Our Staff

Suzy Sostrin – Executive Director

Suzy is thrilled to be joining the Camp Mountain Chai Team this summer. With over 25 years working at Jewish camps, Hillels and youth movements, she is deeply committed to creating open caring environments in which all kids can thrive, grow and belong. 

Over the last 15 years working for the Hillel movement in California, Oregon, Oklahoma and Kansas she has firsthand experience seeing the transformational power of Jewish summer camp. “So many of my students experienced their first sense of truly belonging at Jewish summer camp. They bring that ruach and joy to Hillel and beyond because of the impact camp made on them. Jewish summer camps and the Hillel movement are both grounded in investing in the future of the Jewish community.” 

One of her biggest accomplishments at KU Hillel was piloting the award-winning mental health and wellness work for which KU Hillel is known. The partnership with Jewish Family Services of Kansas City, provided free therapy appointments for any Jewish student who needed it. Students had the opportunity to work on weekly mindfulness exercises, stress-relieving techniques and seek out individual counseling. She also moved KU Hillel to their new home, just steps from campus. This led to increased engagement with the student community including Shabbat dinners, Jewish learning classes, and creative social programs.

Suzy earned her Masters degree in Organizational Leadership and Innovation from Hebrew Union College and she earned her B.A. in Community Studies, minor in Education from University of California, Santa Cruz.

Suzy has worked at Jewish summer camps in leadership positions throughout the west coast and is excited to bring her enthusiasm and deep commitment to inspiring Jewish identity and growth to Camp Mountain Chai.

Rachel Shyloski, MSW – Camp Director

Since 2009, Rachel Shyloski has been involved with Camp Mountain Chai as both a Unit Leader (’09-’13), Director of Camper Care (’14), Assistant Director (’15-’18) and Associate Director (’19-’21). Her patience and ability to empathize have always been true to her nature. Rachel is a naturalist and humanist at heart. Her love of nature coupled with her desire to educate others about the natural world has given Rachel a unique perspective on how to build that same respect for one another within our Camp community.

Rachel comes to Camp Mountain Chai all the way from North Carolina. Her desire to further understand human nature combined with a lifelong passion to work with people, led her to UNC-Asheville where she obtained a BA in Psychology. Her desire to help others, led her to pursue a Masters in Social Work, which she obtained in 2014 at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Rachel brings a wide range of skills, knowledge and trained experiences to our camp family.

Rachel is an avid bird watcher and outdoors woman. Many of her friends would describe her as helplessly compassionate, terminally funny, and devastatingly kind. Her desire to share camp with others, and her experience in Jewish summer camps have allowed Rachel a unique opportunity to serve CMC in a very special way. Rachel looks forward to the future with open eyes and a desire to be of service to her fellows.

Beth “B.Cap” Caplan – Assistant Director

Beth (B.Cap) has been part of the Camp Mountain Chai community since 2011. Over the past decade, she has held several positions including Senior Counselor, Head of Arts, Cornerstone Liaison, Social Media Coordinator and Program Director.

Beth considers herself a lifelong “happy camper” having begun her camping career at the age of nine at URJ Camp George in Parry Sound, Ontario. With over 25 years of camp experience, Beth is someone who strongly believes in the unforgettable memories, creative programming, lifelong friendships and the magic that Jewish summer camp has to offer.

From the great country that birthed Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendes and Drake, Beth comes to Camp Mountain Chai all the way from Toronto, Ontario. She holds a degree in Media Studies, specializing in Public Relations, from the University of Guelph-Humber. She also holds a Post-Graduate Certificate in Social Media Marketing.

When Beth isn’t spending her time way up the tall green mountain, she enjoys cardio funk dancing, visiting National Parks, walking her Husky, Aspen, playing guitar and photography. Beth looks forward to fulfilling her dream of serving a community that she so deeply cares about.

Jake Niefeld – Operations & Logistics Coordinator

Originally from Minneapolis, MN, Jake’s love for summer camp began at a Jewish summer camp! He spent 11 summers at Herzl Camp in Webster, Wisconsin, where he was a camper, bunk staff, head song leader, and unit lead. More recently, he attended the Brandeis Camp Institute in Simi Valley, CA, in July 2023. Jake’s passion for pluralistic Judaism grew during his time as a Springboard Fellow at UConn Hillel, where he focused on engagement and Jewish education. He loves connecting people to Judaism on their terms and sharing meaningful Jewish quotes!

Jake graduated from the University of Kansas in 2023 with a BS in Spanish Education, teaching high school students across proficiency levels. Feel free to chat with him in Spanish anytime! Jake is passionate about music—he plays seven instruments and produces music in his free time. He also enjoys sports (especially Ultimate Frisbee!), being outdoors, and trying new things; he’s always open to recommendations!

Jake is thrilled to join the CMC community as our Operations & Logistics Coordinator, bringing his love for Jewish overnight camp together with his dedication to organization and systems to ensure a smooth and enriching summer for all. He’s excited to dive into the year-round and summer tasks and looks forward to collaborating with the team for a fantastic CMC experience!

Emily Merrill – Camp Registrar

Jennifer Paul – Associate Development Director

Jennifer recently joined the staff at CMC as the Associate Development Director. She’s also a current camp parent and her son will be returning for his third year. She has loved the positive experience camp has had on her son.

Jennifer worked over 10 years as the Annual Campaign Manager for Hillel of San Diego where she was responsible for multiple campaigns which included direct mail, email, social media, phone-a-thons, data management, events and parent and alumni relations. Most of all she enjoyed building relationships with the students and seeing the positive influence Hillel has on their college experience and Jewish identity. Previously, Jennifer served as the Director of Alumni Engagement at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., where she oversaw Homecoming Weekend, reunion classes and alumni clubs. Originally from Westchester County in New York, Jennifer earned her B.S. in TV/Radio and her Masters in Corporate Communications from Ithaca College and has a certificate in non-profit management from Georgetown University.

Jennifer has been living in San Diego for 13 years. She is married and has three children and two cats. She enjoys spending time with her family and doing all the amazing things San Diego has to offer from theme parks and the zoo to beaches and Padres games. When she’s not working, she can often be found at the baseball field with her boys who play year-round. In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering at her kid’s schools, dancing (tap & jazz), exercise, trying new restaurants, travel, movies and Sudoku. 

Kelly Sarvela – Accounting and HR Manager

Kelly joined CMC as our Accounting and HR Manager in March of 2023, working out of our San Diego office. Before joining CMC she worked as an accountant and HR manager for PrecisionMed, a Biotech in Solana Beach and for Baja Expeditions, an adventure travel company that runs whale watching and kayaking trips in Baja, California.

Kelly is originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota and grew up camping, swimming and canoeing on the many lakes Minnesota has to offer. She attended the University of St. Thomas, majoring in Psychology. After college, she moved to Portland, Oregon, where she spent her spare time hiking, camping and river rafting. She fell in love with San Diego while on vacation and moved to town in 2007.

When she is not in the office, Kelly enjoys spending time with her two daughters, camping, going to the beach, parks, zoo and SeaWorld. She also has a chocolate lab named Chaco and an energetic bunny named BunBun to keep her busy.