Photos from our 2011 season are now available! 
Most of our talented staff comes year after year. Many are professionals in their field who are taking a vacation from their daily lives to share their passions with our campers. Please find a sampling of our wonderful staff below!
We're pleased to announce the following returning staff for 2012: Marc Kornbluh, Martha Siegel, Alice & Sam Silverman, Calia Marshall, Lori Biamonte, and many more!
Click here to meet our full-time office staff.
Alice Silverman – Non-violent Communication Instructor - Alice is a mother, daughter, wife, friend, student, teacher, singer, activist, nature and animal lover, vegetarian, and psychiatrist who has been studying, practicing and sharing NVC for the past 6 years. She is particularly interested in how NVC can be used as a tool for deepening empathic connection to oneself and others, resolving conflicts, parenting compassionately and working for social change and justice.
Courtney Reckord (above right) - Yoga Instructor - Courtney is a treasure trove of information on yoga, massage, herbs, soap, candles, felting and just about anything. She lives in South Burlington, VT where she teaches art to teenagers and adults. Courtney has two sons who love Camp Common Ground!
David Kano (left) - Youth Leader - David is a former world-class boardsailing competitor and loves to share his interests with sports with his online magazine "Cooperative Sports" (look for it on the web at www.coopsports.com). He is the father of two, and a software engineer at Dartmouth College.
David Kirsch (below)– Youth Leader - Serious yet amusing, mysterious yet sincere, David Kirsch is a magical soap bubble master with a secret musical power. He is the friend of most children and animals. He is also a culinary alchemist, electronics wizard, and loves the smell of rain.
Dew B. Wilde – School Age Staff & Drumming Instructor - Dew is a musical educator with 19 years of experience leading groups of all ages in hand drumming, performance and song. She lives with her family in Williston, VT and works with kids full time at the School House. Dew has been a part of Camp Common Ground since its birth.
Francis Goodman (below)– Volunteers for Peace Project Leader & Construction Instructor – Francis is a fourth-generation mid-western organic dairy farmer. He is active in farm organizing and works locally with several organizations, like the national Family Farm Coalition and The national 
Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture. He is committed to preserving family farms and providing a safe and affordable food supply for consumers.
Jackie Mangione - Watercolor Instructor - Jackie paints, teaches, and runs her own business, Nature Inspired Designs, in Burlington, VT. Inspired by the natural environment, Jackie paints with watercolors outdoors in the summer. Tours will visit her studio as part of the Spring Open Studio Event.
Kim Dunkley – Youth/Teen Leader, Lifeguard, Jill-of-all-trades - After a long history in outdoor ed/rec with many ages, Kim has settled down as a pre-school educator in Morrisville, VT. She still make time for the important stuff like traveling, skiing and standing on her head. She's looking
forward to sharing some of her silliness and playing with folks at this summer in Starksboro.
Liz Ritter (left on the right) - Improv - Liz Ritter is an activist housewife in New York City. She’s a hands-on operations person and problem solver who specializes in behind-the-scenes work to get things done. In her “regular life” she writes, reads, cooks, crochets, takes pictures, prays and sings. She spends a lot of time advocating for parks/open spaces, public education, food justice, cultural affairs and electoral politics in Upper Manhattan. Liz has been coming to Common Ground since 2001 and enjoys teaching improv and running the Hobart dishwasher at Camp!
Lori Biamonte (below on the left) - Kitchen Coordinator - Lori has played a variety of roles at Common Ground Center, including arts & crafts instructor, board member, store manager, and
kitchen coordinator. Lori runs a nature-based education program for youngsters in Maryland, where she lives with her husband and two kids.
Marc Kornbluh (left) – Glass Instructor – Marc Kornbluh creates one-of-a-kind glass objects of art. He earned a BFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and traveled overseas for many years, informally studying art and culture. His work is influenced by Mediterranean and Middle Eastern designs, which he incorporates into his own contemporary style. Marc’s artwork is sold in museum shops and galleries and his borosilicate beads are featured in the 2006 Winterglas calendar. Marc attends about 15 juried shows around the US each year. Check out his work at kornbluhdesign.typepad.com.
