Board of Directors

A Vermont native, Dina volunteered for CampTa-Kum-Ta for 8+ years before becoming Camp’s Program Manager in January 2016. She also served many years on CampTa-Kum-Ta’s Board of Directors and currently sits on a variety of camp’s leadership teams. She is a Life Is Good Playmaker and strongly believes in healing through play! Prior to coming to Camp Ta-Kum-Ta she served as Chair of the Chittenden Relay for Life in Vermont.

.Holly Senn is a certified child life specialist who has been in practice for 20 years, all with pediatric oncology, and currently works at Inova L.J. Murphy Children’s Hospital in Falls Church, VA, on the hematology/oncology, orthopedics, and trauma unit. Holly volunteers with Special Love, Inc in northern VA where she is part of the year round programming committee for family camps throughout the year as well as the week long patient camp, Camp Fantastic. She has been involved with Special Love since 2005, has attended several COCA conferences, and was presented with the Region 2 Spirit of COCA award in 2011. Holly graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi, continues to keep up her child life certification every 5 years through the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP) and is currently on the Child Life Certification Committee as an item writer for the certification exam. Holly is also the co-coordinator for the Child Life Practicum and pediatric volunteer programs at Inova Children’s Hospital. Holly has presented at several local conferences over the years regarding pediatric oncology patients transitioning back to school, effects of cancer and its treatment on the whole family, and child life services in general. Holly has also volunteered on many international medical missions with Operation Smile, providing psychosocial support services for children and families in less developed countries as they undergo surgery for cleft lip & cleft palate repairs.

Jamie first attended Camp Sunshine as a teen camper and is now the Program Director in charge of family programs including Family Camp, Sibling Camp and other family outings. Jamie got his professional start in Camp at Camp Twin Lakes, the camp facility used by Camp Sunshine. There he directed Summer Camp and other weekend programs for many special needs populations, including children with Autism, Sickle Cell disease, and children who have a wounded veteran parent, among others. Jamie got his undergraduate degree in Psychology from Georgia College and State University and his Master’s in Recreation Management from the University of Georgia. Jamie met his wife Sophie working at camp and they have two children.

Laurel has been involved in camping in one form or another since 2004 including summer staff and as a director of a family retreat for families affected by disabilities. After a life plan shake up in 2018, she went back to school to get her Master’s in Social Work. She graduated in 2021 and was so excited to see the job posting at the University of New Mexico for a pediatric hematology/oncology social worker because it included being part of a summer camp! She started in this position in Summer of 2021 and loves her job and the opportunity it affords her to also be part of Camp Enchantment. She states, “it is truly magical to be able to see kids go from diagnosis to treatment to camp!” Through her role on the COCA Board, she looks forward to learning more about camping and what other camps around the country are doing.

Becky currently sits on a hybrid committee comprised of board members and staff working on our strategic plan. Outside of that she creates monthly board reports highlighting programming and fundraising achievements, and have presented to the board on various program/event topics, have participated in DEI conversations, and help with new board member orientation. With her time with The Goodtimes Project she has most significantly added two weekend retreat/camp programs. Sibling Ski Camp is a special weekend away for youth whose sibling has been/was diagnosed with cancer. The camp is designed to bolster participant’s self‐confidence, build a network of support, and provide an outlet to address emotions, all while having fun in the snow. This program was added to complement the Kayak Adventure Camp, which is a week‐long kayak camping trip for young adult pediatric cancer survivors. This program has seen growth and success in building community within the sibling population and giving them dedicated time and space to acknowledge their journeys. The You and Me Retreat provides an opportunity for one parent and one child from a family to (re)build connection in a fun and meaningful way, while also connecting with other parent/child pairs. This program was created to offer some dedicated one‐on‐one time to strengthen family bonds and encourage intentional connection. So often during the cancer journey a family can be splintered, with one parent spending time at the hospital while the other spends time with the sibling(s). The You and Me Retreat balances meaningful workshops with fun, campy activities, which allow parents and children to embrace one another and strengthen their relationship.

Gillian started her pediatric oncology camping career in 2021. Her first summer as Program Director was heavily influenced by the global pandemic. It was a unique challenge to foster connection in an environment so heightened by the need to uphold physical distancing and masking for such a vulnerable population. Camp Goodtimes was able to serve over 60 families without any exposures! Since then, she has been so grateful to continue to develop and implement both virtual and in-person year-round and summer programming to bring the community together in an meaningful way.

