Staff & Operations

The Newport County YMCA prides itself on a camp staff team that models our core values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility. Our team of full-time Directors has collectively over 100 years of camping experience to lead our camp staff.

Counselors are carefully screened and selected based on experience working with children, maturity, sound judgment, and sensitivity.

Safety is our top priority. Every member of our team is certified and trained in CPR, 1st Aid, OSHA regulations and Child Abuse Prevention.

Rachel Channen, Camp Clarke Director
Rachel Channen has worked in all different aspects of the camp from starting off as a counselor in training to becoming a head counselor and now a camp director. After graduating from the University of New Hampshire with a BS in Recreation Management with an emphasis on Youth Development she accepted an internship at the Greater Boston YMCA’s Overnight Camps. While there, she worked her way up from an intern to become a Camp Administrator where she oversaw multiple overnight camps. While at the overnight camps, Rachel’s main areas of focus were registrations, marketing, social media, hiring and creating the best experiences for all the campers at camp! She also has worked as a Youth and Families Director, overseeing the sports, teens, and childcare departments at a YMCA in Boston. Now in her first full summer at Camp Clarke, Rachel is excited to make this the best summer yet!