At Camp Fern Legacy, our mission is to inspire boys and girls to grow into confident, compassionate, and well-balanced young adults. Through meaningful outdoor experiences, mentorship, and community, we help campers discover their strengths, build resilience, and develop the character that guides them long after summer ends.
Camp Fern Legacy’s mission is to enrich the physical, social and spiritual lives of campers by creating programming that encourages personal growth, long-lasting friendships, and develops life skills that our campers take with them beyond the summer.
Director of Development & Recruitment
William has been returning back to Camp Fern Legacy since 2008, as a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, William graduated from Louisiana State University (LSU). After earning a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a Master’s in Business Administration, William has gone on to lead several young athlete teams to have successful basketball seasons. This summer, William will be drawing on his experiences for recruitment and camp planning.
Sophie has spent the last 13 summers at Camp Fern Legacy. After growing up in Marshall, Texas, she attended the University of Texas in Austin, earning her Bachelor’s in Communication and Leadership. Today, she lives in Houston with her husband and her dog while working toward her master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health counseling. For her 14th summer she’s excited to help grow our counselors’ mental, emotional and spiritual skills.
Justin lives in Dallas, Texas with his wife Sydney, who he met at Camp Fern, and son Finn. He spent 13 summers at Camp Fern as a camper and counselor holding several leadership roles such as Head of Daily Activities, Assistant Director, and Program Director at Boys Camp. Justin is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and received his Juris Doctorate from Texas A&M University School of Law. He has practiced as a commercial litigator and a risk management professional at financial institutions. Justin is an Executive Director in the Corporate Risk Regulatory Execution Office at Wells Fargo, where he remediates critical activities and ensures risk and control commitments are consistently executed across the bank.
A native of East Texas, Frances was born and raised in Tyler. She started at Camp Fern in 1995 and stayed in a variety of roles through 2009. Frances served as the head of riding for several summers, head of daily activities, and then assistant director. She went to Baylor University where she graduated with a degree in Education with a specialization in outdoor recreation. Frances continued her schooling with a Master’s in Education Administration. She taught math and coached in Mesquite ISD and Highland Park ISD before returning to Tyler where she is currently the Director of Development at All Saints Episcopal School. Frances and her husband Ben have two children, Ford and Nellie. Both of their children are excited to attend Camp Fern Legacy each summer.
Andy is a native of Marshall who graduated from Baylor University and then earned a medical degree from UT Medical Branch in Galveston. He and his wife Susan met at UTMB and after their wedding Susan worked as an NICU nurse while Andy completed medical school and his residency in paediatrics.
In 1979 they moved to Longview where he spent the next 27 years practicing general paediatrics at Diagnostic Clinic of Longview. Later, while in practice, he earned a Master’s degree in Medical Management from the UT-Dallas, Jindal School of Management, and then led his group as medical director until 2006
Beginning as a camper in Sweet Gum Suite, John spent several summers at Camp Fern. The uniqueness that is Camp Fern was something that he began to appreciate from Aunt Mag, his Great Aunt, and a fondness that continued through generations of the Rotzler and Littlejohn families. With extensive experience in design and construction, John has been responsible for the financing of major infrastructure projects including the first privately developed toll road in the United States in over 100 years. Currently, the Managing Principal of Infrastructure Development Partners, John is the former Chief Operating Officer, initial round investor, and member of the Board of Directors of Stream Gas & Electric Ltd. a major retailer of electricity and natural gas with operations in 16 states and over $1 Billion in annual revenues. Previously John was Senior Vice-President of a New York Stock Exchange traded international design and construction company.
Kathryn was introduced to Camp Fern by her mother, Ann Minton Lake, who attended Camp Fern many summers as a camper, counselor, and loved it deeply. Kathryn spent ten wonderful summers at Fern and after graduating from Stanford University, she pursued a career in analytics and alternative asset management. However, her true passion is in trying to give every child the opportunity to reach their full potential, so when a unique opportunity arose to work for Tom Luce, founder of the Hughes & Luce law firm and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education, she jumped at the chance. She worked closely with Mr. Luce in public education and health care policy across multiple initiatives, and they founded several non-profits together. More recently, she has focused on bringing the efficiencies and effectiveness of the private sector to the public sector as an Advisor in McKinsey & Company’s public and social sector practice. Kathryn resides in Dallas and serves on the Board of Directors for the Hospice of East Texas, Educational First Steps, the da Vinci School, and SMUs 21st Century Council.
From 1988 to 2003, McHugh spent a total of 16 summers at Camp Fern as a 2nd generation camper, a counselor, and Boys Camp Program Director (2001-2003). Originally from Shreveport, LA, he now lives in Keller, Texas with his wonderful wife, Kathryn, who he met while at camp. Their 2 sons, William and Robert, both now attend Camp Fern Legacy as 4th generation campers. McHugh earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Systems and Decision Sciences from Louisiana State University. After graduating, he stayed in Baton Rouge and spent several years working as a Director for the Y.M.C.A. before moving to Texas to pursue a career in Information Technology. For the last 16 years he has worked in large IT project and program management roles for a consulting firm.
Sydney, originally from East Texas, now lives in Dallas with her family. She started at Camp Fern in 1996 and stayed for 15 years, holding a variety roles including Head of Waterfront for many summers, Head of Daily Activities and Assistant Director at Girls Camp. Sydney is a double graduate of Southern Methodist University where she received her Masters in Business Administration. Sydney spent the first eight years of her career marketing for real launching new brands, turning around declining brands, and working on a recent acquisition in consumer products. Sydney recently joined a leading online wig retailer leading marketing strategy and implementation. She is excited to bring her expertise to Camp Fern Legacy, Inc. and looks forward to raising the bar in communications and recruitment in years to come.
