Artie Lang, Executive Director
Artie serves the Cheshire YMCA as the Executive Director. In addition to his leadership of Camp Takodah, Artie also oversees our Outdoor Education and Developmental Travel Programs. Most recently, Artie served as the Executive Director of Overnight Camps for the YMCA of Greater Boston, which has family camp, two resident camps, and day camp programs. Previously, Artie served as the Senior Program Director at YMCA Camp Minikani in Milwaukee, WI and held positions at Archdeacon Gilfillan Center and Nature’s Classroom.
Artie has a Masters of Science: Kinesiology from UNH and a Bachelors of Education: Outdoor Recreation from the University of Kansas. He also holds multiple certifications from the Y-USA continuing education and training programs.
Ryan Reed, Camping Services Director
Ryan serves the Cheshire YMCA as the Camping Services Director of Camp Takodah. Ryan started his career in summer camp at 14 years-old as a Counselor-In-Training. Since then, he has held just about every position at summer camp, from Cabin Leader to Camp Director. Ryan has served as a professional Camp Director for the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Lutheran/Episcopal Outdoor Ministries, Disney Cruise Line, as well as YMCA Camps in Ohio and Iowa.
Ryan holds a BA in Public Relations/Marketing from Xavier University (Cincinnati, OH). He is also a certified Camp Director, certified YMCA Executive Director and Trainer, graduate of the Disney Leadership Institute, and a former Board Member for the American Camp Association (Ohio).
Peter Simmonds, Director of Educational Programs
Peter serves the Cheshire YMCA as our Director of Outdoor Education, overseeing Takodah’s Adventure Camps, spring and fall Outdoor Education Programs, and shoulder-season rentals for user groups. Peter has a degree in Geographical Sciences from the University of Portsmouth in England, and worked as Boys Camp Assistant Director at Camp Thunderbird in Minnesota and as a Program Coordinator with Wilderness and Training Expertise in the UK before arriving at Takodah in 2011.
Peter has a rich background in Outdoor Leadership, and maintains certifications as a Lifeguard and Wilderness First Responder. In his spare time, Peter enjoys racquet sports, fitness, and outdoor pursuits, and is a member of the American Camp Association.
Katy Svec, Assistant Director of Educational Programs
Katy serves the Takodah YMCA as the Assistant Director of Educational Programs. She is a New England native and started coming to Takodah as an 8-year old, when she was the youngest camper in camp. She grew up, moving through the divisions and graduating from the leadership development program. She has served as a cabin leader, member of the kitchen crew, and the Adventure Director for Family Camp. Katy is a graduate of Middlebury College, where she studied Theatre and German. In her free time she can be found rock climbing, hiking, passing a rugby ball, or reading a good book.
Linda DuBois, Office Manager
Linda serves the Cheshire YMCA as our Office Manager. Linda was born and raised in Cheshire County. She comes with 20+ years background of HR and Customer Service from a company that made Police Batons and Handcuffs. Linda enjoys the outdoors and traveling to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia with her black lab, Beth. She slso enjoys all New England sports teams and reading.