David Schnitzer named new director of Camp Kanuga

By Harmony Johnson
Posted Jan 25, 2012

[Kanuga Conferences, Inc.]  Kanuga Conferences Inc. has selected experienced Christian camping leader David Schnitzer as the new director of Camp Kanuga, its summer camp for boys and girls ages 7-15.

Schnitzer officially began work Jan. 10. He brings 11 years of full-time professional camping and youth ministry experience, most recently as the program director for Camp Glisson in Dahlonega, Georgia, where he created two leadership development programs for teenagers, grew the staff by more than 200 percent and organized training programs for more than 130 staff members.

A graduate of the University of Georgia and the National Outdoor Leadership School, he is currently in the process of completing a master’s degree in Christian leadership from Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky. An avid outdoorsman, he is the author of Great American Outdoors, Nature at its Best.

“David is well suited to continue Camp Kanuga’s tradition of excellence while continuing the development of camp’s programming with specific emphasis on Christian formation and an age-specific progressive skills curriculum,” said LeeAnne Martin, Kanuga’s vice president of youth programs.

After spending summers camping as a child, Schnitzer became a camp counselor at age 15 and has spent every summer since working at a camp in some capacity. He said he is looking forward to his first summer at Camp Kanuga, especially getting to know the campers “who bring the life to this place.”

“Camp Kanuga is a great place for kids because this is the place that accepts them for who they are,” he said. “This is the place for them to risk meeting new people and trying new things in a safe environment. Here they’re going to find that they’re loved and that they can do things they never thought they could do before. They’re going to leave here and go back to their schools, their families and their teams to make a difference there. Camp Kanuga is a special place and I’m honored to be a part of it.”

Schnitzer will live year-round at Camp Kanuga with his wife, Colleen, and sons, Wyatt, Adam and Peter. The family enjoys gardening, volunteering, running and spending time outdoors.

Camp Kanuga is sponsored by Kanuga Conferences Inc., one of the nation’s largest Episcopal camp and conference centers located on 1,400 acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Hendersonville, N.C. Camp Kanuga was founded in 1931 and has been accredited since 1977 by the American Camp Association, the industry leader in setting standards for camp program quality and youth development education. Sibling discounts and financial aid are available. For more information, visit www.campkanuga.org or call 828-692-9136.


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