About Ionian Village Staff

One of the keys to the success of Ionian Village is its remarkable staff of talented and dedicated Orthodox Christian adults. Our staff is selected from hundreds of applicants from across America, that undergo a rigorous application and interview process, and a thorough background investigation. Once hired, each staff member contributes his/her own expertise to IV's program during extensive planning sessions, and takes part in an intensive orientation and training program prior to camp.

With an average staff-to-camper ratio of 1:7, Ionian Village adheres to the American Camping Association's staff ratio standards, and is one of the most well supervised youth programs in existence.

To ensure the health and safety of all participants at Ionian Village, our staff includes two Registered Nurses or Medical Doctors, and an experienced aquatics staff of certified lifeguards and water safety instructors

The spiritual life and religious instruction of the camp is led and coordinated by priests who participate from throughout the Archdiocese of America. 

Meet our Staff for 2009!!

Fr. Jason Roll - Director

Fr. Jason Roll is a native of Oregon, current resident of Massachusetts, and in transition to New York.  A recent graduate of Holy Cross, Fr. Jason has over 18 years of camp and youth ministry experience.  He has served as Director at Camp Angelos of the San Francisco Metropolis, and as co-Director at St. Nicholas Ranch and Ionian Village.  He is married to Alexandra and has three sons, Demetre (age 8), Tedy (age 5), and Georgios (6 months).  He is a fly fisherman, rabid Red Sox fan, Dunkin’ Donuts addict, and a closet X-Box junkie.

 

Fr. Mark Leondis - Co-Director

Fr. Mark Leondis grew up in NJ and resides in NY, and is the National Youth Director. A Seminary graduate, he has over 20 years camp and youth ministry experience. He has directed numerous camp programs throughout the years.  He is married to Anastasia, and has two children, Juliana (age 8) and Alexander (age 6). He plays tennis, loves U2, plays the drums and is obsessed with the TV shows LOST and Friday Night Lights....and is a HUGE Yankees Fan!

 

Drew Baker - Program Coordinator

Drew Baker proudly hails from Richmond, Virginia.  He is a recent graduate of Hampden-Sydney College and the University of Richmond, and is currently teaching World History and Psychology in high school.  Serving at both the Ionian Village and St. Nicholas Ranch, Drew has a love for youth work and all things of or relating to camp.  He also loves the Virginia Tech Hokies, the Atlanta Braves and grilled octopus.

 

Elisabeth Lourie- Logistical Coordinator 

Elisabeth is a native of Alaska and a resident of New York.  She currently works in the GOA Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries and has over 9 years of camp and youth ministry experience.  She served on staff at St. John's Summer Camp in Alaska, Antiochian Village Summer Camp in PA, and worked for the past two summers in the Office of Ionian Village. She is a Lost junkie, Yankees fan, a lover of books, her family and friends and laughing really hard.

 

Cabin Staff 

Eleni A: Eleni is a 22 year old Greek American from San Francisco, CA.  She loves traveling, soccer, working with youth, experiencing different cultures, languages, her family and friends. Eleni graduated from UC San Diego last year studying International Relations and Political Science and has been living this past year (up until a week before the commencement of IV!) in Panama working with the United Nations on human rights and third world development issues - her passion.  Eleni will begin her first year of law school at the University of Connecticut next fall and is looking forward to having an incredible summer with the campers - having fun, growing spiritually and personally, teaching them about the world, and seeing the beautiful country of Greece.

 

Deanna M: My name is Deanna and I'm 23 years old. I will be graduating from James Madison University in December with a Bachelors in Nursing.  I hope to work all over the country and in different countries doing medical missionary work. I love classic rock, movies and laughing and can't wait for camp!

 

John K:  My name is John and I just finished my first year at Holy Cross School of Theology. I have a great love and appreciation for my faith and Greek heritage and I am very excited for my second year as a staff member at Ionian Village.

 

Kristina K: Kristina lives in Western PA and of course a big Steelers fan! Her home parish is St. George Antiochian Church in Altoona, PA. Kristina loves going on outdoor adventures especially when it involves rock climbing.

 

Andrew J: I am 22 years old from New Jersey. I will be a Senior at Western New England College this fall and will be graduating in May with a Communication degree. I am a sports fanatic, mainly basketball, football, and baseball; my teams are the Bulls, Giants, and Yankees; but i will root for LeBron James any day of the week. I have a huge passion for music; mostly any genre as long as it is loud and fun. But most of all I love being Greek and can not wait for Ionian Village. 

 

Constantine V: Hey there! My name is Constantine (but you can call me Dean) and I am from a small suburb of Philadelphia. I recently graduated from Gettysburg College with a degree in History and Secondary Education. I hope one day to become a high school social studies teacher. I really enjoy watching and playing almost all sports, reading, listening to different types of music and dancing.  I want to learn more about Greek culture and Orthodox Christianity. I am really excited for a fun filled summer as a counselor at Ionian Village!

 

Valerie P: Chemistry teacher by day, graduate student in chemistry by night. From Kent, OH, but live in Huntington WV. I enjoy reading, recycling, Zumba, walking my dogs in the park, and planning trips out of WV around eating at real restaurants. 

