Meet The Team

Rabbi Erin Mason has been passionate about Jewish camp ever since her first summer as a camper at GFC age 10. She fully believes in the power of Jewish camp to inspire a love of Judaism, allow campers and staff alike to believe in themselves, and to become their best selves.

In addition to starting her career here at GFC as an assistant director and NFTY-TOR advisor, Rabbi Erin has also been part of the director teams at URJ Camp Newman in Northern California and Gindling Hilltop Camp in Malibu, California. Ordained from the Los Angeles campus of Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion, she was in the first class of the Mandel Fellowship for rabbinic-education students, where she explored what it means to create, implement, and sustain Jewish institutional visioning and change. Rabbi Erin also earned a master’s degree in Jewish Education from the Rhea Hirsch School of Education at HUC-JIR. She holds an undergraduate degree in Public Relations from the University of Texas at Austin.

Rabbi Erin lives in her native Houston with her husband, Mike, three children, Zachary, Eliza, and Aviva, and their two dogs, Barney and Crosby.

Lisa Smith is the Development Director at URJ Greene Family Camp. Lisa is a native New Yorker and spent nearly a decade at URJ Crane Lake Camp in the Berkshires as a camper, CIT and general counselor, where she developed a lifelong love of song sessions, lake swimming and all things camp. After spending the last nine years in the nonprofit world fundraising for education and healthcare, she is overjoyed to be back at camp, making sure the legacy of GFC and Jewish camping live on.

Lisa holds a degree in English from the George Washington University and did a one year stint in journalism after college. Since then she has served in various development roles at the Brearley School, Rutgers University and most recently, Dell Seton Medical Center in Austin. Lisa and her husband Tyler live in the Austin area with their three children, Wally, Rufus and Theodora (Teddy), their puppy, Posey, and their chonky cat, Clyde. She is so excited to be part of the Greene community!

Have questions about financial assistance, fundraising, or future campaigns? Reach out to Lisa!  

Marissa Meador grew up as a camper at Greene Family Camp and has always felt a special connection to the ‘Best Little Jew Camp in Texas’. In addition to being a camper at GFC, Marissa has also been a part of the summer leadership team since 2015. Helping others find the magic at camp is a true passion for her. 

Marissa, her husband, JD, and their two dogs, Macy and Luna, live in Houston, where Marissa was born and raised. Marissa has a degree in Culinary Arts from Houston Community College, a bachelor’s degree in Youth and Community Studies with a minor in Jewish Studies from The University of Texas at Austin, and a Masters in Elementary Educations from Relay Graduate School of Education. Marissa spent 7 years as a classroom teacher, learning to communicate with our youth and their families with honesty and compassion. Most recently, she has been working in graphic design and printing, and is excited to continue this passion in her new role as Senior Manager, Marketing and Communication.

Have general questions about GFC? Reach out to Marissa!

Shira Karp is an Assistant Director at URJ Greene Family Camp. Shira resides in Dallas, TX with her sweet dog, Samba, and is a member of Temple Emanu-El. Shira graduated with her Bachelor’s degree in Special Education from Nova Southeastern University in May 2021. She graduated with her Master’s degree in Special Education with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis in December 2022 from Arizona State University. Prior to camp, Shira worked for Behavior Analysis Inc. as a Registered Behavior Therapist and most recently as a consultant for her sorority, Sigma Delta Tau, where she was able to travel and network with several different regions around the country.
 
Before becoming full time staff, Shira spent 14 summers at Greene Family Camp as a camper and staff member, including a member of our Camp Care team. Shira has always loved the community feeling that camp gives her and she cannot wait to be able to help form a community for future campers.

Have questions about Machar, Avodah, staffing, or activities? Reach out to Shira!

