Staff & Camp Leadership

Sara is the Executive Director and founder of Camp Odayin, a lifelong camper, and a heart patient herself. She holds undergraduate degrees in Social Work & Communication from Concordia College, Moorhead MN, and a graduate degree in Youth Development Leadership from the University of Minnesota. Sara loves a good bonfire and has a real talent for floating in the lake. She believes in the positive impact a camp experience can have on everyone, especially children with special health concerns.  And, we are so much more than a camp – we are a place of hope and healing. Camp is good medicine!  

Alison joined the Camp Odayin team in May of 2007 with a background in social work and degrees from St. Olaf College and the University of Denver.  As someone drawn to warm, sunny weather year-round, Alison planned to work at Camp Odayin (and live in Minnesota) for just two years.  She was drawn in at Odayin by countless playful moments and meaningful conversations with amazing campers, generous volunteers, and creative colleagues who’ve made work feel more like family.  In spite of maintaining the same job for nearly two decades, Alison loves having new experiences, especially with her actual family, and is on a constant quest for the best taco in the Twin Cities.

Raised in northern Minnesota, Matt’s passion for camping and the outdoors developed at a young age. Matt joined Camp Odayin in the fall of 2007, after majoring in Economics and Entrepreneurship at the University of St. Thomas and working for a brief period in the for-profit sector. Matt is passionate about nonprofit financial management and the impact he has on the campers and families served by Camp Odayin. He and his partner, Vanessa, enjoy traveling the world in pursuit of outdoor adventures, from hiking to skiing to snorkeling. They also volunteer as fosters for local dog rescue organizations. 

Kris joined the Odayin team in 2017.  As Director of Operations, her role includes introducing cool technology solutions, event management, program registration, and creating visuals for marketing.  She is proud of her unique career path – from working as an environmental engineer, running her own massage therapy small business, to being a project manager at health-focused, non-profit organizations (Seattle Children’s Hospital and the International Association for the Study of Pain). Kris values strong coworker relationships, learning new skills, teaching others, and making real improvements that matter.  On the weekends you will find her playing pickleball, reading science fiction books, and tap dancing.

Brooke, a former elementary school teacher, graduated from the University of West Georgia with a Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education and a Master’s degree in Reading Instruction. She joined the Odayin family as a volunteer counselor in 2004 and then became a summer camp director in 2015, traveling from Georgia every summer. By 2018, she couldn’t stay away, making the move to Minnesota to serve year-round as a Program Director. She believes in the magic of camp to build connection, resilience, and confidence, and creates spaces where young people and families feel seen and supported. At camp, you’ll find her with a backpack and clipboard, making announcements or crafting the perfect s’more (golden brown only, burnt marshmallows need not apply). On weekends, she’s outside with her family, enjoying fresh air, a good book, or live music.

Morgan, a former Odayin camper, knows first-hand how influential Odayin programs can be in the lives of those affected by congenital heart disease. In 2024, Morgan joined the Odayin team as a Summer Camp Co-Director. In her role now as Program Director, she not only focuses on the camper experience but spreading the Odayin community to the whole family and beyond. Morgan is proud to work with the Odayin Alumni group, Mortimer’s Mates, to extend CHD support to former campers through adulthood. Morgan graduated from the University of Eau-Claire with degrees in Biology, and Spanish but went back to school for her teaching license after working in education for many years. At camp, you will find her identifying trees, fish, trees, and her favorite… BIRDS, then telling anyone who will listen. 

Brian is the medical director of the CVICU and co-director of the Pediatric Heart Center at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital where he works as both a pediatric cardiac intensivist and pediatric cardiologist. Brian received his medical degree from the University of Minnesota. After completing his residency at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, he completed his fellowship training at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago in both pediatric cardiology and pediatric critical care medicine.  He took his first job at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, OH before coming back here in 2016 to the University of Minnesota.  In his free time, Brian enjoys spending time with his wife and three boys.  Brian has volunteered at Camp Odayin as a camp doc for multiple years and is also a member of the Board of Directors.

Meghan received her BA from Gustavus Adolphus, her BSN from Minnesota State University-Mankato, and her Master’s and Doctorate of Nursing Practice from the UofM. She’s an emergency department nurse in a critical access hospital in western Wisconsin, but was previously an RN and then Emergency Department Clinical Nurse Specialist for HealthEast and then Fairview. Meghan truly loves being at the bedside with patients and their families, helping them through the stress of unexpected events. 

Meghan has been volunteering with Odayin since 2010. Her favorite parts of camp are (1) seeing the campers connect and just be regular kids, and (2) helping the medical team discover their passion for camp! When not at camp, Meghan likes traveling (Japan, Austria, and Disney World are her favorite places), playing with her horses and dogs, and hanging out with her mom, husband, and 3 kids.

Dr. Sara is a pediatric cardiologist at Children’s Wisconsin/ Medical College of Wisconsin where she is an Assistant Professor of pediatric and fetal cardiology. Dr. Sara is a Chicago area native and did her training at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria and stayed for residency. She came “Up North” to Children’s Wisconsin in 2013 for her cardiology fellowship and has stayed with Children’s as faculty since 2017. She loves living in Wisconsin despite the proximity to Lambeau (Go Bears!). 

Dr. Sara has been coming to Camp Odayin since the first Wisconsin camp in 2017. Becoming the Medical Director for the Wisconsin camps is a dream come true! Camp is her happy place and she loves to see kids with special hearts experience it and live to the fullest.  Dr. Sara’s family includes her husband Brad and three kids who remind her to live life outside her comfort zone. When she is not her children’s chauffeur, she enjoys mystery novels, baking, singing in her car and running (mostly so she can eat dessert).  

Suzie always knew she wanted to be a pediatric nurse.  After graduating from UW Madison (go Badgers!) with her BSN, she moved to Milwaukee and began working at Children’s Wisconsin in the Pediatric ICU.  It was there that she found her passion for taking care of kids with special hearts.  She currently works full time as a bedside nurse in the Cardiac ICU and is grateful that she is able to do what she loves every day and work with such amazing and brave kids.  

It was through work that Suzie first heard about and became involved with Camp Odayin.  She began volunteering as a camp nurse in 2017 at the first Wisconsin camp and has been hooked ever since.  There can be some tough days in the ICU, and there is nothing as rewarding as getting to see the babies she took care of in the ICU all grown up at camp and getting to know the wonderful, caring, generous people they have become, as well as seeing the heart-warming friendships they have made with other campers.  Camp Odayin is a very special place and she feels honored to be part of the Odayin family.  Suzie is very excited about the opportunity to take on the WI Nursing Director role and is looking forward to many more years at camp!

Dr. Michael Earing is the Chief and Medical Director of Pediatric Cardiology at University of Chicago-Medicine/Advocate Healthcare/Northshore University in Illinois.  He received his degree from Rush Medical College in Chicago and completed his fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Dr. Earing has spent many summers at Camp Odayin and is thrilled with the expansion to offer camp in SE Wisconsin. He says that that expansion to the southeastern Wisconsin area will provide a whole new region of kids with heart disease a safe, inclusive camp experience much closer to home. Encouraging the development of caring friendships and support between kids with similar health challenges is particularly invaluable to the well-being of a child with heart disease. When he’s not listening and healing special hearts, he’s watching his four daughters play softball or participating in dance competitions.