 

Stephanie V: My name is Stephanie and I grew up in the Resurrection Greek Orthodox parish in Castro Valley, California.  I graduated from the University of Arizona in December with my BA in Psychology and will be attending Boston College in the Fall to pursue my MSW.  This will be my first time at IV and I can't wait!

 

Pete D: I'm Pete, I am 22 years old and from Pittsburgh, PA.  I just graduated from Duke where I studied Psychology and Neuroscience, and I'll be starting law school in the fall at Harvard.  I can't wait for 2 months of IV in between, getting to know the campers and sharing our Greek culture and Orthodox Faith, traveling around Greece, and doing a lot of swimming.  Let's go Pens!

 

Alexa K: My name is Alexa and I am 22 years old from Marietta, Georgia. I have just received a Bachelor of Arts in German and Religious studies from the University of Georgia. I will be attending the University of Georgia again for my Masters in German Language and Education. I love traveling, languages, cultures, music, working and hanging out with all age groups. I also enjoy dancing and playing sports. I can not wait to begin this summer at Ionian Village!

 

Mario C:Mario graduated in 2007 from Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah, with a Bachelor's Degree in Marketing and Finance. He served as Treasurer for the Dionysios Greek Dance Group in Salt Lake City in 2008. He participates in Sons of Pericles Basketball Tournaments and in various church-related activities.

 

Chris R: My name is Chris, and I am a PK (priest's kid) and former IV camper who can't wait to come back as a counselor!  This fall I will be completing my last year at California State University, Sacramento while majoring in Business-General Management.  I am 22 years old, and currently live in Sacramento, but consider my home town to be Portland, OR where I lived for just about 12 years.  I am obsessed with Greek folklore, music, and dance, and have been a Greek folk dance director for the past three years, and a dancer basically my whole life.  Also, I'm a big sports fan... go 49ers, Blazers, and Cal Bears!!  As a big camp lover, I have been a counselor at St. Nicholas Ranch as well as Camp Angelos in Portland for many years.  I can't wait to spend this summer learning more about my faith and culture in Greece!

 

Nomiki F: I am a senior at Miami University and am pursuing graphic design.  I am from the Northeast Ohio region and hope to move out west when my schooling is complete.  I'm ecstatic to be working at Ionian Village and cannot wait to experience Greece with everyone!

 

Christina D: Christina is a recent graduate from the University of Oregon with a degree in Journalism: Electronic Media. Christina was born and raised in Portland, Oregon where the lush environment has sparked a passion for outdoor pursuits. As a Greek Orthodox, Christina has been actively involved in her Portland parish through youth programs and summer camps. She is excited to spend the summer as a lifeguard at IV, where she can give and grow in an Orthodox setting. 

 

Christian S: Christian is returning to the Ionian Village camp staff for a second year dedicating his summer to the Orthodox youth and the Archdiocese of America. Throughout the rest of the year, Christian works as an Athletic Trainer at Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, California. He can not wait to enjoy another Grecian summer filled with friendship and fun.

 

Emily S: Hi! I’m Emily and I’m from Utah where I attend Prophet Elias and Holy Trinity churches.  I graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelors degree in Exercise Science in 2005 and will be starting graduate school in the fall at the U of U working on a Masters of Education degree to become an elementary school teacher.  I served as camp staff at Camp Emmanuel (Metropolis of Denver summer camp) for the past seven years.  I danced with the local Greek dance groups for 12 years, including teaching for a year.  I enjoy reading, Greek dancing and hanging out with my family and friends.  I am very excited to spend the summer at IV and learning and growing in my faith!

 

Maria B: Maria is currently from Virginia Beach, but has lived all over the world as a US Navy child.  She graduated from James Madison University in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and in 2009 with a Master of Arts in Teaching for secondary education.  Serving at Ionian Village for the third summer, she loves making friendships with the campers and staff and watching the camp grow together as Orthodox Christians.  She also enjoys learning foreign languages, live music, and exploring new places. 

 

Stacie Z: Hi! My name is Stacie and I'm from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. I graduated from York College with a Bachelors in nursing. I work on a medsurg floor at my local hospital. I love anything that has to do with the outdoors and adventure, quilting, scrap booking, sports especially football and traveling!! I look forward to another fun filled summer with the campers and staff at Ionian Village!

 

 

 

Lauren B: Lauren is a proud native of the Pacific Northwest, originally from the Seattle area, but currently living in Spokane, Washington while attending Gonzaga University.  Entering her senior year, she is working towards a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with a minor in English and Religious Studies.  In her final year at Gonzaga she is hoping to witness the Bulldogs make it to at least the Final Four!   An avid skier in the winter and an addict to the outdoors over the summer, Lauren is eagerly anticipating the journey Ionian Village presents for this summer!

