BRIAN DeGROAT
Assistant Director
Brian is very excited to be back for his third season at PMOEC. He spent the summer working
at Pok-O-MacCready Camps as the Boy’s Camp Assistant Director. Brian is a native of New Jersey,
and attended The College of New Jersey earning a degree in History Secondary Education. He then taught at
Vernon Township High School, also in New Jersey. Brian has been a Lifeguard and Swim Instructor at the
Summit YMCA and has backpacked through Europe.
Favorite ADK High Peak: Saddleback
...Books: Ender’s Game, The Shield of Achilles
...Quote: “Afoot and lighthearted, I take to the open road. Healthy, free, the world before, the long brown path before me,
leading wherever I choose” - Walt Whitman

BLYTHE CZAJA
Instructor

    Blythe grew up in Bloomville, NY where she played farmer and showed her cows at the local fair.
Her love for being outside continued as she attended SUNY Cobleskill where she studied Agricultural Business Management and
Agricultural Education.  Blythe was PMOEC’s intern last spring and we are very excited to have her return this fall as an instructor.

...PLace: On a tractor, acres upon acres of hay, just mowing  
...PMOEC Meal: Goulash
...Book: Last of The Mohicans, The Great Gatsby
...Quote: “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sabrina Smith
Instructor

Sabrina comes to PMOEC all the way from Fuquay-Varina, NC. Sabrina is a world traveler having visited 21 countries in 5 different
continents. She has been to Australia while studying abroad, and Uganda in East Africa while working for the Peace Corp.  While attending
the N.C. State University she studied Wildlife Science and Outdoor Leadership.

Favorite PMOEC Meal: Tacos
...Place: Australia
...Mountain: Ben Nevis in Scotland

Seth Carvill
Instructor

Seth is an avid outdoors man who enjoys biking, skiing, climbing, boating, hiking, and in general being outside. Seth grew up in
Milford, NH but attended the Western State College of Colorado where he graduated with a degree in Outdoor Leadership.
Seth has also spent time as a counselor and “Tool Guy” at Flying Cloud summer camp and 3 seasons as a Wildland firefighter and EMT.

...Place: Any where I can Ski!
...Mountain: Mt. Owen, Ruby Range, Irwin CO
...Book: Ishmael, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
...PMOEC Meal: Corn Dogs

Whitney Johnson
Instructor

Whitney hails from Mequon, WI but she went to Washington University in St. Louis, MO where she graduated with a degree in
Spanish and International Business. She has worked for NOLS and was the program coordinator for the Women’s Wilderness Institute
in Boulder, CO. Some of her many hobbies include dancing, rock climbing, cycling, skiing and cooking.
 
...Place: On top of a mountain, climbing a vertical rock wall
...Mountain: Gannett peak in Wyoming
...Book: All the Pretty Horses, Candy Freak, and a Walk in the Woods
...Quotation: “Traveler, your footsteps are nothing more, traveler there is no path, you make the path as you walk.”
                         - Antonio Machado

Diane Ashworth
Instructor

Diane grew up in Coopersburgh, PA but went to University in Scotland at St. Andrews. She graduated with a degree in German
and Russian. While at St. Andrews she Taught Scottish country dancing and studied abroad in Germany and Russia. Diane has
also spent time living, learning and working in the mountains of western North Carolina.

...Place: Anywhere I can play in the woods.
...Food: Really dark chocolate
...Hobbies: Knitting, cooking, and horseback riding
...Quotation: “I arise in the morning torn between a desire to save the world and a desire to enjoy the world.
This makes it hard to plan the day.”- E.B. White

Alex Mihavics
Intern
Alex calls Elmhurst, Illinois home but has spent time having adventures in Yosemite National Park, Sequoia National Park,
Glacier National Park, England, France, Germany, Austria and Canada. Alex worked for four years as the groundskeeper for
the Elmhurst Park District. He recently graduated from Augustana College with a degree in Business Administration.
In addition he enjoys playing frisbee, basketball, hiking and listening to music. Alex is also an Eagle Scout.

...Place: Lake McDonald, Montana
...Mountain: Grinnell Point, Glacier National Park
...Food: Apple Pie
...Books: Jurassic Park, Timeline, The Kite Runner, Built to Last, Harry Potter (All of them)

Shelby Gardner
Maintenance Coordinator
Shelby is a talented carpenter and overall jack -of- all- trades whom we are excited to have on staff. Shelby is a native of
Essex, NY and has toured all over the Adirondacks throughout his life. When he is not working on one of the thousands of
jobs he has as Maintenance Coordinator he  enjoys spending time with his wife, dog, and brand new baby daughter.
 
...Book: The Farmer’s Almanac  
...Hobbies: Working on the farm, making maple syrup, and hunting.
...ADK Mountain: Prospect Mountain

  James Lewis
  Head Chef

  Chef James is our newest addition to our staff at Pok-O, hailing from Cortland, New York.  When this alum of the
  Culinary Institute of America is not spoiling the staff and students with delicious and nutritious meals, he’s out in
  the mountains working towards becoming an Adirondack 46-er

  Favorite...
    ...Place: Maine
    ...Food: Crab Cakes, Lobster, Beef Wellington
    ...Quote: “Always think ahead of the game.”

SCOTT McINTYRE
Financial Director
     Scott has an Education degree from SUNY Plattsburgh and a Masters degree in Higher Education Administration from
     the University of Vermont. Though he has been to more than 30 different countries, he met his wife Sheila while
     working for the Pok-O-MacCready Outdoor Education Center in the 1980s.

Favorite PMOEC Meal: Marshmallow Mateys
…Place: Pok-O-MacCready Camps Intermediate Point
…ADK Mountain: Rattlesnake

SARAH DISNEY
PMOEC Advisor/ Summer Camp Admissions Director
     Sarah is a New York native who enjoys cycling, skiing, knitting, and gardening. She has been a medical office manager and one of
     the center’s co-directors before. Currently, she oversees the business office year-round. She supervised the support personnel
     for the Nordic Sports 1980 Olympics, but says that raising 3 daughters has been her biggest adventure!

Favorite PMOEC Meal: Pesto pasta
…Place: Pok-O’s intermediate swim dock
…ADK Mountain: Rattlesnake

SHARP SWAN
Executive Director
     In 1905, Sharpe’s great-grandfather Dr. Charles Robinson founded Camp Pok-O-Moonshine, the oldest private camp in the
     world under the direction of a single family. Sharp has distinguished himself by serving as Headmaster of Pok-O-Moonshine
     for seventeen years, and director of the Outdoor Education Center for three. An avid mountaineer, he has made two
     attempts at Denali, the highest peak in North America, and for many years he held the speed record for completing the
     Adirondack 46 (4 days, 18 hours, 18 minutes).  A graduate of Westminster University, with a B.A. in History, Sharpe is a
     published author who will soon have a new title under his belt, a book about the history of logging in the Adirondacks.
     His carpentry company, Cloudsplitter, often works on the property. Cloudsplitter has recently renovated the Farmhouse
     Dorm and is currently finishing Pok-O’s new climbing center.

                                                      Favorite PMOEC Meal: Beef stew
                                                       …Hobbies: Civil War and Lumber camp research
                                                       …ADK Mountains: Iroquois and the Dixes