Meet Our Directors:

It is wild for me to say that I (Kat) am the co-director/co-owner of Kamaji. I grew up at Kamaji as a camper and then went on to work as a cabin counselor and waterski instructor before I worked on the Leadership Team as a Unit Director.

After I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2004 I began working year-round as Kamaji’s Associate Director. I spent my days recruiting campers and hiring the summertime staff.

As the years went on I realized that I would LOVE to one day become the owner and director of Kamaji, but was not something I wanted to do on my own…cue Jason.

Jason and I met and fell in love in 2011 and luckily, he didn’t just love me but also Kamaji! Jason grew up in the wild outdoors of Michigan and received his finance degree from Western Michigan University.

After working in Chicago for over ten years on the finance side of commercial real estate and operations management, he realized how much he was missing the outdoors.

It was a perfect fit! Jason could lose the suit-and-tie and take over the operations side of Kamaji while I could concentrate on what I love the most, the people, and that is what we have been doing together since 2013.

That’s me as a camper in 1993- can you find me?!

We live and work out of our home in the Chicago-area where we also spend our time chasing around our dog, Myles, and our three children: Caleb, Felicity, and Ethan.  When not working on “camp stuff” or hanging with our kids, I am the Board President of my children’s school and Jason volunteers as coach of Caleb’s soccer and baseball teams!

Jason and I are committed to making sure Kamaji is a place where the campers come first so that each person has the opportunity to have fun, develop new skills (whether it is an activity skill or a life skill!), make connections with new people and make lifelong memories within a safe and healthy environment.

This is quite literally a “mom and pop” business so if you’d like to learn more, please do not hesitate to get in touch so we can tell you more about this special camp!

With hugs and high-fives,

Laney Maguire

Staff Coach and Development Director

Laney grew up attending a traditional summer camp in southern Oklahoma from ages 8-15. She worked at that camp throughout college as a cabin counselor, activity coordinator, and eventually the waterfront director. When she is not at camp, Laney is a high school history teacher in Oklahoma City, OK, where she was born and raised. Laney teaches AP World History and AP Art History. She is also the Karaoke Club and Girl Up Club sponsor. When not at school, Laney loves to spend time with her friends and their various kids and dogs. They lovingly refer to Laney as “Funcle Laney” because fun aunt doesn’t really go together very well.

As Laney tells it, “When I started my teaching career, I missed camp dearly. Thankfully though, in 2018, a friend referred me to Kamaji, and I started as a nanny for the Nelson family. I spent three incredible summers running, biking, swimming, and playing with Caleb, Felicity, and Ethan. I fell in love with Kamaji and begged Kat and Jason to expand my role at camp. I am forever grateful that they took a chance on me!” Truth is, Laney’s leadership skills, her drive, motivation, and dedication were needed on our Leadership Team so in 2022 Laney started a new role at Kamaji.

Laney is responsible for training and coaching our counseling staff throughout the summer. Laney loves working closely with our counselors because it allows her to see them grow in not only their ability to teach an activity or be a cabin counselor, but also in their self-confidence. Laney shares, “Some of my favorite things about Kamaji are the endless opportunities to try new things, being able to unplug from the craziness of the world, and how empowered I am to be myself. The endless desserts and songs after meals don’t hurt either.”