Our Team

Our leadership team has over 60 combined seasons at Camp Sequoia. We are very proud of the community we bring together each summer to empower our campers. This team consists of undergraduate and graduate students, teachers and professionals with backgrounds in the fields of education, counseling, school psychology, speech-language pathology and similar fields that serve exceptional children. Our staff are the key to creating a fantastic summer for our campers. Our ratio of staff to campers is 2:5. All members of our staff have demonstrated the level of emotional maturity, flexibility, and creativity which we believe is necessary to ensure each camper’s success.

I cannot thank the Sequoia staff enough for their hard work and dedication to helping their campers. Brian and the Sequoia leadership do a great job of communicating and working with parents.Terry, Senior Camper Parent from VA

Director

Brian Lux

Brian has over two decades of camp leadership experience working with exceptional populations focusing on social, life and transition skills curricula. Brian holds a Master’s degree in inquiry-based education.

Camp Director Brian Lux

Learn more about Director Brian Lux

Brian is an Eagle Scout, National Camping School Graduate and Certified Master Naturalist who has over two decades of camp leadership experience working with exceptional populations focusing on social and life skills curriculum. Brian holds a Master’s degree in inquiry-based education. He is currently licensed in K-12 Gifted Education and grades 4-8 general education with endorsements in Math, Science, English, and Social Studies. He holds credentials in Mental Health First Aid, Wilderness First Aid and as a 12 year certified Crisis Prevention Instructor building upon a background in advanced life support Emergency Medicine. Brian has presented papers at two World Gifted Conferences, the International Conference on ADHD, and at the Pacific Rim Conference on Disabilities as well as numerous local and regional events. He has also led several sessions relating to best practices on exceptional populations for the American Camping Association Tri-State conference and spoken as an invited guest at the Oxford Forum. He serves as a reviewer for manuscripts submitted to The Teacher Educators’ Journal. His articles on giftedness, frustration tolerance, and the twice exceptional (2e) mind have been seen in a variety of print and online venues including Planet Neurodivergent, Additude Magazine, Attention Magazine and MetroKids et. Al.

Brian additionally serves as a long standing CASA (court appointed special advocate for children), advocating for youth in difficult home environments. He serves as President of a volunteer Master Naturalist board and served as the Founding Director of the National Park Educational Institute for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park as well as a Medicaid Waiver Service Supervisor on the Big Island of Hawaii. He currently sits on the IACUC committee for his alma mater and is a field supervisor for pre-service student teachers.

Brian enjoys making profound and meaningful differences with exceptional populations, especially in a camp setting. He believes in the transformative experience that Camp Sequoia can provide for all children and especially for children in need of social skill development. In his free time, he enjoys travel and time spent connecting kids with nature domestically and internationally.

As former campers and camp counselors, our leadership team is adept at identifying qualities that make great camp staff, and as parents, we want to make sure that our campers are being instructed and supervised by people who truly “get” them and have our children’s physical and emotional well-being as their first priority. Our 2 staff to 5 camper ratio supports our mission. This is why we certify our leadership team in Crisis Prevention and spend two weeks of training dedicated to making sure that those working with our Camp Sequoia family have the knowledge, skills, and ability to make a difference in camper lives.

We are lucky to have Brian as an influence in the lives of our children. He truly understands our kids in a way that few others in their lives do.Rick & LauraVirginia Parents

Director of School Year Programs/Associate Director

Reema Dixon

Reema has over 10 years of camp experience. She has nearly a decade with Camp Sequoia. Her innovations helped Camp Sequoia run 100% COVID Free in 2020 and 2021. She has presented her work across multiple states and times for the American Camping Association (most recently in 2024), specifically related to strategies for meaningful social engagement for our campers. Her passion for helping children developed long before she joined our staff. Reema grew up deeply immersed in scouting, youth group, and camp culture.

Learn more about Director Reema Dixon

She received her Gold Award in Girl Scouts for creating programs that encouraged turning artistic hobbies into careers for her local chapter of the Boys and Girls Club. Reema has many friends who struggled with high functioning Autism or ADHD growing up, and she became an advocate for them in school in an effort to help them make connections. Her personal interest in social development led her to take sociology and psychology courses in college focused on a deeper understanding of the non-neurotypical mind. Reema has attended Sexual Abuse Awareness training and training on implementing SEL (social and emotional learning); additionally, Reema is certified in Crisis Prevention and Mental Health First Aid and serves as our office manager during the summer and our year round associate director. Reema has presented at the American Camping Association Conference on keeping campers socially connected outside of camp, and presented most recently at the ACA Virginia chapter conference. During the year, Reema acts as our parent liaison to assist new camper families with enrollment, and coordinates our Weekend Trips and On Demand Trips for our campers to have year-round support from our community.

In her free time, Reema immensely enjoys writing and drawing, and is a published author of a young adult fantasy novel series and webcomic.

Girls Summer Program Director

Kristen Souva, LMSW

Kristen has experience in education and clinical settings. Kristen has nearly a decade working Sequoia programs and is a Licensed Master of Social Worker (LMSW). Kristen is passionate about helping neurodivergent youth to become their best selves. Her work with children has been presented at the American Camping Association Tri-States Conference.

