Meet Our Year-Round Staff
Danny Herz – Executive Director
danny@campbarney.org | 678.812.3844
Danny has been a leader in overnight camping for more than 13 years, and most recently served as Executive Director of URJ’s 6 Points Sports Academy, 6 Points Creative Arts Academy, and 6 Points Sci-Tech Academy. He has a 15+ year career in education, serving on the senior administrative team at Jewish schools in Southern California and South Florida. He’s held the roles of teacher, coach, dean of students, and athletic director. Danny has been involved with Jewish sports for more than 20 years, starting with coaching at the JCC Maccabi Games® and then was the first coach in Broward County, Florida to coach a McDonald’s All-American. He is an avid public speaker at camp conferences and other youth-related events. Born in South Africa, Danny has lived in the U.S. since the late 1980s. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida and a master’s degree from Ohio University. He is a certified camp director by the American Camp Association (ACA) and a certified athletic administrator (CAA) by the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA).
Dave Weinberg – Associate Director
dave@campbarney.org | 678.812.3747
Dave spent over a decade traveling from Sarasota, Florida to work at Camp Barney before joining our year-round team in 2015. Dave’s experience at Camp Barney includes several summers as a member of our Naturecrafts Staff, two summers as the Naturecrafts Director, three summers as a Program Director, and one summer as Director of our Staff In Training program. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and History from New College of Florida in Sarasota. In his role as associate director, Dave combines his passion for working with kids in the great outdoors with his background in computer science and logistics. At Camp Barney, Dave is responsible for essential elements of camp operation, scheduling, ACA compliance and accreditation, and technology.
Reach out to Dave regarding scheduling, security or vendor relations. Dave also loves to talk about great outdoor experiences in the Southeast.
Taylor Bashuk – Assistant Director, Family Experiences & Administration
taylor@campbarney.org | 678.812.4034
Taylor, originally from Macon, GA, has been deeply connected to Camp Barney Medintz since 2013, beginning as a teen camper and progressing through roles as a camper, counselor, unit head, and supervisor to staff in training. She graduated from Mercer University in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, focusing on marketing and management. After relocating to Atlanta in August 2020, Taylor joined the MJCCA Day Camps team as a counselor at Club J, the after-school program. She advanced to Assistant Director of Club J and later took on the role of Assistant Director of Camp Isidore Alterman (CIA) and Day Camp Programs. She is also a proud member of the inaugural M2: The Institute for Experiential Jewish Education, Atlanta cohort.
Reach out to Taylor for general camp questions, forms for campers and staff, camp tours, communication at camp, or to talk about a job at camp in our office.
Sidra Kennedy – Assistant Director, Camper Experience
sidra@campbarney.org | 678.812.3763
Sidra has an extensive background in Jewish camping with 6 Points Sports Academy, Kutz Leadership Camp, and Camp Barney Medintz. While with 6 Points, she held the roles of counselor, unit head, and director of first year camper care. Sidra joined Camp Barney Medintz in 2023 as the inaugural first year camper care director, working closely with the Community Care team, campers, and their parents/ guardians. Sidra earned her bachelor’s degree in human service studies and policy studies with a focus in education from Elon University, and has experience in coaching, mentoring, counseling, and teaching, encouraging inclusion of people of all abilities. She is passionate about experiential learning, outdoor activities, international exchanges, and connections amongst cultures.
Reach out to Sidra with questions about your camper’s experience at camp, cabin grouping, to share information about your camper that helps us provide them with the best experience possible, or to talk about a job at camp as a counselor or unit head.
Shachar Levy – Assistant Director, Specialty Areas
Shachar, originally from Israel, brings extensive experience in Jewish education, youth development, and summer camp leadership, having trained over 500 Israeli staff members through his work as a senior trainer with the Jewish Agency for Israel. He began his camp journey at 6 Points Sports Academy as a counselor and later oversaw Israeli staff and programs. In 2023, Shachar joined the CBM family as a Head Activity Specialist and returned in 2024 as a Program Director. Prior to joining the full-time team, Shachar worked as a software engineer at Microsoft and Western Digital and played professional basketball for Hapoel Tel Aviv and Maccabi Haifa.
