Camp Director: Jim Politis

Jim is a Bay Area native and the proud father of four amazing kids. He grew up in Marin County and graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He has loved camp since he first attended day camp back in the 3rd grade. Since then, he has been involved in a wide range of youth development activities as a volunteer, coach, parent and leader. He is very excited to be part of the Mountain Camp Woodside team. Jim has been part of the Mountain Camp family since 1999.

As the Camp Director, he is responsible for the camp marketing, new program development, staff hiring and the overall administration of the camp. He works year round to ensure that the summers at Mountain Camp Woodside are filled with fun, friendship and wonderful lifelong experiences. When he is not working on camp stuff, Jim dotes on his beautiful wife Cheryl, and their four incredible children: Kylie, Devon, Nicholas and Jace.

Assistant Camp Director: Michelle Tripp

Michelle fell in love with America and camp life in 2010 when she experienced her first summer as a counselor at Mountain Camp, and since then she just couldn't keep away. She is extremely excited to leave yet another Aussie winter behind to join the Mountain Camp Woodside team. Michelle completed a Bachelor of Film/Television and Global Media Communications at the University of South Australia and when she isn't jetting back and forth from the states she works as a camera operator filming the national basketball and state football league games, as well as working as a function/cafe coordinator at a local beach side hotel. When Michelle isn't working you will often find her in, on or around the water, volunteering, planning her next trip abroad and sneezing more consecutive times than the average person (she is yet to be defeated in a sneezing contest but hopes to meet her match this summer).

Assistant Camp Director: Mike Loftis

Mike started working at Mountain Camp Woodside in 2005 and has spent his last six summers here. He graduated from Tennessee Tech University with a degree in Education. When he is not at camp, Mike spends his time coaching, tutoring, playing sports and traveling. He recently was working in Thailand, teaching English for the US Embassy. He is from Nashville, TN. He can't sing country music, but loves singing camp songs off-key.

Camp Owner/Administrator: Don Whipple

Don first began working for Mountain Camp in 1993 and currently oversees all year-round operations. He is a proud graduate of UCLA and formerly directed Bruin Woods, the UCLA Alumni Family Camp on Lake Arrowhead. Don is currently serving both locally and nationally on boards for the American Camp Association and also served as the Vice President of the Western Association of Independent Camps. When he's not working on camp, Don enjoys spending his free time biking, hiking, skiing and exploring the beautiful Bay Area with his trusty dog Bo.