Lauren Pitcairn, Director of AF Camp

Lauren is enthusiastic about creating fun, high-quality summer experiences for students designed to increase their overall confidence, responsibility, curiosity, and independence. She began working with youth and young adults more than 15 years ago when she mentored and led youth in both education and nonprofit organizational settings. She went on to coach and mentor young people in several development programs, including two inaugural leadership programs for high school and college students. 

A San Diego native, Lauren is a two-time historically black university (HBCU) graduate of Florida A&M University where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and a Juris Doctorate. She often pays homage to her HBCU experience for empowering her to develop into the assiduous leader that she has become. 

Attending summer camp as a young child, Lauren’s sense of independence grew out of her experiences there. She served as Head Counselor at AF Camp last year, and the success she saw with both campers and team members ignited a deep passion that has motivated her to continue to play a significant role in creating memorable summer camp experiences for students from all different walks of life.

Josh Phillips, CEO of Change Summer

Josh attended Camp Naticook in New Hampshire as a child and worked as the Head Boys Counselor at Camp Laurel in Maine for several summers.

He founded Camp Uncommon in 2016 and Change Summer in 2018. Formerly, he served as Uncommon’s Chief Operating Officer, Managing Director of Rochester and Troy schools, and Chief of Innovation and School Operations. He was previously the Co-Director of Roxbury Preparatory Charter School in Boston. In 2007, Roxbury Prep’s 8th graders had the highest math MCAS scores in the entire state of Massachusetts. 

Prior to leadership at Roxbury Prep, Josh served as the Enrichment Coordinator and sixth grade World History teacher. He was also a history teacher-intern at the John D. O’Bryant School of Math and Science while earning an EdM in Teaching and Curriculum from Harvard University. Josh received his B.A. in political science from Colgate University and his M.A. in political science from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He is a Pahara Aspen Fellow and currently serves on the Boards of Trustees of the American Camp Association of NY/NJ and Rochester Prep Charter School.

Arianna Montrose, Assistant Director

Hailing from Orlando, the happiest place on Earth, Arianna is looking forward to a summer packed with fun, new experiences, and the opportunity to make lifelong memories. Arianna earned a bachelor’s degree in Social Entrepreneurship and Business and a minor in Communications at Rollins College. She has devoted her life to leading and developing young people to step outside of their comfort zones and be changemakers.

From a child, she was known as a club kid as she attended her neighborhood Boys & Girls Club. Her passion for summer camp grew when she accepted her first staff role there at 14. Since then, she has spent the last decade mentoring and expanding programs for students ranging in age from six to twenty-two in multiple nonprofit organizational settings around the nation. Currently, she works with college students but is enthusiastic about returning to the dynamic and energetic world of camp!

Arianna is excited to be working with AF Camp to create a safe and fun place for campers to spend the summer. This summer is going to be memorable, and she cannot wait to meet you and your camper!

Anyssa Evelyn, Head of Program

Anyssa is from upstate New York and currently works as a special education coordinator at a charter school in Brooklyn. She has a Master’s degree in Elementary Education with a dual certification in Special Education. She started her camp journey in high school where she attended a foundational running camp to strengthen her competitive running skills. From there, she worked as a day camp counselor as well as a sleepaway camp counselor for a total of 4 years. She loved the time she got to build relationships with campers and help curate a memorable summer experience like what she had when she went to camp. After being a counselor, she served as head of program for a total of 3 years at 2 different sleepaway camps. She loves seeing students enjoy camp along with friends who have similar and different interests as them. She loves thinking of different ways for scholars to explore things they are interested in through the camp program as well as encourage them to try things they haven’t tried before. She loves, loves, loves fun camp days together, and she’s so grateful for her experiences thus far.

Shantea Martin, Head Counselor

Shantea is a Science Teacher at Achievement First in Brooklyn, NY and hails from Miami, FL. With a Master’s Degree in Science and teacher certifications in Science, English, and Special Education, Shantea is well-equipped to educate her students.

During her teenage years, Shantea attended multiple sleepaway camps, which inspired her to pursue a career in teaching. She finds great joy in building long-lasting relationships with both campers and staff. Besides teaching academically during the school year, she relishes the opportunity to work with her scholars in a different capacity at camp.

Last year, Shantea strengthened her connections with both current and former students, and she eagerly anticipates the upcoming camp season to continue fostering meaningful relationships and experiencing the joys of camp.

Audrey Evelyn, Family Liaison and Lead for Camper Wellness

This summer, Audrey is enthusiastic to be joining AF Camp as Family Liaison and lead for Camper Wellness. As a social worker, she has worked to increase access to higher education for marginalized youth and adults. Through this work, she has developed a passion for ensuring the wellness of vulnerable populations in educational institutions. Audrey is a recent graduate of New York University Silver School of Social Work and is excited to bring her learnings from her Master's program to support the families and campers of AF Camp.