Shachar is passionate about fostering Jewish identity by creating camp experiences that connect campers to Judaism, Israel, and the values of community, kindness, and spirit. Outside of camping, Shachar enjoys snowboarding, scuba diving, hiking, traveling, and anything related to sports!
Reach out to Shachar if you are interested in being hired as an activity specialist, director of a specialty area, or to discuss new specialty programs at camp.
Emily Shapiro – Director of Community Care
Emily first attended Camp Barney in 2008. Since then, she’s gone from camper to staff member, spending summers working with our Chalutzim unit and staff members who graduated into our vocational program. She earned both her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in Clinical Social Work with an emphasis in Disability Studies from the University of Georgia. In 2018, Emily joined the Camp Barney team as our Inclusion Director, and worked over the past several years to create our Community Care program. In her role as Assistant Director, Emily works closely with parents/guardians throughout the year to help ensure that our campers have impactful and positive experiences at CBM. She supervises all staff working with our units (age groups), and both our Inclusion and Community Care Directors to support consistent communication and collaboration amongst the team.
Reach out to Emily with questions about our Chalutzim program for campers with special needs, questions about our inclusion program, or to talk about a job as a member of the community care team.
Debbie Medintz Jacobs – Community Engagement Director
Debbie has worked in the CBM summer office since 2008 but spent much of her camp career as a camper and staff member from 1985-1997. Her roles at CBM included JIT Rover, counselor, unit head, and ultimately program director. Debbie is a graduate of the Erwin Zaban Leadership Development Committee and has served on the CBM Camp Committee for several years. Debbie holds a B.S. from University of Alabama. A proud 3rd generation Atlantan, Debbie is the granddaughter of camp namesake Barney Medintz. She is married to Ryan and they have two sons, Harris, who attends U of Wisconsin and Justin, who attends UGA. Both boys grew up going to CBM!
Reach out to Debbie about virtual info sessions, CBM merchandise, donations to CBM, photos, social media, marketing, alumni relations, hosting international staff during their time off, or to share feedback about camp.
Kate Stansfield– Food Service Director
Kate spent over a decade working in various parts of food service from small scale mom-and-pop restaurants to managing at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. She has been the Food Service Director at a private boarding school in Asheville, NC for the past three years. Kate was first introduced to the world of camp food service back in 2010, and she is looking forward to bringing her experiences back to camp and moving forward. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Culinary Nutrition and Culinary Arts from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI. In her role as food service director Kate can answer questions relating to special diets and food allergies that your camper might have! At Camp Barney, Kate is responsible for essential elements of camp food service; including day-to-day operations of the dining hall as well as Pack-Outs and Canteen. When not in the kitchen, she loves spending time with her husband and dog, travelling, gardening, and reading.
Reach out to Kate to talk about dining experiences at Camp Barney and for questions about anything food service related. Please also contact Kate if you have any questions about Special Diets or Food Allergies. Kate is happy to recommend her favorite restaurants in Asheville or talk about hockey (Go Bruins!).
Courtney McCallister – Marcus Health Center Administrative Director
Courtney brings to the CBM team over a decade of combined experience in administration and healthcare, along with a lifetime of love for outdoor activities. She graduated from the University of Florida with her B.S. in 2012. Since her childhood, she has enjoyed camping and other outdoor activities and has shared her passion with the next generation both through recreational activities with her husband and children, and in roles she has held within her community, such as Girl Scout leader. While her daughter, Cara, has been a CBM camper since age 11, Courtney first set foot on campus as a health center assistant in June 2023 and immediately fell in love with the camaraderie between campers and staff, and all CBM has to offer. Now a member of the year-round staff at Camp Barney, Courtney is responsible for recruitment and acquisition of camp nurses and health center assistants, prescription medication intake prior to camper arrival, communication with parents and staff regarding any health-related concerns with campers, and collaboration with other members of the medical team and camp administration to ensure the health and safety of everyone at camp.
Reach out to Courtney about the Marcus Health Center, medications at camp, or employment opportunities in the Marcus Health Center.
