Matt Meltzer

From Campfires To Careers: Retaining today’s camp counselor tomorrow

Description As our beloved camp counselors graduate high school and head off to college, they increasingly prioritize professional experience and career development. Camps, in turn,face a growing retention challenge with these counselors. This interactive session will explore strategies to help camp directors bridge the gap between counselors’ interest in gaining career development experience alongside their love for camp. Starting with a personal story and a spotlight on Sage Corps’ Start! program—a potential solution that offers professional experience for college students outside of June to August—we’ll dive into collaborative brainstorming and actionable ideas for counselor retention strategies centered around professional career development. We hope participants leave the session with fresh ideas, proven strategies, and a renewed commitment to retaining their best counselors while supporting their professional growth.

About Matt

Founder & CEO of Sage Corps

Matt Meltzer is the Founder and CEO of Sage Corps, an international internship program that sends college students abroad to work with entrepreneurs at startups. The program teaches students hard and soft skills in preparation for their global internships, and broader career development. Matt also currently serves as a Fellow at the Chicago Council of Global Affairs, a leading foreign policy think tank. Previously, Matt was a partner at Kirkland & Ellis, LLP where he represented multinational companies in litigations and corporate investigations. Matt holds a JD from Northwestern University School of Law and a BA in International Relations and Spanish from the University of Pennsylvania. Most importantly, Matt was an overnight camper and counselor in the Northwoods of Wisconsin beginning in 1991 and through his first year of law school in 2005.