Bud sits down with Mikele Block, camp director at Camp CaPella in Dedham, Maine, to share how a nonprofit camp serving children and adults with disabilities creates meaningful experiences and a strong staff culture. Mikele’s path into camp is anything but traditional, and that’s part of what makes her perspective valuable. This conversation is especially useful for anyone thinking about leadership, hiring, retention, and what it looks like to build a mission-driven team.In this episode, Mikele Block shares how she went from a background in mental health and human services to becoming camp director at Camp Capella.Camp Capella is a smaller summer camp serving individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities, with a weekly cap of 25 campers.Mikele describes how camp programming is built around inclusion, comfort, and familiarity, so campers arrive feeling like they are “surrounded by my people.”The team runs day and overnight camp, with programming that includes movement and music, STEM, archery, fishing, boating, and highly creative arts activities.One standout art activity involved dogs licking peanut butter off sealed bags to move paint onto canvases, showing how Camp Capella adapts programming to be playful and accessible.Mikele explains that hiring is driven less by paper credentials and more by conversation, connection, and mission alignment.She emphasizes scenario-based interviews, in-person conversations when possible, and looking for people who are emotionally invested in the campers’ success.Staff retention at Camp Capella is strong because the team invests in skill development, intentional debriefs, a connected off-season community, and a culture of feedback in every direction.Mikele also shares how camp changed her understanding of leadership: the best leaders are the ones who work alongside their teams, not just behind a closed door.The conversation closes with personal reflections on camp life, including the sound of the boat motor turning on during week one, dressing like a “girly girl” at camp, and the lesson a camper taught her to slow down and notice the moment. Timestamps 00:00 - Welcome to the New England Camp Podcast and introduction to Camp Capella 00:59 - Mikele Block introduces herself as camp director 01:52 - Growing up in Maine as an outdoors kid, not a camp kid 03:07 - Education and early work in mental health and human services 03:32 - Joining Camp Capella’s board and falling in love with the camp 04:23 - Stepping away, then getting pulled back into camp years later 05:30 - The unexpected message that led to her camp director role 07:45 - What Camp Capella is and who it serves 08:15 - Day camp, overnight camp, and Miller Lodge as the camp hub 09:11 - Why campers feel at home and are celebrated exactly as they are 10:02 - Small-group programming and the range of activities offered 10:32 - Creative art programming, including the dog-assisted paint activity 11:47 - What Camp Capella looks for when hiring staff 12:49 - Why emotional connection matters more than a perfect resume 13:28 - Using in-person conversations to hire better 14:10 - The four-part approach to staff retention 15:18 - Intentional support and open communication with staff 15:56 - Off-season community, reunions, and ongoing connection 16:56 - Building a culture where staff give each other feedback 18:40 - Leadership lessons learned by working alongside the team 20:53 - Investing in staff as a way to strengthen the whole camp 21:39 - The sound of the boat motor on opening day 22:17 - What the staff lovingly tease Mikele about 23:26 - The camper who taught her to slow down 24:50 - Closing reflections on camp, leadership, and gratitude