Rachel Salba – Business Director
rachel@cambarney.org | 678.812.3825
Rachel has been an integral part of the MJCCA since 2011. She joined the Camp Barney team as Administrative Director in 2019 and oversees registration and several other administrative functions. Rachel also supervises the MJCCA information services team and is Senior Director of Information Systems and Business Operations. Rachel holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics with a minor in Computer Information Systems from Georgia State University. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Rachel moved to Atlanta in 2006. She and her husband, Ben, have two young children, Eli and Gabe, who are both Camp Barney campers.
Don Blate – Operations Director
don@campbarney.org | 678.331.9257
Don joined the Camp Barney community in February 2025. While he did not grow up at CBM, Don spent 10 years at Henry S. Jacobs Camp in Utica, MS, six as a camper and four on staff and has always been a camp kid at heart. Over the two prior summers Don worked at Camp JORI in Wakefield, RI, as the Program and Assistant Director, where he enjoyed being with his children, who are third generation campers and now staff members. Don enjoyed a robust retail career, developing people, building businesses, leading teams, and instituting positive business cultures with Brookstone, and The Walt Disney Company just to name a few. He also ran a FedEx Ground and truck rental business. Don earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Alabama, and this combined with his extensive skill make him exceptionally well-suited for the Operations Director role. Don is responsible for logistics, transportation, and facility management, among other areas. Don believes that being a supportive and service-minded leader is a key part of his role as Operations Director, especially when it comes to building strong relationships with families and the entire community. Don cannot wait to experience CBM this summer!
Reach out to Don to talk about operations and logistics at Camp Barney including topics related to transportation, or camp facilities. Please also contact Don if you are interested in working at camp in a facility, logistics, or transportation support role.
Fran Harrell – Registrar and Travel Administrator
fran@campbarney.org | 678.812.3846
Fran attended Jewish day camp as a child in Savannah, GA and spent one summer at Camp Barney. She began working at Camp Barney Medintz in 2008 as the Alumni Coordinator, organizing alumni events, maintaining contact information of former Camp Barney campers and staff members, and keeping alumni up to date on CBM news and events. In 2010, she stepped into the role of Travel Coordinator, helping to make sure all our campers and their luggage make it safely to and from camp every summer. Fran attended the University of Maryland for her undergraduate studies and holds a Master of Science degree in Computer Information Systems from Georgia State University. Fran is married to Edward, and they have one child, Eddie.
Reach out to Fran if you have questions about camper applications and registration, staff applications, your online CampInTouch account, transportation to and from camp, shipping luggage, or recommendations about life on Tybee Island.
Eliya Brog – Business Operations Associate
Eliya is no stranger to Camp Barney Medintz! She spent three summers there as a camper, and previously attended MJCCA Day Camps for multiple summers as well. She graduated with a B.A. from Georgia State University, and was an assistant manager at the Dunwoody Country Club daycare throughout college. She has been working at the MJCCA for a few years now, assisting with registrations for JCC programs and for CBM. Eliya was born in Israel, but raised in Atlanta and is so excited to be part of the Camp Barney team!
Reach out to Eliya if you have questions about camper account balances, billing, and vendor invoices. Eliya is also the point of contact for questions about staff contracts, payroll, or onboarding paperwork.
Barbara Vahaba, Financial Assistance Coordinator
Barbara.Vahaba@atlantajcc.org
678.812.4142
Barbara has been involved with the MJCCA for more than 36 years and has been in her role as Financial Assistance Coordinator for 16 years. Her current role at the MJCCA includes supervising programs for older adults and individuals with special needs. Previously she served on the customer service team. Barbara has been connected to Camp Barney Medintz since her two children, Hannah and Joseph, attended as campers and then worked as staff over 20 years ago. She was also a frequent guest chef in the camper kitchen.
Barbara holds a B.A. in History and Literature of Religion from Northwestern University and a Master’s in Rehabilitation Counseling and Gerontology from Georgia State University. She spent three years at Gwinnett County Senior Services before starting her career at the MJCCA. She is the proud savta (grandmother) to four grandchildren.
Reach out to Barbara about financial assistance opportunities for campers.