Board of Directors
Executive Board
Alice Tenney, President
Alice, a Waldenite as well as a daughter of one and mother of two Waldenites, has served on the Main Idea board for many years and as president since 2008. She graduated from Tufts University and spent 20 years working in advertising and sales. In addition to Main Idea, Alice has been active in community affairs, primarily centered on education, for the past 15 years and has a Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership from Manhattanville College.
Sarah May Stern, Treasurer
Sarah May Stern, a Waldenite, former Main Idea JC, and the mother of a Waldenite, is a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Business School. She worked as Business Director of Commentary magazine. She is the Chairman of Hudson Institute, a policy think tank in Washington, DC, and a past president of the Edgemont Union Free School District.
Lindsey Ehrenwerth, Vice President
Lindsey Ehrenwerth Herman is a proud Walden alumna, former Main Idea Junior Staff member, Counselor and Director. Some of her best memories and strongest friendships were formed in the woods of Maine. Being able to help to ensure that hundreds of other young women and girls were provided the same opportunities has been a great honor. Lindsey earned a degree in Sociology from Hobart and William Smith Colleges before getting her Masters in Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania. Currently a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Lindsey lives in Pittsburgh, PA, with her husband, daughter and twin sons. She works as a child and family therapist, enjoys going to the movies, reading a good book, and taking hikes - as long as there is GORP.
MI Senior Staff Representative
Kiara J. Thomas, MSW
Originally from Hartford, CT, Kiara started at the Main Idea in 2006 as a camper and hasn't missed a summer since! Rising from leadership to junior staff, Kiara has been a true leader in our camp community. From 2013 to 2018, Kiara alternated summers serving as either the Head of Junior Staff or as a supporting member of the senior staff team. In 2021, Kiara served as the Camp Social Worker and as Assistant Director in 2022. Kiara earned a BSW from Western New England University, and a MSW from the University of Pennsylvania's School of Social Policy and Practice. Kiara now lives in Philadelphia, PA and works with unhoused individuals in the city.
Members
Dana Anderson
Dana Anderson spent many memorable summers in Denmark, initially as a counselor at Walden during college, and then as the co-director Main Idea with Lindsey from 2008-2012. She has been passionate about working with young people for over thirty years. She believes that every child deserves to feel meaningful connection and a sense of belonging. Dana graduated from Middlebury College with a degree in English and Education, and then went on to get her Masters in Education from Harvard. Dana taught in experiential and public-school settings for almost twenty years. In 2013, Dana founded Valo, a nonprofit that supports adolescent wellbeing through meaningful conversations and overnight retreats, where she is the Executive Director. Dana’s involvement in volunteer capacities ties back to young people. In her free time, Dana has discovered a new love of marathons; when she’s not pounding the pavement, you can find her with her family skiing, biking, hiking, or diving into Casco Bay. Dana lives in Freeport, Maine with her partner, Erik, their three sons, and too many pets to list.
Katie Shopkorn Finkelstein
Katie is a former Walden camper and Main Idea Junior Counselor. She graduated from Colgate University with a BA in English. Katie worked for the Office of the Mayor in New York City under Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg for 10 1/2 years, and for the last 6 years has worked at his charitable foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies. She lives in New York City with her husband and two daughters.
Jeanine Howard
Jeanine Howard, a native of Hartford, Connecticut, is a graduate of Temple University and Widener University- Delaware Law School. In 2018, Jeanine moved to Washington, DC and currently works as an attorney in the Nation’s Capital. During her free time, Jeanine is heavily involved in serving the DC community, serving as a mentor with two mentoring programs in the District – one program geared towards high school students and one program geared towards middle school students. Jeanine started as a camper at The Main Idea at Camp Walden in 2001 and continued through as a jr. counselor and counselor.
Jenelle Howard
Jenelle Howard is the Assistant Director for the Office of Intercultural Affairs and the LGBTQ+ Resource Center at Howard University. She has many years of experience working with young adults, helping guide them through change, personally and professionally. Her experience also includes student outreach and engagement, community outreach and engagement, volunteer recruitment, data collection, grant writing, budgeting, effective program planning and implementation, leading staff, and curating a diverse and inclusive space. Prior to joining Howard University’s Office of Intercultural Affairs and LGBTQ+ Resource Center, Jenelle held the role of an Assistant Community Recreation Counselor for the City of Hartford in Connecticut and was responsible for fostering partnerships with community organizations, fellow City Departments as well as community members. Jenelle also worked as the Project Coordinator for Bristol Eliminating Substance Use Together in Bristol, Connecticut. She fostered crucial partnerships with community organizations, the Board of Education, Religious organizations, City and State officials, and community members. She also was Co-chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee during her time in Bristol, CT. Jenelle received her MBA in Social Change and MA in Community Development and Planning from Clark University and her BS in Criminal Justice: Forensic Psychology from the University of New Haven. Jenelle started with The Main Idea when she was 10 years old, as a camper. She continued to attend The Main Idea until she was 17 years old. During that time, she was a Junior Counselor (JC), and came back to volunteer for a summer. Jenelle formed long lasting relationships, enjoyed new experiences, and fostered connections that will last for a lifetime.
