Meet the Directors & Staff
Michaux Crocker, Executive Camp Director
Michaux became the Camp Director in 1996, but he has been involved with Camp Cheerio since long before that as both a camper and staff member. He met his wife and current co-worker, Michelle, at Cheerio. Since then, they have loved raising their family surrounded by the love and values that are central to the Cheerio culture. In his free time, Michaux loves playing golf and soccer as well as spending time with his wife and two sons, Jack and Luke.
Shane Brown, Director of Traditional Camp and Development
Shane’s Cheerio Journey started as a camper in 1992 and his life has been changed and shaped by his Cheerio experience in countless ways since. He studied Parks and Recreation Management at NC State University and met his wife Cheri while in school there. They have two children, Adaline and Benton, who love being campers at Cheerio as much as Shane did 30 years ago. When not at camp, Shane enjoys cycling, whitewater paddling, and spending time with family.
Jim Hussey, Director Cheerio New River
Jim joined our Cheerio family in 2004 as a Senior Counselor and Lifeguard and loved it so much that he decided to make this his career. Since his start, Jim has taken on the roles of head counselor, events director, and trip leader prior to joining Cheerio in a full-time capacity. Having worked at both of Cheerios’ locations, Jim is excited to bring knowledge and traditions from both camps to the river as we gear up for the summer!
Outside of camp, you can find Jim out hiking on local trails, riding bikes with friends, Canoeing down various rivers, hanging out with his beautiful wife, or playing with their four dogs (Louise, Graham,Trout and Goose). At camp, you will be able to find Jim working alongside staff to ensure all activities are taught in a safe, fun manner and that each child learns something along the way.
Jim and the other staff work hard to ensure that camp will always be a special place as it allows kids to disconnect from the world of social media and find a connection (and hopefully a love) with the outdoors. They want camp to provide a place where they can be their authentic selves without the fear or worry of being judged.
Michelle Crocker, Director of Communications and Marketing
Michelle first joined the Cheerio family in 1989 as a Senior Counselor, and has served Cheerio in a variety of capacities over the years. By far her favorite role is building meaningful relationships with our staff and helping them to achieve their full potential. In her free time Michelle enjoys reading, playing games, laughing, and hanging out with her friends and family.
Weldon Hussey, Associate Director Cheerio New River
Weldon joined the Cheerio year-round team in May 2021 as the Marketing and Communications Director transitioning to Associate Director for Cheerio New River in 2022. Known for her passion for a good event, Weldon was in the tradeshow and event industry before coming to Cheerio. She is a graduate of Meredith College earning a degree in Communication.
Splitting their time between Mouth of Wilson, VA and her hometown roots of High Point, NC, when not at the River, you can find Weldon chasing their daughter, Millie, around, dabbling in creating tablescapes or entertaining her family and friends.
She looks forward to the exciting challenge of giving campers lifelong memories on the New River and making each camp gathering a special event!
Martyn Armstrong, Operations and Food Service Director
Martyn joined the Cheerio family as a counselor in 1996. In addition to planning and preparing the delicious menus in our dining hall, Martyn is responsible for all of the great Cheerio gear in the camp store, and is the judge of everyone’s favorite camp competition, Cabin Cleanup!
Melissa Butner, Personnel Director
I started at the High Point YMCA as a day camp counselor in 1998 and now over 20 years later I’m excited to be back. I spent those 20 years working with a local school district directing the after school programs and working with special needs students. I have been married for 12 years to my husband Michael and we have a daughter, Carolina. We also have a fur baby named Nova and she is the sweetest. We love to watch movies together, attend UNC football games at Carolina and our favorite thing to do is eat the wonderful meals Michael prepares for us. My favorite color is blue, but I really LOVE the color black. I’m slightly obsessed with the number 3 and I love the summer.
Kiran Orcutt, Cheerio New River Personnel Director
Kiran has been a staff member here at Cheerio since 2016. She has filled many different roles, from working with our CREW campers to hiring staff as the Personnel Director. As of January 2024 she has moved to work at Cheerio on the New River as the Personnel Director! Kiran is thrilled to have the opportunity to spend more time at one of her favorite places. She cannot wait to be at the River with her husband and their dogs, helping campers and staff create wonderful memories each summer!
