Meet Our Staff

Greetings! I have been the Executive Director here at Camp Minikani since October 2008, and have truly enjoyed meeting all of the wonderful campers, families and alumni as well as working alongside the incredibly dedicated staff.   I was a “Y brat” and grew up going to camp and being a camp counselor. I can’t imagine doing anything else besides working for this great organization and being able to have a positive effect on so many kids and families that we serve each year. I have two great kids, Brady and Ellie, who both enjoy time at camp throughout the year!  They are happy to have a mom who works at such a “cool” place and I enjoy sharing time at camp with them.

Before taking on this role, I held positions as the Branch Executive at YMCA Camp Matawa, Senior Program Director at YMCA Camp Kern in Ohio and as the Teen and Camp Director at the Southwest YMCA in Greenfield, another branch of the YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee. I hope that if you have any questions, concerns or comments you will not hesitate to contact me directly at jfeltz@ymcamke.org or give me a call at 262-251-9080 ext 6401

Hello, I began my position as Equestrian Director for the YMCA in 2004 at Triangle Y Ranch in West Bend, WI. In 2006, when the new equestrian center was built, I moved the year round lesson program to Camp Minikani where it continues to grow with new students and summer equestrian campers.

My passion for horses began at a very young age. I started taking lessons at the age of 4 in England, which led me to competing in junior jumpers, dressage and eventing. Having made the decision to make instructing a life long career, I became a British Horse Society Instructor teaching students of all ages and competing extensively in dressage and eventing.

After moving to the US in 1998, my travels quickly led me to the east coast and then onto Wisconsin where I currently reside with my two sons Ian and Christopher. My career to date has included managing Olympic barns, designing equestrian facilities, 6 years in the warmblood breeding industry, owning my own teaching business and building a year round equestrian program for the YMCA. One of my greatest honors is being involved with the US paralympic equestrian team and travelling to Athens, Greece and Hong Kong as barn manager for the past two Paralympic games.

My goal at Minikani is to provide an equestrian program that allows both children and adults to follow their dream of learning to ride regardless of their ability to own a horse. Along with the safety of my students, I encourage all students to become involved with the care of the horses through educational programs, camps and year round volunteer opportunities.
My love of teaching also extends to working with cognitively challenged students which brings me immense amounts of pleasure. In general, I just feel very blessed in being able to work with my passion and being passionate about my daily work. I can be reached by email or you can call me at 262-251-9080 ext 6451

My love of the outdoors started at a young age in Central Wisconsin where I grew up on a sheep farm. I spent the majority of my youth playing in the woods by my house and 2 weeks each year in the wilds of Canada canoe camping. In 2005 I graduated with a Bachelors of Science degree in Environmental Education/Interpretation from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. After an internship at the Central Wisconsin Environmental Station I found myself at Wisconsin Lions Camp working with children who have various special needs. I then joined the Americorps program at Camp Minikani. After two years teaching environmental education at Minikani I became Program Director in the summer of 2007. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns feel free to email me or call camp at 262-251-9080 ext 6407.

My name is Aime Gebauer, and so happy to work as the Administrative Assistant for Camps Minikani and Matawa, previously known as “teacher Aime” J for many preschoolers and their wonderful families.

I was born and raised in Toluca, Central Mexico, where I also graduated as Administrative Assistant and then studied English at McCormac Jr. College in Chicago, Il, and continued my education as a Teacher for Foreign Languages at the Universidad Iberoamericana Campus Toluca. In Mexico, I worked for different companies such as General Motors, Tupperware and Wal*Mart. While working for Wal*Mart, I was then transferred to Cancun, and  I worked part time tutoring Spanish and English at the Puerto Aventuras Bilingual Elementary School, as well as  teaching adults for Palace Resorts. (Where, by the way, I met my husband Peter a wonderful Chef from Germany and a former Spanish student of mine.).  Later on we moved to Nashville, TN., where I worked for Gaylord Hotels as an ESL Training Manager and continued teaching Spanish at the Tennessee Language Institute. Finally, five years ago, we landed in Wisconsin, where Camp Minikani has welcomed us in such a wonderful way that it has become part of our lives now.