Martha Siegel (right) – Chamber Music (violin & cello) Instructor - Martha teaches strings at the UN International School and at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music in NYC. She has been coaching chamber music groups of kids and adults in her home studio for many years. As a cellist, Martha has played with Argentine singer-songwriter Suni Paz since 1976, and performed with Calle Strada Strasse. This is Martha's 16th summer at CCG – many past campers plan their weeks around her camp schedule. Check out her new website at marthasmusicstudio.com
Calia Marshall (left) - Dance - Calia has been coming to CCG with her mom and brother since its first year, when she was a teenager. After taking a couple of years off while she was studying at Mount Holyoke College, she came back as a staff person (as well as a happy camper), teaching dance and yoga and working in the youth programs. Calia has been living in NYC since 2000 as a post-modern and West African dancer, a choreographer, and a singer. She teaches dance and yoga to 2 year olds - adults through the Brooklyn Arts Exchange, National Dance Institute, and other studios all over NYC.
Peter Hansen - Tennis - Yogi Peter has been a student of Self Realization most of his life; so, besides studying with many yoga masters, he also acquired BA degrees in sociology, psychology, and social work, masters degrees in social work and psychology, a BS in physical therapy and a doctorate in metaphyics. He combines years of self practice and teaching in his ayurvedic methods of healing and yoga therapy. He also has been a serious tennis player, teacher, coach, club developer and writer for most of his live. He makes tennis fun for anyone wishing to get in the Zone and the spirit of play. He loves family and camp and can't wait to share again this summer.
Rhoen Pruesse-Adams (right) - Rhoen Pruesse-Adams is a freshman in college at NYU. He enjoys learning about economics and mandarin Chinese. He runs a daily television show at school and edits video for CGC and other clients. He loves meeting new people, making new friends, and eating vegetarian food.
Sam Silverman – Non-violent Communication - Sam is a mental health and substance abuse counselor with 41 years experience as a social worker in institutional and community settings. He is currently working as a counselor at Lyndon State College and leads NVC workshops and support groups in the community. Sam has been a political activist since the 1960's and an active participant in mens' support groups. Both Sam and Alice Silverman have taken a workshop with Marshall Rosenberg, the founder of Nonviolent Communication. They have been in a NVC support group for the past 3 years where they have fine tuned their skills and begun to work towards applying NVC for social change.
Sandra Griffith - She studied handwork at Waldorf-inspired Sunbridge College. She learned to knit at her grandmother’s knee at the age of 7 and loves to share her skill with people of all ages. She
also spins, weaves, and dyes (yarns and fabrics). And she can play a mean game of Rummikub or Boggle!
Sequana Skye (left) - Nurse and Special Activities - Sequana Skye, RN, BA, has had the opportunity to move in many wondrous ways thus far on this planet: she's worked as an nurse, expressive arts therapist with diverse groups, facilitated dream workshops and taught classes from Yoga for Seniors to LaMaze for pregnant couples. She's currently a Story-teller, sharing her own as well as others' stories in word, song, movement and theatre.
Sophie Bell - Writing Instructor - Sophie teaches college composition at St. John’s University in Queens, New York. Her students come from all over New York City and beyond, and she spends her time trying to help them tell their stories. She loves this work and the community it builds around writing on a large, urban, commuter campus. Before teaching college, Sophie taught English and history in several middle and high schools in three states. Some of her own favorite writing experiences have taken place in the Connecticut Writing Project Summer Institutes for teachers. She lives with her husband Joseph and daughters Miriam, 10, and Rachel, 6, in Brooklyn, NY.
Steve Blane (left) - Music Instructor - Steve majored in voice and obtained a B.A. in Music Education from Jersey City University. Following college, he performed as a singer/actor off and on Broadway. Steve was ordained as Rabbi in June 2001 at Rabbinical Seminary International after completing a course of study with Rabbi Joseph Gelberman in New York City. He is our lovely Camp Director’s husband and has been a fun loving member of the community for several years. Steve plays guitar, ukulele, and piano and loves to sing Jazz Standards. Come find him and play some music!
Vanessa Anton – Camp Nurse & Youth/Teen Leader & Capoeira– Vanessa is a full-time student and mother studying life and searching for the ultimate career. She loves chocolate, travel, her convertible and her laugh is contagious. She is trained as an
EMT, is American Red Cross certified, a BLS (Basic Life Saving) instructor, a Farm certified mid-wife assistant, an Interfaith Minister and a holistic health counselor in NY state. She worked with teens last year and will again. She loves them because she thinks she is still one.
Veronica Gadbois (left) – Breakfast Chef; Fiber Arts and Clay Instructor - Veronica, long-time member of the CCG community, received her BA in studio art from the University of Lowell in 1990. She teaches high school art and French and enjoys getting up with the sun to prepare breakfast for campers. She will also be working with participants of our Aspiring Artists Retreat as they enhance their skills with hand-building and wheel throwing clay.