Emmie McGlaughlin, Cabin Life Director
My name is Emmie McGlaughlin, and I am the Cabin Life Director at Camp Cheerio. My first summer ever, was my Counselor In Training (CIT) year. I fell in love with Cheerio right away and spent 10 summers at Cheerio, never looking back. This year I have started my journey on our Full Time team and I am working directly with our Counselors and Head Counselors to keep our campers happy and safe during their sessions. I’m excited to be a part of turning campers and staff into the best versions of themselves, year after year. When I’m not at camp, you can find me doing various other activities, such as; hiking, writing, painting, reading, or bigfoot hunting! I love learning about rocks, and admiring the world around us. I owe so much of who I am to Camp Cheerio, and I feel so fortunate to have the ability to do the same for others now. Can’t wait to see you on the mountain!
Sarah Kutner, Leadership Development Director
Hi everyone my name is Sarah Kutner and I am the Leadership Development Director at Camp Cheerio! I’ve held numerous different summer positions at camp including Counselor, Climbing Staff, CIT Director, and now I am in charge of the CIT Program! Camp is my favorite place in the world and I feel so lucky to work somewhere so amazing. In my free time I love to play fetch with my black lab June, listen to Taylor Swift, and watch Survivor. I can’t wait for the summer!
Eric Orcutt, Program Director Cheerio New River
Eric has been a long-time camper and staff member here at Cheerio. Eric grew up in High Point and has always loved working with children. Originally beginning at the Hartley YMCA as a lifeguard, he quickly became fond of spending his summers throughout college working at Cheerio. After graduating, he spent 4 years being the full-time Activity Development and Training Director at Camp Cheerio. Beginning in January 2024, Eric will be moving into a new full-time role at Cheerio on the New River! He is excited for this new adventure, and hopes to spend many more years working for Cheerio.
Luke Crocker, Program Director
Luke has spent every summer of his life up at Camp Cheerio, helping to prosper his love for camp and the mountain community. Luke has had plenty of experience in different roles at camp and is excited to be the new full-time Program Director. During his free time, Luke enjoys reading, video games, skateboarding, and spending time with friends and family.
Andi Wheeler, Riding Director
Andi joined our Cheerio team in the midst of Covid, but that didn’t stop her from falling in love with the people and the atmosphere. She has been working with horses for over 17 years and has been teaching lessons for over 7 years. When not spending time at the barn, she enjoys puzzles, painting, reading, and spending time with her 2 cats and bearded dragon.
Cheri Brown, Director of Groups and Health Care
Cheri joined Camp Cheerio full time during the summer of 2022, but has spent several summers at camp in past years. Her role at Cheerio is working with our summer medical team to ensure we are staffed and able to care for kids that come to camp. She also schedules spring and fall weekend groups and Family Camps. Cheri is a graduate of NC State in Parks and Recreation, where she met her husband, Shane, who introduced her to Cheerio. They have two camp-loving children, Adaline and Benton, and a cat, Daisy. When not at work, Cheri enjoys running, being outdoors, traveling as much as possible, and spending time with friends.
Terri Price, Director of Registration
Chances are if you call the Cheerio office, the friendly voice that answers the phone will belong to Terri. She serves as the Director of Registration for Camp Cheerio. She oversees camper registration and payments for Traditional Camp and Cheerio On The New River. Terri joined the Cheerio family in 2014. Two of Terri’s children are former Cheerio campers.
Kathy Harris, Registrar
Kathy’s first experience with Camp Cheerio was as a participant at our family camp, and she immediately fell in love with it. She joined the staff in November of 2014 and assists with the registration process for our many campers and groups. Outside of Cheerio Kathy enjoys spending time with her husband and 2 sons.
Counselors & Staff
Dedicated and experienced leadership is the key to successful camping. At Cheerio, we consider our counselors to be our most important asset. We maintain an overall counselor to camper ratio of better than 1:4. Our high ratio ensures each camper receives positive, personal interaction with their counselors each and every day.
How We Select Our Counselors
Only qualified college students and graduates who possess outstanding leadership abilities and experience in working successfully with children are selected as our Senior Counselors. Junior Counselors, held to the same high standards, are a minimum rising high school senior. We personally interview each candidate at Cheerio, secure a minimum of three personal, written references, and perform extensive background checks for all new counselors. Cheerio chooses only those who exhibit the high qualities consistent with the YMCA philosophy.
Learn about becoming a counselor on our Employment page.