Morgan Ducar is an Assistant Director at URJ Greene Family Camp. Raised in Denton, Texas, Morgan began working with Jewish youth as a Religious School Teacher at her home congregation, Congregation Kol Ami located in Flower Mound, Texas. Throughout her time in college, Morgan played an active part in Hillel as both a board member and service leader. In December of 2021, Morgan graduated cum laude from the University of North Texas with a degree in Religious Studies and Jewish and Israel Studies. Before working for the full-time team, Morgan worked with Temple Shalom in Dallas as the Youth Programming and Camp Partnership Intern, where she developed and led programs with the focus on engaging families and introducing them to camp. 

Morgan has been part of the GFC community since 2014, both as a camper and a staff member. In the Summer of 2021, Morgan had the privilege of being the Shoftim Unit Head, where she oversaw both campers and counselors throughout their summer experiences. Morgan’s favorite places on camp are wherever the singing is! Morgan fell in love with the communal singing culture at GFC and loves to share her passion of communal music moments with others.

Have questions about our teen programs, Kibbutz, NFTY, or Jewish education? Reach out to Morgan!

Eli Cohn-Wein spent eighteen worldview-shaping years as a camper, counselor, and senior staff member at Jewish summer camp in upstate New York, where Eli is originally from. He took inspiration from his experiences at camp and spent time early in his career as an educator and youth group advisor.

About ten years ago Eli found his calling in building community through food and hospitality. Over the past decade, he helped to build and run multiple critically acclaimed restaurants in New York City and Dallas. Most recently, Eli was the Executive Chef and General Manager of the kosher kitchen at the Aaron Family Jewish Community Center for ​the past three years and was named a “Dallas Hero” by D Magazine for his kitchen’s work to feed seniors in need during the first wave of the pandemic.

When not at camp Eli lives in Dallas with his wife, Leslie, newborn son, Solomon Henry, and dog, Burt Macklin.

Have questions about food or rentals? Reach out to Eli!

Sharon Ross began her camp journey as a veemer at GFC in the 1980s; later roles here at Greene ranged from fencing specialist to ropes course director to unit head. Sharon started to take an interest in the operations side of camp management while helping to prepare Greene for its accreditation visit by the American Camp Association in 2002, and she’s been a bit of a camp policy wonk ever since. Sharon is now active in the American Camp Association, volunteering both as a camp accreditation visitor and on committees for Women in Camp. Over the years, Sharon has also worked in leadership at a number of other summer camps—both Jewish and secular—including the URJ’s Camp Kalsman in northern Washington and Camp Young Judaea Midwest in central Wisconsin.  While every camp has something special to offer, no place has sunsets like Greene Family Camp!  

Sharon’s favorite things to do at camp include spending time on the ropes course, splashing in puddles, tending campfires, and organizing supply cabinets. When not doing camp things, Sharon can often be found with her nose stuck in a book or playing with her aussie/border collie mix, Robert Cornelius. In Sharon’s role as the Assistant Director for Retreat Services and Site Operations, she coordinates communications with all of our GFC rental groups who hold events at camp throughout the year and manages the logistics of on-site implementation for those events.  Whether with regard to summer programming or our rentals groups during the year, Sharon’s mission is that if you come prepared with a fun or inspiring idea, she’ll make sure that everything is in order behind the scenes to bring your idea smoothly to fruition!

Have questions about rentals? Reach out to Sharon!

Beau Moore is originally from Porterville, CA. Beau is happily married to his wife Alysa, who he met at TCMI seminary school in Los Angeles.

Beau spent his formative years as part of the Royal Rangers. He earned the gold medal of achievement at age 13, a similar honor to becoming an Eagle Scout in Boy Scouts. Beau’s childhood was spent camping, hunting, fishing & backpacking. As Beau grew older, he spent time in both the construction industry and restaurants with his parents. Working alongside family in this way instilled in Beau the importance of hard work and gave him the well-rounded tools that helped him succeed in life.

Beau moved to Texas to work with Camp Cho-Yeh in Livingston. With the onset of COVID-19, Beau came back to the construction trade and his mechanical engineering training by working in the HVACR industry.

Beau and Alysa’s passion is camping. This past summer, Alysa was part of the GFC food service team, opening the door for them to be at their happy place, camp, full time.