Learn more about Kristen Souva

Kristen has a demonstrated passion for supporting neurodivergent individuals. Kristen’s expertise in social work and supporting youth with ADHD was inspired by her initial experience working as an activity specialist at Sequoia. She has since held a variety of roles as she has expanded her professional palette with Sequoia.  Outside of Camp Sequoia,  Kristen has worked in a residential setting supporting at-risk youth. This included individuals who have experienced trauma, been diagnosed with  ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), PTSD, and other similar diagnoses. Kristen supervises and mentors  pre-service social work interns as part of her school year role as an elementary Behavioral Specialist.

In 2023, Kristen began leading and implementing class groups focused on executive functioning skills, communication, and perspective taking. Additionally, Kristen provides support and consultation to educators, administrators, and paraprofessionals. Kristen has been invited to share knowledge on evidence-informed approaches for our population as part of the training of pre-service teachers. She has earned additional certification and specialized training in Nonviolent Crisis Intervention (CPI), Mental Health First Aid, Wilderness First Aid, and Conscious Discipline.

In her free time, Kristen enjoys time spent outside hiking and snowboarding. She especially values travel and cheering on her favorite football team, the Buffalo Bills. Like Artrice, her choice in professional sports teams more often than not is a labor of love– but we appreciate her dedication to the cause.

Medical Director

Allison Klenk, RN

Allison has been a key part of the medical team at Camp Sequoia for three years before moving into her current role as Medical Director and Pharmacy Liaison. She maintains credentials in Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Critical Care Nursing, Crisis Prevention and has years of expertise as a charge nurse. Her medical team typically consists of a mix of NP’s, PA’s, RN’s and LPN’s to support our community.

Learn more about Medical Director Allison Klenk

It has always been Allison’s goal to work with a diverse and unique population of children. Experiencing the campers during her first year as a camp nurse continues to bring her back both during the summer and working with our camp families throughout the year. She enjoys the sense of community Camp Sequoia brings, and loves being a piece of the puzzle working to keep campers healthy and happy. Along with her medical duties, you will often see her with campers in their program area activities joining in on the fun.  Outside of her nursing career she enjoys traveling, running, spending time with her new puppy, and seeing family. Camp Sequoia holds a special place in her heart as she is able to build connections and care for campers during the summer!

Assistant Director

Artrice Pray

Artrice has over 15 years of camp experience and over half of this has been dedicated to Camp Sequoia. Artrice holds multiple advanced degrees including a Master’s focused on Human Resources and Motivational Leadership and is certified in Crisis Prevention as well as Mental Health First Aid.

Learn more about Director Artrice Pray

Artrice is an Eagle Scout whose camp experience working with diverse youth helps prepare them for their next steps in life. Artrice holds a Juris Doctorate degree which enables him to act as an advocate for underprivileged and neurodivergent youth. He assists their families in navigating legal hurdles to accessible education and resources throughout the year.

Artrice understands the systems and structural processes that help our kids (and staff) thrive. This has enabled him to effectively lead campers and staff in our program to become the best versions of themselves. His published research on leadership theory: “Charismatic Leadership and the Intersections with Leader-Member Exchange”, serves to inspire our team and form a community hard-wired for camper success. His work has been presented at numerous seminars and conferences.

Artrice serves on our administrative team throughout the year; leading staff recruitment efforts, alumni relations, and community outreach. During the summer, Artrice directs our staff training, and offers high-level support and assistance to camp families.

In his free-time, Artrice enjoys recreational poker, eating bone-in wings, caring for Flapjack, the camp emotional-support dog, and cheering on his Tennessee Titans (talk about a labor of love), UT Vols, and Nashville Predators.

Camp Psychologist

Dr. Lew

Dr. Lew has over 30 years expertise as a licensed School Psychologist and joins our community each summer to provide individual and small group social skills growth opportunities for our campers. He retired as a Lt. Colonel from the Army. Campers LOVE Lew’s calm and affable approach.

Dr. Lew

Program Director ~ Boys Program

Erica Eddins

Erica has been with Sequoia for 10 years. She’s held multiple roles at camp and has served as our Program Director for the past four seasons. She enjoys the outdoors, animals, and learning new things. She studied anthropology and aspires to bring people of all backgrounds together. On the off season, Erica has worked as a Elementary School site coordinator, one on one counselor, and tutor, and is currently involved in Education Research and Program Design.

Support Animal

FlapJack

We are excited to introduce the newest member of our Canine Team! Camp Sequoia is proud to have a “pawsitive” influence for our campers who love to connect with animals over the summer. Camp Sequoia has a 4-legged staff member during the summer to support our campers who benefit from a furry friend. Be sure to check out Flapjack’s blog during the school year.

Our whole family loved everything about the camp including the amazing staff.Alan R.Parent

Featured Staff

 

Brittany Adamski

Brittany is in her second decade with Camp Sequoia.  Her veteran experience includes work as a division director. aquatics director, program director and more. She is a licensed elementary school teacher who provides a great blend of expertise and the “mom factor” to help our campers make friends, have fun and grow to be the best version of themselves.

Brittany, staff member

 

 

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