STAFF AND FAMILIES
PHIL BERRY
Phil Berry serves as the full-time Executive Director of Ridgecrest Summer Camps. He is married to the beautiful Amy Berry and they have two daughters, Piper and Lily, and their dogs, Bear and Indy. Phil served as the Camp Ridgecrest Director from 2008 to 2021, but he began camping at Ridgecrest in 1989 as an Apache in cabin 3, returning as a camper in every tribe and eventually serving on staff in many different leadership capacities. Phil is a graduate of Furman University with degrees in Sociology and Education, and a member of both the American Camp Association and Christian Camping and Conference Association.
SAM PINEDA
Sam Pineda serves as the full-time Director for Camp Ridgecrest for Boys. He is married to Christine, or "Teeny". Sam worked at Camp during college summer breaks, beginning in 2008, serving in a variety of roles. He began serving full-time in 2013. Teeny also worked at Camp from 2009-13. Sam and Teeny both hail from the great city of Chattanooga, TN and love the small-town life of Black Mountain. His daughters, Harper and Weezy, are 7 and 5, respectively. A member of the American Camp Association, Sam is a graduate of Liberty University and is an avid fan of the Braves and the UT Vols!
MATT STAPP
Matt Stapp serves as the full-time Assistant Director of Camp Ridgecrest. Matt is from Georgia where he met his wonderful wife, Anna, while they were both working for Young Life. Together they have 3 kids (Jude, Boone, and Margot) who are 4, 2, and 1, respectively. Matt worked at Ridgecrest for six summers throughout and after college and served in a wide variety of roles during his time here. Matt graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Film but was soon called to ministry quickly after college as he worked on Young Life staff for five years.
RON SPRINGS
Ron Springs is the Director Emeritus for Ridgecrest Summer Camps. Ron has served for over 46 years with the camps, 37 of those as Executive Director. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a Certified Camp Director with the American Camp Association and a member of Christian Camping and Conference Association. He has also been active on several regional and national committees and boards within the camping industry.
KARAH BROWN
Karah is the full-time Office Manager for Ridgecrest Summer Camps. She is from Memphis, TN and graduated from the University of Tennessee-Martin with a degree in Psychology. Karah started working at camp as the Photographer for Camp Ridgecrest summer 2013. She joined our full-time team as the Office Manager after that summer. Karah married her husband, Andrew, on the Middle Green at Camp in the fall of 2017 and they love living here in the mountains!
ROB WILSON
Rob is the Camp Crestridge Property Manager at Ridgecrest Summer Camps. With the ability to fix almost anything, Rob specializes in operating machinery. He has an eye for detail and loves making camp operate smoothly for the campers each summer. He has been with Lifeway for close to 20 years and joined us at Ridgecrest Summer Camps in 2012. He and his wife, Vickie, have two boys, Blake and Jacob, and live in West Asheville. Rob also enjoys hunting and fishing in his free time.
