Board of Directors
Andre Theisen
President
Andre is a Minnesota native who spent over twenty summers at Mishawaka as camper, counselor, and Boys Camp Director, from 1974-2006. All eight of Andre’s siblings also attended or worked at Mishawaka - a record, we believe. Andre’s camp experiences fostered his love of the outdoors and inspired later Boundary Waters, Quetico, and Mississippi River canoe trips, as well as outdoor adventures across the country and around the world. Andre now lives in New York City, where he teaches middle school Humanities, but he returns to Minnesota each summer and includes a stop at camp.
Blake Hiltabrand
Treasurer
A native of Bloomington, IL, Blake was a 2nd generation camper, attending Mishawaka from 1984 to 1990 and served on staff in 1991. Blake’s own children attended Mishawaka for many years, as well. A graduate of Wake Forest University, Blake’s career in the financial services industry has spanned 3 decades. Presently he serves as the Global Head of UBS O’Connor based in Chicago. An avid outdoorsman, Blake enjoys fishing, hunting and anything outdoors.
Mary Hill Achelpohl
Mary served on the Mishawaka staff from 2000 to 2010, and has continued her Camp connection ever since. She worked alongside Mary Jane Curran for 6 summers as the Girls Camp program director designing and implementing the schedule of activities, even as she continued to lead gymnastics and waterfront activities.
Mary is a graduate of University of Iowa and holds an EdD in Educational Leadership from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Her dissertation explored summer camp and experiential learning, specifically as it affected children with limited means. Mary has served as a school counselor, mental health therapist, and currently works as the coordinator of practicum experiences in the College of Education at UNO. She and her husband, Sam, live in Omaha, NE with their three children who are all lucky enough to be Mishawaka campers!
Kevin Byrnes
Kevin, a native of Milwaukee, WI, was a Mishawaka camper in the 1980s and returned to serve on staff for five years in the 1990s. Kevin had many interests as a camper, but his passion was tripping and he took numerous BWCA and Quetico trips, both as a camper and staff member. Kevin and his wife Sara met while working at Mishawaka and they have two daughters who attended Camp Mishawaka.
Kevin is a graduate of Marquette University and Mitchell Hamline school of law. He has worked for the Federal Reserve, Wells Fargo and currently owns his own film production company. Kevin is the former President of the organization and led the nonprofit side of the transition process.