“Dr. Mike” moved to California as a medical student at Stanford University, where he earned his M.D. After continuing at Stanford in a Pediatric Residency and then Post-doctoral Fellowship in Hematology/Oncology, Dr. Amylon joined the faculty of the Stanford University School of Medicine. His early research interests included clinical trials in the treatment of pediatric leukemia and lymphoma. After completing additional training in bone marrow transplantation at the University of Washington and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, he inaugurated the hematopoietic stem cell transplant program at Stanford and directed the Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Service at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford for many years. Dr. Amylon currently is an Emeritus Professor (active) at Stanford in Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, Stem Cell Transplantation and Regenerative Medicine.

Over the course of his career, Dr. Amylon has had extensive experience in the design, conduct and oversight of clinical trials, both locally at Stanford and nationally and internationally through the Pediatric Oncology Group and the Children’s Oncology Group. He continues to serve on Stanford’s Institutional Review Board for the protection of human subjects in research and the Stem Cell Research Oversight Committee.

Dr. Amylon also has a long-standing interest in the psychosocial impact of pediatric cancer and its treatment on patients and their families. He has been extensively involved with Camp Okizu, a program of peer support, respite, mentoring, and recreation for children with cancer and their families, centered on a residential camping experience. He served as Medical Director and a member of the Board of Directors for Okizu for many years. He has conducted research into the impact of camping and peer support programs on pediatric cancer patients and their well siblings, with Okizu and also the Children’s Oncology Camping Association –International (COCA-I). He was a member of the Board of Directors and the Research and Education Committee of COCA-I for many years, and served as President of COCA-I from 2016-2018. He previously served as a member of the American Cancer Society’s Peer Review Committee on Psychosocial and Behavioral Research, and serves as a volunteer visitor for the American Camping Association Accreditation program and for the COCA-I Gold Ribbon program. Dr. Mike is the current Chair of COCA’s Gold Ribbon Accreditation program. He has been a member of the Sibling Partnership for Advocacy, Research and Care in Childhood Cancer since 2014.

Michael Vasquez, also known by his camp name “Knuckles,” has dedicated the past 9 years to Oncology Camping. He began his journey as a Counselor-In-Training with Okizu in Northern California and instantly fell in love with everything about camp. Since then, Knuckles has remained committed to working with Okizu in various roles and currently holds the position of Family Services Associate. In this role, he assists with camper enrollment, recruitment, and retention Additionally, apart from his work with Okizu, he enjoys dedicating his time as a volunteer at various grief camps across California. Outside of camp life, Knuckles is pursuing a Masters Degree in Social Work at CSU, Chico. He hopes to use his education to continue growing within the world of camps in some capacity for many more years ahead! #OkizuStrong

Lynne has been the Medical Center Director for Special Days Camp, MI since 1992. Lynne’s parents started Special Days Camp. Her dad was the medical director and as Lynne says, her mom did “everything else”! Lynne grew up in camp, helped as a counselor for years and even ran arts & crafts for a year or two. Her involvement has come full circle with her daughter now volunteering her time at Special Days Camp.

Since 2014, Lynne has been the Clinical Informaticist for Careevolution in Ann Arbor, MI. She has over 30 years of experience with pediatric hematology/oncology patients and helping to improve the medical programs.

Lynne has affiliated teaching appointments, precepting and lecturer experience with the following higher education institutions: Indiana University, University of Indianapolis, Johns Hopkins University, Anderson University, PurdueUniversity, SPEA-Indiana University, Walden University, Wharton School of Business, and Baker College.

I was in a leadership role with the American Cancer Society for 20 years. I oversaw 7 states, 5 of which hosted pediatric oncology camps.

Board Experience

• Arkansas Tumor Registry Board
• Arkansas Cancer Coalition
• Kalamazoo Optimist Club Board
• Junior League (Little Rock, Louisville and Kalamazoo) Board

Erin fell in love with camp as a counselor during college, and her work in nonprofit fundraising and then as an elementary school teacher led her back to camp in 2014 when she became the first Executive Director of Camp Rise Above (CRA) in Charleston, SC. With year-round programs that serve hundreds of campers and families from all over the state, CRA has established itself as a leader in providing safe, inclusive spaces for everyone in the community. Serving children and adults with more than 30 diagnoses, CRA believes that everyone deserves a place to belong. Erin enjoys representing Region 4 on the COCA Board of Directors and connecting with other camps to increase collaboration, form friendships, and learn from one another.

Lexi Bickford, Care Camps Foundation Funding Program Manager, is the primary grant liaison between Care Camps Foundation and COCA member pediatric oncology camps. Before joining the Care Camps team, she worked in multiple positions within the real estate field. Lexi has a bachelor’s degree in organizational communication from the University of Montana and currently lives in Billings, Montana with her husband and their two young children.