Our Team

Originally from Alief, an area on the southwest side of Houston, Texas, Erica was the first person in her family to go to college. For the past decade, she has dedicated her career to causes she was positively impacted by as a kid. Erica was most recently with the national nonprofit, Marathon Kids, as their Chief Operations Officer, and helped scale the organization from programming in three to all 50 states. She graduated from Sam Houston State with a BA in Communication Studies and from Texas Christian University with a MS in Communications Studies in Human Relations. She is excited to help take Austin Sunshine Camps to the next level.

Michelle grew up in Pasadena and left for college in San Marcos where she fell in love with the river, nearby Lake Travis, and the endless outdoor activities. She graduated from Texas State with a BS in Business Education and Communications. Her favorite volunteer activities always include active kids having fun. After touring ASC and Zilker Lodge, seeing all the smiling faces of the campers and counselors and hearing the leaders’ passion for the mission, Michelle knew this is where she wanted to share her experience and make an impact. She is excited to be a part of the ASC team and to provide our Zilker Lodge clients and guests with an extraordinary experience and exceptional service.

Originally from the suburbs of Chicago, Maddie moved to Austin in 2014 to attend the University of Texas. Growing up Maddie attended summer camp for 10+ years and spent three summers as a camp Counselor. After graduating with a BS in Public Relations, Maddie moved to DC to begin her career in the Non-Profit sector as the Operations and Communications Associate at Maryland Hillel. After over two years away Maddie couldn’t wait to return to Austin, and is thrilled to begin her time at Austin Sunshine Camps as the Development and Communications Coordinator. In her free time you can find Maddie in the aisles of Trader Joe’s, front row at a country concert, or looking up plane fares for her next big adventure. Maddie can’t wait to be a part of making summer camp a positive experience for all kids at ASC.

Megan is originally from Virginia but has spent the past 13 years in Austin. Megan enjoys building relationships and is passionate about positive youth development. She received a BS in Health Sciences from James Madison University and a Master of Public Health in Health Promotion, Education and Behavior from the University of South Carolina. Megan feels a strong connection to the mission of Austin Sunshine Camps (ASC) and is excited to take ASC from a hidden gem to a community treasure.

Texas born and raised, Summer found her way to Austin in 2017 — or I guess we should say *back* to Austin. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, just a hop, skip, and a jump away. When she’s not working, you can find her hanging out in New Orleans eating po’ boys and listening to live jazz or roller skating her way around the capital city. Summer loves adding life and fun to every occasion she’s a part of and is passionate about helping people plan and execute the perfect event. She’s excited to bring more awareness and enthusiasm to the Austin Sunshine Camps cause.

A transplant from the suburbs of Philadelphia, Sarah has happily spent all of her 20s in Austin. She received a Masters in Community and Administrative Leadership Social Work from the University of Texas, and a BA in Anthropology and Gender Studies from Rice University. Sarah loves to bring order, efficiency, income, and spreadsheets into the workplace. In her spare time, Sarah trains in Krav Maga and is a passionate member of the gender equality and reproductive health movements. Sarah is looking forward to strengthening Austin Sunshine Camps’ financial sustainability and connecting with their large networks across Austin.

Originally from Indiana, Jacie is a born and raised Hoosier but she has lived in Austin, Texas since 2018. She earned a Master of Science in Leadership and Change from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, and a BA in sociology from Hanover College in Hanover, Indiana. As the Residence Director for 450+ undergraduate students at St. Edward’s University’s Office of Residence Life as well as the Housemom of Phi Gamma Delta’s Tau Chapter at Hanover College, Jacie brings with her 5 years of experience in Residential Education and Facilities Management. Her background is also rooted in working with incarcerated youth. In fact, you might know her as “Minnick” from the Netflix docuseries Girls Incarcerated, which was filmed while she worked as a Psychiatric Social Services Specialist at Madison Juvenile Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison for girls aged twelve to eighteen adjudicated within the Indiana Department of Correction. Jacie is passionate about building relationships, leadership development, social justice, and empowering community members to join in social change efforts. Jacie is honored to be the person who gets to call “bringing more hands and hearts to ASC to fulfill our mission” a job.

Felipe Salas is an avid soccer player who joined Austin Sunshine Camps after working for 16 years with a construction firm: he started as an interpreter and worked his way to eventually becoming one of their best foreman! When he is not fixing everything around our two camps, you can find Felipe fishing on the lake or dominating the soccer field as a star left midfielder. His quick wit, high levels of energy, construction knowledge, language skills, and love of kids makes him the perfect addition to our team.

Debbi spent her childhood exploring Italy and Taiwan before moving to California and then Austin in 1995. She is mother to 4 grown children and grandmother to 4 little ones. Debbi’s passion for bringing fun growth opportunities to children and youth led her to 20+ years of work in finance and administration in the Non-Profit sector. She is also a Professional Life Coach with a 500 hour RYT certification in yoga and wellness teaching. In her free time, she enjoys Two Stepping and Hula dancing. Debbi is excited to support the mission and administration of ASC.

As one of 5 kids, Jacob was born and raised in Lafayette, Indiana and attended Indiana University, where he received his Bachelor of Science in Math Education and his Masters of Public Affairs with a concentration in Nonprofit Management. Throughout college, Jacob worked as a Camp Counselor, after school staff member, and as a Day Camp Director for the local Boys & Girls Club and for the local YMCA, as well as did his student-teaching at a local middle school and at a high school in rural Kenya. After graduation, Jacob moved to Fort Worth, to serve as the Camp Director and Director of Afterschool programs at Camp Fire First Texas. As a camper all throughout his youth and as a camp professional since 2010, Jacob believes that the power and impact of a positive camp experience is truly immeasurable and should be accessible to all youth. He is very excited to join ASC’s team as a Program Director in 2021 to help fulfill its mission.

Zak is originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but moved to Austin six years ago. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from UW-Whitewater and a Master of Business Administration degree from Marquette University. While in Austin Zak also completed a certificate in Nonprofit Leadership and Management from ACC. He has a wide range of work experiences with a few highlights as an Assistant Camp Director, AmeriCorps member, 2nd and 3rd grade teacher, and Program Director. Zak has dedicated his life to working in careers that make an impact on the local community and beyond. This opportunity with ASC is an absolute dream job for him because of the mission of ASC. Zak knows the magical power that camp can have on a child’s life, and he will do everything he can to make each summer the best one yet!

Rachel is a native Texan, born and raised in the Austin area. She loves organizing chaos, problem solving and expressing her creativity in new and exciting ways. She has 9 years of experience in hospitality, events and childcare. Rachel also spent the summer of 2023 as a Camp Counselor at our Lake Travis location. She loves spending time outdoors, hiking and kayaking with her dogs (Kona, Jade and Gabe) and her partner. Rachel is excited to bring her positive and enthusiastic energy, love of people, and passion for kids to Austin Sunshine Camps. She is thrilled to be a part of growing ASC!