Robin Zisson Leader
Robin is the granddaughter, daughter, niece, and cousin of ten current and past Waldenites. Her first experience at Camp Walden came at age four in 1975 and she remains involved whenever possible. She was a Main Idea JC in 1985 and returned in 2005 to work with the JCs and CAs. Realizing the importance of camping for all girls regardless of economic means, Robin has been member of the Main Idea board of directors since graduating from college and currently serves as the board’s vice president. Robin is a graduate of American University, and spent 12 years working in broadcast TV, most recently for NBA Entertainment, the NBA & WNBA’s production arm. She is the mother of three and lives with her family in Greenwich, CT.
Rebecca Lessem
Rebecca Lessem first got involved in The Main Idea in 2005 as an arts and crafts counselor after graduating from Bryn Mawr College at the prompting of her Walden bunkmate. She returned to Main Idea every summer through 2012 in various staff and leadership roles. She is still in touch with many the campers from her original year there. After working in science and technology, Rebecca works at a utility helping people understand new technology and how to incorporate sustainable energy into their lives. She lives in NYC with her husband and energetic twin daughter and was happy to join the Main Idea board in 2019.
Amy Levere
Amy Levere has been an enthusiastic supporter of sleep away camp as a place for girls to mature and develop while having fun learning new skills as a result of her six happy summers at Camp Walden. A graduate of Trinity College and Duke Law School, she practiced law for 14 years and then, upon the birth of her third child, became an active volunteer in the Larchmont/Mamaroneck community in which she resides. She is a strong advocate for children, as the future of the world depends on their success.
Samantha Rodriguez-Cabral
Sam first attended The Main Idea as a camper in 2004. It was in her 1 st year as a camper that Sam recognized The Main Idea’s role in helping her form strong and lasting friendships. Coming from a suburb of Boston, it was the first time Sam had access to such a welcoming and pristine environment. It was the time away at The Main Idea that evoked her love for the outdoors. In her 3 rd year as a camper, in 2006, Sam went through the leadership program where she learned skills that would prepare her to become part of the camp staff in her next summer. Sam was a junior counselor from 2007 to 2008, a CA in 2009, and a counselor in 2010. In 2011, Sam worked as a counselor at Camp Walden. Relating to her studies in college, Sam acted as The Main Idea Accountant in 2017. Some of her fondest memories were made at The Main Idea and it made an immense impact on who she became after her time at The Main Idea. Sam obtained her B.A in General Business and Global Studies in 2015 and her M.S. in Finance in 2017 from Bentley University in Waltham, MA. Sam lives in MA with her partner and two dogs. She currently works as a Commercial Real Estate Loan Officer at a mutual bank in Westborough, MA. In her spare time, Sam rock climbs, skis, and cycles.
Cindy Shmerler
Cindy Shmerler is an award-winning sports journalist and broadcaster who has covered tennis for more than 40 years. She is a frequent contributor to the New York Times and her work has also appeared in the Boston Globe, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Tennis magazine and on ESPN, Direct TV, USA Network and Tennis Channel. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Shmerler is a member of the Trustees’ Council of Penn Women and serves on the board of directors of Surprise Lake Camp in Cold Spring, New York, and The Main Idea. In 2018, she received Penn’s Alumni Award of Merit, the highest honored bestowed on a Penn alumnus.
Jan Weil
Beth Zadek
Beth Zadek is an active community volunteer, serving in many capacities from the PTA president of her children’s elementary and high schools to a founding board member of the Scarsdale Schools Education Foundation. She is also a mentor to high school students through Yonkers Partners In Education (YPIE). A graduate of Vassar College, Beth worked for ten years in the advertising department of The New Yorker magazine. She brings to The Main Idea a love of Camp Walden that has been nurtured through the life-changing relationships and experiences that her two daughters had as campers there.
Jill Zeikel
Jill, a former Walden camper, counselor and summer business manager, has served on the Main Idea board since 2006. After years of working in the technology industry, she followed her passion of helping others and became a teacher in the Boston area. She continues to teach high school math and is the former the girls’ varsity tennis coach. Jill is a graduate of St. Lawrence University and holds an MBA from University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School and a Masters of Education from Cambridge College.
Michal Hart Hillman
Emerita
Born in Montgomery, Alabama, Michal Hart Hillman spent her summers at Camp Walden in Denmark, Maine. She has continued her devotion to camp life by serving on the Main Idea Board of Directors. Her love for women and girl’s issues finds her on the board of Lilith, an international magazine that is “independent, Jewish and frankly feminist”. Michal resides in Atlanta, Georgia where she is a Founding Trustee and Grants Committee Chair of the Atlanta Jewish Women’s Fund.