Hilary Strimple Chiang

Executive Director

Hilary Strimple Chiang is a former Brown Ledge camper (2000-2005), junior counselor (2006-2007), and counselor (2009-2012, 2014). She also served on the Brown Ledge Board of Directors (2020-2024) and was Board President (2021-2023). Her mother, aunt, sister, and three cousins are also Brown Ledge alumni. Her mother, Liz Smith Strimple, also served on the Brown Ledge Board of Directors and was Board President.  Hilary brings a wealth of experience in non-profit management, fundraising, and implementing executive leadership strategies. Her impressive expertise is matched only by her knowledge and love of BLC. Hilary will join us on Malletts Bay with her husband Alex and son Rockwell.

See her job description here.

Brooks Johnson

Camp Director

Brooks Johnson comes to us after 16 years’ experience teaching, coaching, and serving on the leadership team at Dublin School in Dublin, NH (including the roles of Dean of Students and Athletic Director). He also brings 18 summers of camp experience as a counselor, lifeguard, blacksmith teacher, and senior staff member at Camp Deerwood, a boy’s camp on Squam Lake in Holderness, NH. He has an extensive background working with children, parents, and educators in a variety of experiential learning environments, as well as supporting structural, programmatic, and personnel additions and improvements at Dublin School. Brooks, his wife Kelly, and their five children (ages 2-19) are excited to join the Brown Ledge community. Their three youngest daughters are looking forward to joining Brown Ledge as campers, this summer and in the future!

See his job description here.

Marjorie Isaacs

Assistant Director

Shannon Elford

Operations Director

Shannon Elford(she/her) first came to Brown Ledge as the Head of Swimming in 2018. In 2020, she joined the year-round team as the Operations Coordinator. Shannon and her wife Sam stepped in to lead the BLC Waterfront program in 2021, ensuring the continued safety and quality programming Brown Ledge is known for. Shannon became our Operations Director in 2023, where she oversees all our finances, human resources, program supplies and equipment, and too many other things to list!

Shannon grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, and graduated with a BA in Art Studies from Arizona State University in 2016. She was the Head Coach and Program Director for an all-girls rowing team in Arizona for several years. She and her wife, Sam Newbery (senior staff 2015-2022), now live in South Burlington, Vermont.

Mitchell Watson

Facilities Coordinator

Mitchell Watson started with Brown Ledge in 2019, and worked his way into his current role as Facilities Coordinator. Under the tutelage of former director Bill Neilsen, Mitchell has learned the in’s and out’s of the Brown Ledge facility. This includes camp’s intricate water and sewer system, caring for over 70 buildings, and maintaining the grounds. He also is responsible for vendor relations.

When he is not chasing around his two daughters (Dottie and Mabel), Mitchell enjoys watching football, playing pickleball, and hiking when he has the time. Mitchell appreciates the sense of community that comes with working at BLC.

Maddie Mandeville

Office Coordinator

Maddie (she/her), maybe more than most, is a product of Brown Ledge Camp. She started the summer of 1997, at 9 months old, with her mom Sally deOliva Mandeville. She returned to camp each year with her mom through 2003, and was a camper, JC, and Riflery senior staff between the years 2006-2015.

Maddie graduated from the University of Vermont in 2018 with BAs in Economics and Political Science. For the past five years, she helped operate and manage three retail stores within one company. Her work was focused on maintaining smooth daily operations, managing a team, and creating and maintaining excellent customer relations. Maddie is excited to bring these skills the Office Coordinator position, and to uphold and expand Brown Ledge’s traditions and values.

Abby Lovshin-Smith

Outgoing Camp Director

Abby Lovshin-Smith (she/her) began her Brown Ledge career as a camper in 1993. She graduated from the JC program in 2000, and went on to spend five summers as a Sailing counselor through the summer of 2006. Abby was born and raised in Vermont, but spent 18 years down South attending Auburn University in Alabama and earning her BS in Interior Design. Her design skills lead her to a 12-year career in visual merchandising and retail management with Anthropologie in Atlanta, GA, and Nashville, TN, culminating in managing 3 stores in the Nashville area.

She returned home to Vermont in 2019 as Brown Ledge’s Director following Bill and Kathy Neilsen’s honorable and cherished 36-year run.

Abby credits Brown Ledge with teaching her to be brave and independent. When not at camp, she and her husband Mitchell, and daughters Dottie and Mabel reside in Middlebury, Vermont. 

Emmie Nilsson

JC Director

Emmie Nilsson is a lifelong Brown Ledger; she started camp at the age of two, arriving at camp with her parents, waterfront counselors Hans and Eva Nilsson. Once she was old enough to move into a camper cabin, Emmie became a camper, junior counselor, and then a senior counselor. Emmie spent most of her time at camp on the waterfront, earning her Sailing Vanguard and becoming the head of the sailing department for multiple summers. Emmie graduated from the European School of Economics with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, specializing in international marketing and event management. After graduation, Emmie worked at Georg Jensen in Copenhagen in a variety of roles utilizing her online marketing and project management skills. Currently, Emmie is living in Hemsedal, Norway, working as Sales and Marketing Director for a boutique mountain hotel. Emmie leads the junior counselors (JCs) with steady and consistent support, unbridled enthusiasm for all things Brown Ledge, and a great sense of fun.

