Meet the Directors

Matt & Ashleigh Jackowitz

Matt and Ashleigh Jackowitz have been Directors of Camp Winaukee since 2021, bringing together decades of combined camp professional experience and a shared dedication to youth development. Their journey as partners in camping began when they worked together as Assistant Directors at Camp Walt Whitman. Their journey as a family started when they met at a Project Morry fundraising event in New York City!

Matt grew up in Livingston, NJ and has always had a passion for the community that camp creates. Matt’s life in camping began in 1992 when he stepped off the bus at Camp Echo Lake as a nine-year-old. After 14 years as a camper and seasonal staff member, he dedicated his career to the industry by joining CEL full-time. He holds a degree from the University of Maryland and an MBA from Iona College. He remains highly active in the field as the Co-Chair of the ACA NY/NJ Standards Committee and member of the TriState Program Committee. He is also an ACA Standards Visitor.

Originally from Boise, Idaho, Ashleigh discovered her passion for the industry on the camp waterfront. A former college athlete, her leadership style is uniquely informed by her adventurous spirit and global perspective; having visited every continent, including a year spent teaching English in South Korea. Ashleigh is a respected industry voice, having spoken at conferences and served as a Program Track Chair for the ACA Tri-State Conference.

Ashleigh and Matt divide their oversight to support the campers, staff, and families. Leaning into decades of expertise in camper experience, staff development, and cultivating supportive communities; Ashleigh oversees The Mainland social and bunk-life experience with a special emphasis on the experience of our first-time camp families. She adores getting to be a ‘boy mom’ at home and work! Matt directs his focus toward overarching operations, utilizing his specialized background in logistics, recruitment, and program development.

Beyond Winaukee, Matt and Ashleigh share a profound commitment to Project Morry, an organization dedicated to helping youth from underserved communities experience the magic of summer camp while providing them with year-round academic support and mentorship. They live in Ridgefield, Connecticut, with their two sons, Cooper and Henry, whom Matt is determined to raise as die-hard (albeit long-suffering) fans of the Nets, Mets, and Giants.

Tom Daniel

Originally from England, Tom has spent nearly 20 years creating unforgettable camp experiences that help boys discover what they’re capable of. He believes camp gives boys something increasingly rare: the freedom to compete, explore, take on new challenges, and push beyond their comfort zones alongside friends and positive role models. Whether on the field, on the water, or out on an adventure, Tom is passionate about helping boys build confidence, discover new interests, form authentic friendships, and have an incredible amount of fun along the way.

A graduate of Cardiff Metropolitan University with a BSc (Hons) in Sport and Exercise Science, Tom began his career as a camp counselor and later served as Assistant Director at Lake of the Woods & Greenwoods Camps. As Business Development Manager at CircuiTree + Bunk1, he worked with camps across the country, gaining a unique perspective on exceptional programs, leadership, and the elements that create truly transformative camp experiences.

A lifelong athlete and adventurer, Tom embraces the same spirit of challenge he encourages in campers. He has summited Mount Kilimanjaro, completed Ironman Texas, and traversed the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim. He also serves as Vice President and a board member of Run2Revive, supporting the fight against Alzheimer’s and ALS. Tom lives in Nashville, TN, with his wife, Jenny, family and rescue pups.

Chandler Barnard

Chandler joined Winaukee in 2016 as Baseball Director, his first ever summer at camp, and quickly found a place that combined many of the things he values most: competition, community, leadership, and the constant pursuit of getting better. After several years as Athletic Director, he moved into a full time Staffing Director role in 2019. Today, Chandler serves as Assistant Director of Winaukee and the Island Campus Director, where he leads the community of boys ages 13 to 15. During the year, he oversees staff recruitment and hiring, helping build the culture that he leads each summer. Originally from Lubbock, Texas, Chandler attended Trinity College in Connecticut, where he played football and baseball, winning two NESCAC football championships before focusing on baseball. As a senior, he earned First Team All American honors while helping Trinity to a 45-1 record and a National Championship. He went on to play professional baseball for seven years before earning his M.B.A. from Texas Tech University.

Chandler believes sports at Winaukee give boys the opportunity to pursue their athletic goals through consistent coaching, training, and competition, while building unique relationships with the counselors and coaches who live alongside them as mentors. Through sports and camp, boys learn how to compete, lose, communicate, lead, show sportsmanship, be great teammates, and respond when things don’t go their way.

Chandler believes one of Winaukee’s most unique qualities is the journey boys take from the Mainland to the Island. As campers enter their teenage years, they move into an entirely new campus and community designed specifically for that stage of their lives, with greater opportunities for independence, responsibility, leadership, and growth.

What continues to draw Chandler to camp is how it demands him to be his best self while giving him the opportunity to grow, help others do the same, and make the Winaukee experience better every year. Chandler lives in Austin, Texas, and enjoys cooking, exploring coffee shops, painting, flag football, improv, and hitting the gym.