 

Christina C: Christina has been the assistant director at All Saints Camp in Gig Harbor, Washington for the past three years. She was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. She is a recent graduate of Western Washington University with a degree in Sociology. Christina enjoys working with youth and has 7 years of youth work experience with the Greek Orthodox Church. When she isn’t in class or planning for camp, Christina loves to ride her mountain bike and play volleyball and works as a marketing coordinator. You can often find her behind the lens of her camera or camcorder, capturing life as it comes.

 

Christine W: I'm Christine and am 23 years old and live in Portland, OR where it rains 364 out of 365 days a year.  This is literally not an exaggeration.  But in recent months, I have kind of begun to grow mildly obsessed with it.  I am like a week away from becoming a certified high school teacher, and could not be more happy to be finishing up school forever.  I am just totally in love with life and the following is a list of what I love: God, THE ORTHODOX CHURCH music, airplane turbulence, taco bell, any kind of food, summer, TANNING, creating moments, out of control people, the entire IV 2009 staff who I haven't even met yet but am already obsessed with, Greek dance, the Hills, my saintly MOTHER and my family, my BFF Angie, clean towels and pillowcases, facial exfoliation, the musical WICKED, celine dion (inarguably the greatest singer of all time), southwest airlines, did I mention tanning?, and basically just creating EPIC moments in all situations.  Ok, so basically I am obsessed with camps and the country of Greece which makes this summer pretty much the ideal situation EVER!

 

Nikol H: Nikol was born and raised outside Chicago.  She is a proud 2000 and 2001 Ionian Village alumna.  Nikol studied biology at Marquette University and graduated from dental school at Southern Illinois University in 2008.  Currently, Nikol lives and practices dentistry in Chicago, and she is looking forward to a summer full of big camp smiles!

 

Stephan C: Stephan is 24 yrs old from south Florida.  He enjoys hanging out with his 11 siblings, sports (bball), music and naps.  He also gets a sick thrill out of watching Kobe, Belichick and KG lose (as rare as it is). After taking a year and a half off of school to give trading a shot (FAIL), he is going back in the fall to finish up.  Stephan is really excited about getting to Greece and working with the staff to be a positive influence on all the campers, as well as further educate himself on his awesome culture and faith.

 

Kalli A: Hi everyone!  My name is Kalli, and I am from White Plains, NY.  I am a PK (priest’s kid) and my home parish is in New Rochelle, NY.  I graduated from SUNY Cortland in spring 08 with a degree in Kinesiology, and a concentration in Exercise Science.  I have started my masters in Physical Education at Manhattanville College last January.  This is my first time as a councilor at IV, yet I have been there twice as a camper, and countless times with my family growing up.  I am a huge sports fan (GO YANKS!) and grew up playing soccer and volleyball!  I love to travel and interact with different people.  Words cannot express how ecstatic I am for this summer together!!

 

Jacob S: Hey everyone, my name is Jacob and I'm 25 years old.  I'm currently living in Boston, MA (Go Sox, Chahge!) attending seminary at Holy Cross.  Originally from Virginia (the "Land of Presidents," Go Hokies!...I love you too Drew), I split my undergrad between the Virginia Military Institute and the University of South Carolina where I earned a double-major in Philosophy and Religion.  I'm definitely excited about this summer.  Its always a blast working at a camp where youth, removed from any adverse situations/pressures and distractions, are able to grow a deeper relationship with "the Father, and the Son Whom He sent," come to know/understand themselves better, and make lasting bonds/friendships with their peers and staff.  I look forward to meeting each of you, and working to make this summer a brilliant and profound experience.

 

Stephanie P:   Stephanie is a 21 year old senior at the University of Wyoming.  Go Pokes!!  With Christ’s blessing she will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in May 2010.  Her ambitions are to be a traveling nurse and to use her talents in medical missions.  She is an active member of Sts. Constantine & Helen in Cheyenne, Wyoming.  She enjoys her faith, family, friends, dancing, laughing, Geosmin, and life.  She is very grateful for this opportunity and is looking forward to sharing this awesome experience and making life-long memories.

 

Andrew G: Andrew Granias is 22 years old and hails from St. Paul, MN. He will be graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison next spring with degrees in philosophy and political science. He is extremely excited to experience the rich tradition of Ionian Village and all of the opportunities it offers to campers and staffers to grow in their faith and moral ambition. He is an avid Chicago Cubs fan and annually believes that this is truly the year they will win the World Series (talk about faith!).

 

Dina B:Constandina Baruth: G’Day Mate, I am Dina. I just returned from an epic 6 month adventure traveling Down Under. I am just about to turn 24. This will be my third birthday celebrated in the Greece. I celebrated my sweet sixteen training with the Greek Olympic Soccer team. This will be my 2nd summer with IV. I am a graduate of George Mason University and a proud native of the most glorious state of Colorado.  I simply adore my nephews Stefan, and Aidan. P.s. No one can read my poker face!

 

Constantine C: I am an American born in Greece, raised in America, grown up in Greece, now entering my senior year at Hellenic College in Boston.  I’m the oldest of five brothers, which may indicate the color and amount of my mom and dad’s hair respectively.  I’m looking forward to working and serving with the IV staff this summer in offering our campers the best. See ya soon!!