Peter and I have been blessed with two amazing trilingual children; Anna-Claudia, who is five and Daniel eight; both graduates from Camp Minikani Preschool and so many other outstanding programs here at Camp and at the Tri-County YMCA. They are students of the M. German Immersion School.

 As you can see we are a very non-traditional American family, but we love America, value diversity, traditions, language, culture and of course, food. As a family, we enjoy practicing Taekwondo together and love going to Cancun for family vacation as well. So next time you need help at Minikani or Matawa, it will be my pleasure to serve you and say hello!

My name is Matt Sullivan, but many people around camp know me as “Sully”. My first year at Minikani was in 1999 where I was a 12 year old resident camper in cabin 17. My mother wanted me to gain some independence and also experience the outdoors with kids my own age. I grew up going to our family’s cabin near Superior and because of that I was able to apply those experiences at camp. While at camp my confidence grew and I began to step outside my comfort zone. Looking back on my time growing up at Minikani, I had transformed from a quiet 12 year old, into a four year NCAA athlete, college graduate and, most recently, a YMCA professional. My first year at Minikani hooked me and ever since, I came back year after year. I went through the three year leadership training program, and the following year was, offered a counselor position, which I did for three years. In 2008 I was the wilderness skills area director, “09” the Explorer Unit director and “10” was the Assistant summer program director. I now have the privilege of serving as the Summer Camp Director and am very excited to recreate the camp experience for first time campers and new experiences for our returning campers. With the help of Minikani’s counselors, directors and staff, we will be continuing the more than 90 years of Minikani’s tradition where we give kids a place to have fun, grow and make lasting friendships. If any of this sparked your interest about summer camp feel free to call and ask for Sully or E-mail me with your questions (262) 251.9080 ext 6405 msullivan@ymcamke.org

I started part time at the YMCA in 2002 at the Northside Branch. Shortly after starting, I realized that the Y was where I belonged. Within a month, I had left my full time job and was at Northside full time. I worked there as the Head Custodian for two years until an Assistant Property Manager job opened up at West Suburban YMCA. After 2 years there, I moved out to my current and hopefully forever home, Camp Minikani. Every day I get up and am glad to go to work. One of my favorite things is to stand out in the middle of Norris Field, raise my hands and tell people “This is my office.” Camp is my home, and I love improving things for the campers and user groups that we serve. I can be reached via email or by calling camp at 262-251-9080 ext 6412

I joined the Camp Minikani Family in November 2007 as the Center Administrator. I usually do not have direct contact with the kids here at camp, but I do get the experience of spreading the word and working with parents to share the spirit of Minikani.  I have enjoyed working with the families, schools, groups and staff. I have two wonderful kids, Abigail and Joshua.  When I am not at camp, I enjoy being with my family and being active in all of the sports that my kids are involved in such as basketball, baseball, volleyball and soccer. If you have any questions about Minikani and our outstanding programs please feel free to email me or call (262) 251-9080.

Ciao tutti! I am fairly new to the Minikani family but have been a part of the Milwaukee Metropolitan YMCA for the past 8 years.  I served most of my time as Membership Director at West Suburban and then fulfilled various interim roles until I became permanent at Camping Services.  I have thoroughly enjoyed getting back into the camp scene as my roots in the organization were in School Age and Day Camp for the Oshkosh YMCA.  I have two sweet girls, Eliana and Vivian who with time, will have the opportunity to enjoy the spirit of camp.  I look forward to connecting with many families and the surrounding community as I develop in my role here at Minikani.  In the meantime please feel free to email or call 262.251.9080 x6404, if you have any comments or questions.

Hi, I am Kathy Gilbert "Kitchen Kathy" and I am the food service coordinator at Camp Minikani. I have over 37 years in the food service business. I have been at camp for the last 5 years preparing meals and over seeing the kitchen staff. In the summer we have 12 staff  members doing the prep and serving of the meals. It can be very hectic at times but we all have a passion for making sure everyone has a well balance meal to  have the energy so they can keep up with all the activities during their stay. If your child is coming to camp and you have any concerns feel free to call or e-mail me and we can  talk about their dietary needs. kgilbert@ymcamke.org