Click here to apply for Summer 2022!
(Sessions 1 and 2 only have female camper spots available. Junior Camp is completely full. We are still accepting waitlist applications.)
Click here to apply for Summer 2022!
(Sessions 1 and 2 only have female camper spots available. Junior Camp is completely full. We are still accepting waitlist applications.)
We hear again and again that our diverse, exceptional staff is what sets us apart. Most of our coaches and staff have teaching experience, and many have camp counselor experience, too.
Campsite Director
Blue Team
Ramone is enjoying his 4th summer at Live Oak. Originally from Louisville, KY, Ramone has been teaching in New Orleans for 7 years. He is currently a Geometry teacher and grade level chairperson with Collegiate Academies. When he's not at camp you can find him biking and trying new eateries. Ramone's favorite part of Live Oak is bringing joy to the space and making people smile.
Director of Learning
Green Team
Oskie has been a member of the Live Oak directors team from the beginning. In addition to serving as the director of learning, Oskie has been the resident photographer at camp (best job ever). After attending camp as a child and then as a counselor, Oskie founded two day camps in New Orleans, including the Newman Summer Day Camp. When he's not at camp, Oskie teaches 3rd grade at Newman. This will be his 19th school year as an educator!
Operations Director
Green Team
Jabari is entering his 6th year at Live Oak, and in that time he has worked on nearly every team at camp. He has been a coach, a chef, a site captain, and an operations team member. Outside of camp he is a full-time student, and has worked as a team leader at Uncommon Construction. He enjoys working with his head and hands, playing music, solving any problem big or small, and being around his family and his Live Oak family.
Chateaux Director
Green Team
RiRi has been a part of the Live Oak team from the very beginning. She first joined the team as a CIT in2015, and since then she has worked as a coach, a captain, and most recently the head of Chateaux (aka the Dining Hall). She leads all things operations and programming that take place there on a daily basis, and she is part of the CIT and JCIT coaching team. Outside of camp she is a full-time student, a part-time employee at KIPP East, and a mom extraordinaire to 1 year-old Kheli.
Executive Director
Blue Team
Jack was fortunate enough to meet an incredible team in 2014 and build Live Oak Wilderness Camp alongside them. Prior to helping found camp, he spent 12 years working at Teach For America, Teach For All, and the KIPP Foundation. His favorite part of camp is seeing how it truly brings out the best in everyone. He and his wife Jenny, a principal with KIPP New Orleans, have two children, Edward (&) and Frances Rose (4).
Program Director
Green Team
Caleb Dufresne is better known as "D" around camp, owing to the challenges some folks have had pronouncing his last name. D is the beating heart of camp, and his energy and enthusiasm for Live Oak is present at any camp event in Mississippi or New Orleans. He loves the community building, true kindness, and unique ways in which camp allows you to be your true self.
Director of End of the Road Campsite
Green Team
Junior Camp Director and Cabin Coach
Blue Team
This will be Isaiah's third summer with Live Oak. His favorite things about camp are the laughs, the music and the Blue Team! When he's not at camp, he enjoys being a student at Knox College and a leader in cultural life on campus. In his spare time he likes to write, act and dance.
Wilderness Director and CIT Coach
Blue Team
This will be Claire's second summer with Live Oak. She went to Camp Ondessonk in southern Illinois for a weekend retreat when she was in 6th grade and fell in love. She went back the next summer for 10 days and had the time of her life hiking, swimming, horseback riding, archery, and sleeping under the stars--her idea of heaven! She still talks to friends she made there 25 years ago! Her favorite thing about Live Oak is cabin devotions. She loves sitting in a circle and talking about the best parts of our days, working through tough stuff, laughing and playing cards, and learning about each other! During her free time she likes to exercise--running, yoga, and circuit training classes. She loves to read, cook, play guitar and sing with her sister.
Junior Camp Director and Cabin Coach
Blue Team
This is Rebecca's FIFTH year at Live Oak! She was a CIT for two years before becoming a coach, and now is also a member of the Directors Team. She was a Girl Scout for 10 years, and by a lucky coincidence was introduced to Live Oak during high school. Outside of camp, she loves exploring Houston and NOLA with friends, dancing, and reading. Rebecca's favorite thing about camp is THE BLUE TEAM! Also, sitting in the Art Studio during a hot, lazy, Free Time afternoon and meeting new people who stop by.
Program Director
Blue Team
This will be Lucy's 7th summer at Live Oak, and she has attended every day of Live Oak, ever. She was once a camper, junior counselor, counselor in training, counselor, and director of the Waterfront at Camp Mont Shenandoah, where she spent a total of 12 summers! Now she leads Live Oak's strategy and operations and co-leads camp programming. Her favorite thing about Live Oak is spending time outside with people. When she's not at camp, she love running, reading, playing lacrosse, learning new things, and being outside.
