Our Staff

Buddy Voit – Executive Director

Buddy joined the staff of Camp Mountain Chai in September, 2017. After six years on the CMC’s board of directors and more than 35 years in business in the private sector, this once in a lifetime opportunity to combine his passion for Jewish overnight camping with his business experience was a dream come true. Buddy’s involvement in the Jewish community can be traced back to his summers spent as a camper, counselor, and song leader. As treasurer of the board of directors, Buddy had been actively involved with the operation of the camp and the year-round retreat center and had already established working relationships with the staff prior to becoming the executive director. His years in the business community as CFO of several regional and national companies brings a wealth of experience that will benefit the camp. Buddy is keenly aware of the effect that camp can have on a child. “To say that camp informed and continues to inform my life cannot be overstated. It created a foundation of Jewish values and experience that I have been building on for over 50 years. I am very excited about meeting our new and returning campers. I can’t wait to see them create their own foundation from which they will build their Jewish lives.”

Buddy is married to Diane Voit and has three children (all of whom attended Jewish overnight camp). He loves to travel and cook (he is an accomplished Sushi chef). He has been active in the San Diego Jewish community and his Synagogue where you can find him most Friday nights playing with the Chai band at Shabbat services.

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 22 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.

David Edwards – Camp Registrar

After graduating from a vocational high school, where he studied Culinary Arts, David attended the University of Arizona and graduated with a BS in Business Management and Human Resources.  He worked his way through college as a line cook, sous chef and manager in the food service industry. David moved to Encinitas, CA in 2011 and continued his studies in food science, while simultaneously managing an organic fruit farm and supervising a team of farmer’s market vendors.

Since living in San Diego, David has become an avid surfer (gaining him the nickname, Big Wave Dave), pickleball player, and outdoor enthusiast. He has developed a passion for healthy food and lifestyle choices and started a catering company as a side-gig.  David joined the CMC team in December 2018 as the office manager but has quickly become a vital asset to the team in the logistics and operations departments. 

David attended Jewish overnight camp for a few years as a child but brings a new perspective to the camp industry and CMC specifically.  His ability to learn quickly and take on new tasks without fear have helped round out the CMC full-time team. 

Emily Merrill – Operations Admin Assistant

Emily joined CMC as our Camp Operations Admin Assistant this summer, which means you can find her year-round in our San Diego office (when she doesn’t sneak up to camp for a weekend). Before joining CMC she was a program assistant in Refugee Resettlement with Jewish Family Service and interned in DC for a climate activist nonprofit called Earth Day Network.

Emily is a California native who spent her summers in back-to-back YMCA summer camps and on San Diego’s trails. In college, she sat on the board of the Tijuana River Valley Equestrian Association, a group that aims to preserve the estuary and the valley’s trails for the enjoyment of recreational riders. Though she attended her fair share of overnight ranch camps, her heart lies in multi water sports camps.  She loved sailing and snorkeling in San Diego’s beaches and has a passion for freshwater ecosystems.

In her spare time, Emily cares for her pet reptile, a blue tongue skink named Skinky. She also maintains her aquarium, which she calls her underwater garden. She believes that summer camp cultivated her passion for aquatic ecosystems and her desire to advocate for the planet. 

AMY EPNER, PHD – COORDINATOR OF MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Amy is a licensed clinical psychologist, certified Youth Mental Health First Aid instructor, and avid Jewish overnight camp advocate. She has been involved with Camp Mountain Chai since 2010 as a camp parent, volunteer, board member, and mental health consultant. Amy earned her bachelor’s at Cornell University, her master’s at Brandeis University, and her doctorate at the California School of Professional Psychology, San Diego. Amy has experience working with all age groups and has specialized training in the field of health psychology including coping with illness, stress reduction, time management, lifestyle changes, addictive behaviors, disordered eating, anxiety, and parenting issues. Amy has helped develop and expand the CMC Camper Care program with the goal of embracing MESSH (Mental, Emotional, Social, and Spiritual Health) at camp. She is passionate about creating a supportive, inclusive, and growth-oriented environment for all campers and staff.

In her free time, Amy loves spending time with animals, exploring new hiking trails, and completing crossword and sudoku puzzles. Although she and her husband are now empty nesters (their two grown children are both CMC alumni), they still have the pleasure of caring for their rescue dog at their home in La Jolla.