Justine Montgomery

Head of Riding

A mother of three and a graduate of Smith College (BA, Psychology), Justine Montgomery is a lifelong equestrian. She started her riding career in Vermont as a member of her local Pony Club and as camper at Camp Kiniya (and later as a riding counselor). Justine went on to train with top professionals and competed nationally as a junior rider in the Hunter, Jumper and Equitation divisions. Upon graduating from the junior ranks, Justine was the Assistant Manager for Deeridge Farm, a premier privately owned show barn out of East Aurora, NY and Wellington, FL. During her many years at Deeridge, Justine successfully managed a large string of winning, world class show jumpers under the tutelage of Joe Fargis (individual gold & team gold medalist, 1984 Olympics) and Conrad Homfeld (individual silver & team gold medalist, 1984 Olympics). In more recent years Justine has managed her own family farm with a successful breeding & retirement program, served as the DC of Mountain Skyline Pony Club, and has helped her daughter navigate up the Eventing levels to the International FEI 2* level.  Justine has recently returned to competition herself riding her homebred, Modern Art. Justine also shares her family’s passion for tennis, skiing, hiking, camping and all things outdoors. Other affiliations include Farmington Hunt Club, United States Equestrian Federation, United States Eventing Association, Virginia Pony Breeders Association, American Connemara Pony Society. Justine is thrilled to be returning to the Brown Ledge family and is excited to share her passion and knowledge for horses with others!

Timothy Shuker Haines

Co-Head of Theatre

Timothy Shuker-Haines (he/him) is a recently retired teacher of History, English and Film Studies and this is his 24th year at Brown Ledge.  Timothy is co-director of the theater program with his wife, Franny.  During the summer, he does some directing and is in charge of set construction.  Many many years ago he went to Swarthmore College, San Francisco State and the University of Michigan, where he studied (respectively) Anthropology, Cinema Studies and American Culture. Timothy lives with Franny and their two dogs, Sebastian, a Golden Retriever, and Marco, a long-haired Dachshund, in North Adams, which is in the Berkshires in Massachusetts.  Timothy and Franny have three kids–Faith, Swift, and Rose–all of whom grew up at Brown Ledge.  He loves the Brown Ledge Theater and the challenge of mounting a fully realized evening of shows every week.  As Timothy is building sets in the morning, he always hopes that it will be grilled cheese day.

Franny Shuker-Haines

Co-Head of Theatre

Franny Shuker-Haines is a long-time Brown Ledger. As a camper, JC, and counselor, Franny has focused her time and energy in the theatre department, loving its high energy, standards, and ambition. Franny & her husband Timothy raised their three children at camp, and are excited to continue to nurture young people in the unique Brown Ledge program and the unique Brown Ledge Theatre. Franny has been a writer for most of her professional life, and has served as a teacher, administrator, and director at Buxton School, a small progressive boarding and day high school founded at the same time as—and with a similar philosophy to—Brown Ledge for the past 26 years.

Eva Nilsson

Co-Head of Waterfront

The Brown Ledge waterfront includes five departments, 20 counselors, and eight activities and Eva Nilsson gracefully manages it all. Now in her 4th decade of Brown Ledge summers, you can also often find Eva driving the ski boat and helping coach campers through their waterskiing and wakeboarding skills. Eva is a multi-sport athlete including running marathons and skiing in the winter. She is excited for another fun and safe summer with all of the campers on the waterfront!

Hans Nilsson

Co-Head of Waterfront

Here for over 40 summers, Hans is returning again for another wonderful summer on the Brown Ledge waterfront! Hailing from Sweden, Hans was a BLC diving instructor for 37 years and coached countless campers through their diving basics, intermediates and vanguards. While he is now co-head of the waterfront, you can still often find him on the diving dock. Hans was a gymnast on the Swedish national team before transferring his skills to diving. Hans is a recently retired superintendent who created a ski tourism business where he leads hundreds of tourists through trails around Europe.

Lori Angstadt

Administrative Staff

Lori has spent over 40 years at BLC, and she is looking forward to yet another! For the first two decades she was a tennis counselor and also organized Sunday night Ledger for many years. She transitioned to administrative tasks in her third and fourth decades where she organizes dining room seating, Chapel, birthdays, and Alumnae Camp. She has also served on the Board of Directors for 8 years and was the editor of the Alumnae Ledger for 15 years. Lori hails from Fogelsville, PA and in the real world is a high school social studies teacher, tennis coach and juggling club advisor. She can often be found teaching juggling at camp and has a special relationship with Simpleton, a spider who resides at Brown Ledge and writes many letters to be read by Lori at Ledger.

Melissa Fishel Mauer

Head Nurse

Affectionately known by the BLC community as Fish, Melissa Mauer has worked as our Head Camp Nurse for over 20 years! Fish is a native Floridian who was fortunate enough to be born a Brown Ledger. Horses were her thing from day one at BLC; Fish received her riding vanguard and was a riding counselor for a few summers, way back. She is an oncology nurse 10 months of the year and our camp nurse for two glorious months each summer. Brown Ledge Camp is in her Fishel blood!