Cabin Coach
Blue Team
Gardner has been with Live Oak for the past 7 years, since the beginning. He started as a camper, became a Junior Coach in Training, and is very excited to be a Coach this summer. He loves hanging out with his friends/camp family outside of summer camp. He also really love cooking, the outdoors, and taking photos. Gardner will be attending The University of St. Andrews in the fall of 2021.
Cabin Coach
Blue Team
DeDe is entering her 4th summer at Live Oak. She served as a CIT for her first two years, and now she's a coach again at camp! Before Live Oak, she went to a summer camp in Texas for 6 years where she was a camper. Camp is her absolute favorite place on earth, and she cannot wait for this special summer. When she's not at camp she enjoys going on walks when the weather is nice, petting dogs (and cats), and having picnics by the river!
Cabin Coach and Interview Team Leader
Green Team
Rachael is in her third year at Live Oak. Her favorite thing about Live Oak is how we are all a family and are there for each other outside of camp as well! When she's not at camp she is a 1st grade Special Education teacher at KIPP East. She enjoys taking pictures of all the fun at camp!
Cabin Coach
Green Team
Diaphanie "DeeDee" Cole Fabian is starting her third year at Live Oak: she was a CIT for one year and a coach for the next one. Her favorite thing is the energetic atmosphere at camp and how welcoming Live Oak is. When she's not at camp she loves reading, painting, watching documentaries and hanging out with friends and participating in community events.
Board Chairperson
Green Team
Board Member
Green Team
Tommy was the Chairman of the Board from Live Oak's inception until January, 2021. He greatly values the opportunity that camp provides for kids to have fun outdoors in a group environment. However, he feels that Live Oak is unique among camps in its strong focus on personal growth and building relationships among individuals from all parts of New Orleans. Tommy is extremely proud that, in a few short years, the camp team has taken Live Oak from a fledgling concept to such an impactful part of so many kids' lives.
Board Member
Green Team
Board Member
Green Team
Board member
Green Team
Ilsa joined the Live Oak board in 2019 and has provided key medical insight to our camp community. She is drawn to the mission to bring the future leaders of New Orleans together from a young age, cementing relationships through all-year programming that fosters friendship and builds community. She attended lacrosse and soccer sports camps as a young person. Now, as a mother of three young boys, her kids keep her on her toes. She enjoy yoga, cooking, and many different art projects.
Board member
Green Team
Wendy joined the Live Oak board in 2017 and draws upon 6 years of past experience as a camper, CIT and Counselor at Camp Merrie Woode. Wendy appreciated the ways in which campers, CITs, coaches, staff, and directors all coming together to make an amazing, unique, and powerful family! Wendy serves as the VP & Chief Compliance Officer at Entergy. In her spare time Wendy enjoys reading, baking pies, keeping up with her five kids!
Board member
Green Team
Michelle has been a part of the Live Oak Board of Directors since 2017. She has had three of her four children participate in Live Oak as campers, though she had no camp experience (sadly) with the exception of a small 4H camp one summer as an elementary school student and debate camp in high school! Her favorite part of Live Oak is the core values (bravery, kindness and awareness) and the appreciation of campers' differences! Michelle enjoys reading, coaching soccer, and volunteering.
Board Member
Green Team
Jill Pipes has enjoyed watching the continued growth of Live Oak through her service on the Board. Growing up, she spent 2 years at Girls Scouts Camp and 2 years at Strong River Camp. Her favorite thing about camp is the genuine care and dedication shown by camp staff to campers and their families. During the year, she volunteers for non-profits and works as a paralegal. In her free time she enjoys reading, watching movies, and playing cards.
Board Member
Green Team
Jeanette Davis-Loeb was fortunate to have multiple camp experiences as a youth. Her favorite thing about Live Oak is the AWESOME campers! Her camaraderie and commitment to embracing the uniqueness of each other is inspiring. Aside from camp, she is the Founder & CEO of the Rising Oak Foundation, a national 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation committed to the holistic development of black boys. Over the past 25 years she has maintained her commitment and passion to improving the quality of life in her community. Currently she serves on the Boards of the Greater New Orleans Foundation, the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Ellis Marsalis Center for Music, Live Oak Wilderness Camp, New Orleans Arts & Cultural Host Committee/Louis Armstrong Summer Jazz Camp, and Youth Run NOLA. She is also on the Education Committee Member of Jazz at Lincoln Center, and the “Impact 100” 2018 and 2019 Advisory Committee at the Greater New Orleans Foundation. In addition, she serves as a corporate member of the Association of Black Foundation Executives and The Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color.
Board Member
Green Team
CJ El-Dahr joined the Live Oak board in 2019 and is happy to be a part of the Live Oak team. Though he never went to away camp as a child - a major life regret -- he did work as a camp counselor several summers in high school at various camps around New Orleans. His favorite thing about Live Oak is the opportunity for kids from all over New Orleans to get outside, express themselves for who they are, and learn meaningful life skills. When he's not at camp, he works at J.P. Morgan Private Bank in New Orleans. In his spare time he enjoys basketball, biking, reading, being an exceptionally mediocre cook, and exploring new places.