countries around the globe, including Great Britain, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.
Counselor’s must be at least 19 years old and have finished one year of college. Most of our counselors teach a specialty and serve as a bunk counselor. Our youngest campers (Super Cliffes and Cliffes) have at least two dedicated counselors per cabin who are assigned to them on a full-time basis. These “Cliffe Counselors” accompany the girls to each of their activities and help to ease their transition to overnight camp.
Every member of our staff is personally interviewed and screened, with multiple reference checks. We conduct criminal background checks on all staff, and require anyone driving our vans to be at least 21 years of age, have their driving record approved by our insurance company, and attend a drivers’ education class. Our staff attends an 8-day orientation and training session prior to the arrival of our campers and we continue to evaluate and train staff throughout the summer.
Pinecliffe also offers junior camp counselor jobs for our alumnae. Our Junior Counselor program is designed for alumnae who have just graduated from high school and will be starting their freshman year of college. They live as a third counselor in our youngest age groups and assist in a department. They also work regularly and closely with senior staff members. Our alumnae bring a love of Pinecliffe and its traditions that is appreciated by both our campers and staff.
We take great pride in the rate of return among our senior staff, many of whom have worked at Pinecliffe for over ten summers. Many of our Heads of Departments and Group Leaders work as teachers and coaches during the year. They work closely with our Directors and each other, helping to make activities run smoothly and safely, and ensuring the success of every Pinecliffe camper.
