Toni came to Camp Ernst in the fall of 2018 after many years of being a stay at home mom and working on her own and others’ farms. She graduated from NKU with a degree in biology and loves spending time at home with her family and all their animals (horses, mini-donkeys, snakes, cats, and dogs). Toni loves to make our camp home look great by organizing and maintaining equipment, and mowing beautiful lines into the lawns. You can also find her helping at the ranch with lessons, trail rides, and barn chores. Toni is a nature lover so be sure to ask her to identify some trees and flowers when you’re out on the trail with her!
Sabin joined the year round team in Spring, 2024, just in time to get ready for camp. He is happy to be back at camp, revisiting his past as an Ernst summer camper (favorite place at camp: THE PLAYPEN!) and combining his love for the outdoors with a passion for helping others. Sabin has a friendly smile and greeting for everyone so be sure to say hi when you see him around camp in the golf cart!
After spending a few childhood and college summers at Camp Ernst, Jake worked at another Y camp in California and spent several years as a public speaker before settling back in Cincinnati with a role on our team. His experiences on the program side of camping help inform his keen ability to predict the facility needs of the campers and counselors here. He keeps our pools running, toilets flushing, and lights on, while providing expert trouble- shooting to the rest of the property staff and gently guiding volunteer groups in the off season. Jake approaches problem solving with a teamwork mindset and is always willing to help someone learn!
Elizabeth “Eli” Cochran is passionate about helping young people find achievement, belonging, and relationships at camp. She loves talking to camp families about the benefits of camp, raising money, coming up with crazy innovations, continuous improvement towards the Y’s Christian principles: a mission FOR ALL, and riding her bike around to visit program areas. She is a certified Forest Therapy guide, serves Co-Chair of the YUSA Overnight Camping Cabinet, Co-Chair of the Not-for-Profit Council of the American Camp Association, and is a Certified Praesidium Guardian for child abuse prevention. At home she is mom to twin grown up sons (Josh and Geoff), current camp counselor, Kara, and the cutest camp dog, Rosie. Eli and her extremely supportive husband Cameron met as camp counselors in the 90s and have made Camp Ernst their family’s home since 2003. Contact: ecochran@myY.org
Megan started out as a camper, has been working at Camp Ernst since 2004 as a counselor and unit leader, and came on staff full time in 2013. Prior to that she taught kindergarten and second grade and still has a soft spot for children’s books and the hilarious things kids say. Megan is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati and has learned to keep her office stocked with M&Ms and juice boxes for performing one of her many superpowers: counseling and pep talks for the camp counselors. She loves hanging out with campers and staff in the summer and giving back to the place where thousands of kids find their spark every summer. Her all-time favorite movie is “A League of their Own” and favorite place to vacation is Disney World. Contact: mgierhart@myY.org
Keith joined the team in Spring, 2024 after a visit to drop off his horse at camp! His background and tenacity in problem solving coupled with hard work, a great attitude, and desire to do good in the world make him a perfect fit for camp. Keith and his wife live on a farm in Kentucky and enjoy regular camping trips with their horses.
Kristi joined the ranch team in spring of 2023 after many years in the veterinary industry as a technician. Her experience from managing her own horses and working in the veterinary world are an asset to the knowledge and experience that our ranch team has to offer our students and campers alike! She loves spending time on the trails with campers, enhancing their love for the outdoors. At home, she is the mom to Abigail and Harlan and a fur-mom to Elmer Fudd, Tiger Lily, Minnie Mouse and Butter Beans (her beloved dogs). Next time you’re at the ranch, connect with her and learn some horse facts!
Bryan (known to many camp alumni as “Lincoln”) is a good sport in the joke that he’s been at camp since its founding in 1928, when in reality he has worked summers at Camp Ernst since 1973, with a brief hiatus in the 90s. He spends the school year teaching English at NKU and then moves out to camp each summer, where he enjoys early morning runs along all the camp roads. All year long he researches camp history, presides over Camp History Chat zoom calls, and keeps camp’s documents up-to-date for our American Camp Association accreditation. His favorite place at camp is the Temple of the Trees. Bryan wrote our 90th Anniversary History booklet in 2018 and is working on the 100th Anniversary book for 2028, so send him your camp stories and pictures!
Cliff is a former Camp Ernst camper who spent his career serving others as a firefighter and building things as a stagehand. Looking to stay busy in his retirement, he joined the Camp Ernst property team and quickly got to work organizing, building, fixing, maintaining, and contributing mightily to the positive atmosphere at camp. At home Cliff and his wife stay busy attending all of their grandson’s sporting events!
Javier grew up in Mexico City and came to the United States more than 30 years ago. He famously ran “Javier’s Mexican Restaurant” in downtown Cincinnati, where his mole sauce and friendship were second-to-none, before joining our camp team in 2019. He loves working with the crew in summer and has taught hundreds of teenagers how to wash dishes! Javier has a grown up son and daughter, plus a Chocolate Lab named Coco. Javier enjoys staying active playing soccer and taking walks around camp. Stop in for a chat because he’s got a story for everything!