Sr. Program Director
Program Director
Food Services Manager
Our full time Leadership Team is committed to creating a camp community that accepts kids and engages them in such a way that they develop confidence about who they are and what they can become.
​
Each team member embraces the vital role they hold in making camp an impactful experience for campers and guests of all ages. We welcome you to reach out to us! With over 80 years of collective overnight camp experiences and knowledge in our leadership team, we invite you to learn more about our team members below.
LEADERSHIP TEAM
SUMMER STAFF
Mark has worked full time for the YMCA since 1988. His career started in Birmingham, Alabama, where he served as Program Director for YMCA Camp Cosby. In 1994, he moved to North Carolina where he worked for the Capital Area YMCA at Camp Sea Gull, serving as Senior Program Director. In October 2000 he assumed the role of Executive Director for YMCA Camp Carson, a branch the YMCA of Southwestern Indiana, Inc., where he served as Executive Director until Feb of 2020. After almost 20 years and a significant rebuild and development of the program and facility at Carson, Mark moved to join the team with the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis, to assume the role of Executive Director for the Flat Rock River YMCA Camp.
​
In addition to his camp responsibilities, Mark served as a YMCA Field Coordinator for Resident Camping in the South Field and currently on the Board (now the Local Counselor of Leaders) for the Indiana Section of the American Camp Association (ACA). A native of Scotland, Mark is married to Debra and they have two adult sons, Iain and Ross, who were both active in camp.
Anna Thackery
Office Manager
athackery@indymca.org
Anna joined Flat Rock in November of 2021 and she is such a vital member for our Team. Anna is the friendly, cheerful voice you will hear when you call Camp. In her role, she is every parent’s and guest’s lifeline when it comes to registration and all the follow up information. Anna loves engaging with families and helping in any way she can so never hesitate to call the Camp office!
​
Anna comes to Camp after 20 years of office manager experience in the automotive industry as well as a couple years of Program Director experience at a local YMCA. Her volunteer work includes the Marine Corps Toys for Tots, serving on her community’s beautification committee, and Chamber of Commerce events.
​
Anna is married to Marvin and has 3 adult children, Ciera, Jacob and Savannah as well as 2 young daughters, Victoria and Bailey. She is also blessed to have 3 grandchildren – Liam, Finley and Jamison. Her hobbies include Arts & Crafts, being outdoors and car shows!
​
Ben Baker
Sr. Program Director
bbaker@indymca.org
Ben’s camp journey began in 2012 at YMCA Camp Carson as a camp counselor/kayak instructor, and then the Summer Program Director the following year. In the fall of 2013, he took on the role of Director of Education at the Children’s Museum of Evansville and remained so for 6 years. Deciding to pursue a career in community outreach, he briefly taught elementary writing and middle school math before transitioning into the position of the Director of 21st Century Grants and Programs at the YMCA of Southwestern Indiana. He held the position for 3 years before seizing the opportunity to come back into the camp world, which he greatly missed.
Ben has a passion for music, sports, the outdoors and has a heart for serving the youth and families in his community. Although he embraces any duties and roles that his job presents to him, his focus remains on creating quality and innovative programming along with empowering and developing the staff that he has the privilege of working with throughout the season. He is excited and honored to bring his experiences and background to Flat Rock River YMCA Camp and looks forward to affecting the lives of those around him.
Kelynn Masters
Program Director
kmasters@indymca.org
Kelynn is a passionate educator, artist, and self-proclaimed "outdoors-woman". She joined the team at Flat Rock River YMCA Camp in February 2024 to continue her camp career after working at 2 Texas Camps: YMCA Camp Grady Spruce and YMCA Camp Carter, from 2019-2023.
Kelynn believes that everyone can benefit from the programs that camp has to offer, and works to improve access to camp for all! With a background in environmental science and conservation, she loves working outdoors in all seasons and ecosystems, and can't wait to continue to develop the hands-on curriculum at Flat Rock as a Program Director.
In her free time, you can find Kelynn exploring national parks, painting and sculpting, cooking international cuisine, and learning about cultures from all over the world! Kelynn lives with her husband of 4 years, Levi, and their two dogs, Sundance and Durango. The family is growing as Kelynn and Levi are preparing to welcome a baby, coming July 2024.
Kim joined the Flat Rock team in 2014 and holds 25 years of food service experience. After years of volunteering and hosting charity banquet events, she worked at her children's school cafeteria for 7 years. She then became the manager of a very busy and successful, growing restaurant.
​
Kim has gained Flat Rock a reputation for quality, delicious food. She enjoys training her staff in cooking and food handling skills. She also provides camper parents and guests with peace of mind with her knowledge in addressing food allergies and dietary restrictions. As one camper Mom said, "Kim in phenomenal!"
Kim is often referred to as the "heart and soul" of camp as she follows her passion to provide pleasurable dining experiences for all of our guests.
