Our Staff
Gaby Moss, Executive Director, Camp AmeriKids
As Director of Camp AmeriKids, Gaby oversees the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of the camp. She holds a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from Wesleyan University.
Chrissy Heckart, Assistant Director, Camp AmeriKids
Chrissy is a former volunteer counselor and has spent three summers at camp. Her primary responsibility is volunteer recruitment and outreach. Chrissy earned a B.A. from Brown University.
Steve Kidd, MFA., Program Director
Steve has been involved with camp since 1998. Steve is an actor, director and Assistant Professor of theater at Brown University in Providence. He has worked as an actor and a director in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Boston and London. Steve holds a B.A. from Colby College in Waterville, ME where he double-majored in Performing Arts and English, and an M.A. in Theater Studies from Brown University. Steve was a recipient of a 2008 Lewis Hine Award for his “unique contributions to the essential job of helping children and youth move towards self-sufficient and satisfying adulthoods.” He was honored for his work at Camp AmeriKids and ongoing commitment to educating students about HIV/AIDS through performances of his one-man show Sigh/Omelas.
Toni Nagel-Smith, ACSW, Wellness Director
Toni, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, has been with Camp AmeriKids since 2005. Her long career has included being a Social Worker in the Bedford Central School District and at the Pediatric Project at Bellevue Hospital. She has taught at several colleges and Graduate Schools of Social Work. She has done consultant work for PBS and various media groups dealing with the issues facing children and their families and runs workshops on a national level. Toni was honored by GLISEN for her advocacy work on behalf of LGBTQ youth. She is a long time volunteer for Puppies Behind Bars and is an administrator of the Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund. Toni is a graduate of Muhlenberg College and Adelphi University's Graduate School of Social Work.
Billy Last, Director of Operations
A volunteer with Camp AmeriKids since 1996, Billy is a real estate developer in Massachusetts, and is the Director of Operations at camp.
Robert B. Bristow, MD, Medical Director
Rob began volunteering with Camp AmeriKids in 1995. He is currently an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at Columbia, College of Physicians and Surgeons. Rob is working as Co-Director of the Disaster Preparedness Committee at the New York Presbyterian Hospital. In addition to this, Rob is working on a Disaster Plan for the Lifeline Express Hospital Train, Impact India Foundation in Mumbai, India. He received his SC-MD from the Medical University of South Carolina.
Dr. Peter Greenwald, MD, Camp Physician
Pete is a board certified emergency medical physician who has been a volunteer camp doctor at Camp AmeriKids since 2005. He is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell/NY-Presbyterian Emergency Medicine, and Emergency Department Associate Director of Clinical Performance at Berkshire Health Systems in Massachusetts. Pete is also pursuing a biostatistics degree from Columbia University/Mailman School of Public Health.
Dr. Rich Petrik, MD, Camp Physician
Rich began working with Camp AmeriKids in 2004 while he was an emergency medicine resident in training at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. Since then he has become board certified and is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Florida College of Medicine. His academic role there is Clerkship Director for Emergency Medicine and is actively involved in the residency program.
Dr. Dean Straff, MD, Camp Physician
Dean is currently an Attending physician in the Emergency Department at New York Presbyterian Hospital and an Instructor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. He received his medical degree at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and is a core member of the Education Committee for the New York Presbyterian Emergency Medicine Residency Program.
Katie Welling, Leader-In-Training Coordinator
Katie has been volunteering at Camp AmeriKids since 2003. She has been actively involved in many aspects of camp and now helps run our Leader-In-Training (LIT) Program. Katie holds a B.A. in Human & Organizational Development from Vanderbilt University and will graduate in May of 2009 with her MSW in Clinical Social Work with Children and Families from the Columbia University School of Social Work.
Ann Bello, RN, MA, Nursing Facilitator
Ann is Professor Emeritus of Nursing at Norwalk Community College. Her career began as a staff nurse in New York City where she was among the group of health professionals who opened Martin Luther King Health Center in the Bronx. In addition to teaching nursing, she has been a consultant to home care agencies in their development of programs for mothers and children. Currently she is a volunteer at the AmeriCares Free Clinic in Norwalk, CT. She graduated from St. Vincent’s Hospital School of Nursing in New York, obtained a BSN from Hunter College and an MA in nursing from Teachers College at Columbia University. Ann has been volunteering with Camp AmeriKids since 2006.
Jesse Stanton, Operations Manager
Jesse is an integral part of Camp AmeriKids. As a full-time warehouse employee, Jesse brings extensive experience and knowledge to the camp Operations Team.