​
Kim is mother to 3 adult children - Ashley, Shelby and Nicholas and grandmother to an adorable grandson, Leon.
Roger Baatz
Property Manager
rbaatz@indymca.org
Roger loves team work, organization, being outdoors and active and is always ready to help. Roger grew up near Camp and has a strong relationship with this community. Roger started doing construction work at a young age with his Grandpa. In high school, he worked at a local campground where he did a little of everything – Guest Check-In, Lifeguarding, Food Handling and Maintenance. His experience soon grew to framing houses from the ground up and then a drywall business.
He and his family spent 4 years in Tulsa, OK where he worked at a senior living community. There he became the Director of Environmental Services - responsible for the oversight of maintenance for three company properties. He loved working with the elderly - they always found a way to make him laugh!
​
Roger joined our Team in April of 2021. He has loved the feeling of Camp, especially the busy season when he finds the sounds of the kids running around having fun such an unbelievable experience.
Roger has been married to his wife, Tiphanie, for 11 years and they have two sons age Aiden (10) and Owen (8). When he’s not busy at Camp, Roger loves antiquing, playing the guitar and lots of social time with friends and family.
Debra loves to engage with families, alumni and donors, connecting campers from all generations. In her marketing and fundraising efforts on behalf of Flat Rock, she is passionate about sharing the life changing outcomes gained through a camp experience. Make sure to share your Flat Rock story with her!
Following a career that started in the corporate world, Debra has worked in a variety of capacities for the YMCA since 1992. Her Y career began as an Educator and Curriculum Coordinator with YMCA Camp Cosby in Alabama. After moving to YMCA Camp Sea Gull in North Carolina in 1994 and starting a family, many of her responsibilities revolved around aspects of support for camper services and program operations. Beginning in 2000, when she and her family moved to southern Indiana's YMCA Camp Carson, Debra served in various roles over the next 20 years from Office Manager to Engagement and Development Director.
​
Debra is married to Mark and has raised two sons, Iain and Ross (now in their 20’s) in the camp environment. So moms, don’t be afraid to ask questions about camp life for kids of all ages. Her interests include reading, flower gardening, nature, travel, involvement in her church, growing in her Christian faith and the desire to learn new things!
Our Summer Camp Staff
While the idea of camp is energizing and exciting for many, we also recognize that for those first time camp families, giving your child the opportunity to experience a week at an overnight/sleepaway camp can initially be an overwhelming decision making experience. So, we want to do our utmost to reassure you, as parents, that we have done due diligence in selecting the most incredible group of young people to not only keep your child safe but enable your child to thrive at camp.
​
We work hard over the winter months to identify those young leaders that will help all our campers truly feel included. During our training, we focus on how to create not only an atmosphere that is engaging but teach our staff how to ensure that our campers are truly engaged in cabin life and all the activities. We know with this cultivated, campers begin to find opportunities to accomplish goals and together we celebrate those accomplishments and confidence is built. With growing confidence, the goal is to help our campers see that they were part of creating the magic of camp with their counselor and cabin mates and we hope they leave going out into the world, inspired to make it a better place.
​
QUALITIES All that can only happen with a strong supportive leadership team. At the Flat Rock River YMCA Camp, we begin with the end in mind! If we want our campers to leave feeling include, engaged, confident and inspired, that’s where our focus needs to be when hiring the best and brightest most dynamic camp counselors. Counselors who are engaging, positive role models and mentors of strong moral character. Young people who truly grasp that servant heart, are passionate about working with youth and are focused on the needs of all the campers.
SELECTION and SCREENING Every camp staff member participates in an in-depth, in person/Zoom interview with one or more of our full time team. We secure a minimum of three personal written references and complete a national background check and sex offender registry check for all new and returning counselors.
​
STAFF TRAINING and CERTIFICATIONS Our summer staff team is trained first and foremost in ensuring the emotional and physical well being and overall safety of the children in our care. All Camp staff participate in a minimum of a full seven days of staff training before campers arrive for the summer. In addition we have pre-summer online trainings, opportunities to attend certification trainings in many activities and specific leadership team training. Throughout the summer months there are in-service trainings to help maintain the attention to vigilance for the duration of season. Staff are also trained on the activity they are working in for the summer, cabin management, communication, leadership, leading devotions and more.
​
In addition to traditional camp training, all of our staff are also certified in First Aid, CPR, AED, and typically 20+ of the staff will also be certified lifeguards.
​
From technical skills on activities to relational skills within the cabin and with each other, our staff is vigilant, and they are constantly looking out for the well-being of your child and for opportunities to encourage the growth and development of campers.
COUNSELOR to CAMPER RATIO We maintain an overall staff to camper ratio of 1:5. Our high ratio ensures each camper receives positive interaction with their counselors each and every day.
Watch the Flat Rock River Facebook Page throughout the spring to learn more about the staff working at camp this summer.