Editor’s note: At Tamarack’s 2026 Annual Meeting, Dr. Danny Klein passed the role of president to Elizabeth Sollish after two years of leadership — and nearly two decades of service to the agency. In his remarks, Danny reflected on the many ways Tamarack has shaped his life, the people who have made these past two years so meaningful, and his hopes for Tamarack’s next generation.
Thank you, Danny, for your leadership.
When I think back to my first truly transformative summers working as a young counselor at Camp Tamarack in Brighton, I remember having this feeling that kept coming back to me. I wanted the way I felt and experienced life at camp to somehow be the way I experienced my life. There was something about the relationships, the community, the purpose and being part of something bigger than myself. I didn’t have the words for all of that at 18. I just knew I wanted more of it in my life. And, in the way an 18-year-old thinks about these things and at an age when you’re still figuring out who you are and forming so much of your identity, a dream emerged: Someday, I was going to run a camp.
Mine just didn’t come true in the way I imagined. Because standing here tonight, at the end of my two years as president of Tamarack Camps — and, amazingly, after decades of connection to this place, I can’t help but think that my own connection began a generation before me, with my father attending Tamarack as a scholarship camper. And I realize that the dream I had at 18 came true in ways I never could have imagined.
Looking back, I can see just how profoundly Tamarack shaped the person I became the relationships I built, the path I took, the community I came home to, and eventually, the experiences my own children would have here.
And for these past two years, I’m so grateful to have had the honor of being one voice among so many, entrusted with fulfilling the sacred Tamarack mission of building a vibrant community through enriching Jewish camping experiences respectful of financial ability. Of course, my experience is just one of thousands. Every summer, Tamarack continues writing those stories for another generation.
And I believe what we provide has rarely been more important than it is right now. Our kids are growing up in a world where so much of life happens through a screen, at a time when genuine human connection can sometimes feel harder to find. They are also growing up at a time of rising antisemitism, when being openly and proudly Jewish can feel more complicated than it should. Then there is Tamarack: A place where kids put down their phones and look one another in the eye. Where friendships are built face-to-face. Where they sing and dance together, create, laugh, problem solve and take care of one another. Where being Jewish and loving Israel isn’t something that needs to be explained or defended but it is something to be shared and celebrated.
Jewish joy: I think one of the greatest gifts we can give our children right now is to associate their Jewish identity with friendship and fun, experiencing Shabbat, Havdalah, Jewish culture and Israel, with laughter, belonging, safety and some of the best memories of their lives.
As I reflect on these past two years, I’m filled with tremendous pride for what we have accomplished together, but even more, with gratitude for the people who love this place and continue to show up for it.
And I’m also left with something Lee and I would often say to each other at the end of meetings, especially when we didn’t make it through everything on our minds or agendas: There is always more.
Over these past two years, this incredibly generous community has given at record levels to Send a Kid to Tamarack, including raising more than $1 million in each of the past two years, a milestone we had never reached before. At a time of dramatically rising costs, you’ve helped ensure that camp remains within reach for families, respectful of financial ability and the many other expenses that can come with living Jewishly.
In the past 24 months, we’ve continued transforming our campus and experiences through our long-term master plan and beyond. From The HuG to the Pappas Red Barn, Hermelin Village Phase Two, the Lucker Family Adventure Course, the Pilcowitz Medical Staff Lodge, Simon’s Shelter and the refreshing and rededication of the Jeff Gray Campfire Circle. We’ve concluded a transformational three-year strategic plan and passed an ambitious new 18-month plan.
In February, we launched TAG: The Tamarack Ambassador Group which is giving people another way to stay connected, engaged and give back. We’ve strengthened the partnership between our board and professional staff, built on trust, collaboration, good governance and a shared commitment to Tamarack. And still, there is always more.
And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the very first vote I took as board president was approving Tastebuds Food Service as our new food vendor. So if my presidential legacy is ultimately better camp food, I can live with that. But none of the meaningful things that happened over these two years happened because of a board president or any one person. They happened because of people. A team. A village.
I also want to recognize our past presidents, so many of whom are here tonight. I’ve had the privilege of standing on your shoulders and benefiting from your leadership, wisdom and commitment to Tamarack. Thank you for the example you’ve set and for your never-ending support.
To our full board, and especially Elizabeth, Julie, Jimmy, Jeff, Joel, Lisa, Carly, Barbie, Andrew and Mike, who served on the Executive Committees over these past two years: thank you for showing up, asking hard questions, challenging the status quo, supporting me, and giving so generously of yourselves. Andy, Stephanie and Gabe: I’ve loved working alongside each of you. Your talent, commitment and partnership continue to make Tamarack stronger. You are the best in the business.
And to our entire year-round professional staff, so much of what makes Tamarack special happens because of what you do every day, often far from what people see. Thank you for your incredible commitment to our campers, families and community.
Carly, when I first became engaged as a lay leader in 2009, I met an early-career development associate who was friendly, creative, smart, committed and really fun to work with. None of that has changed. I’ve had the privilege of watching you grow to become an exceptional camp director. Directing a camp in 2026 is not easy, and I marvel at the compassion, steadiness and skill you bring to our campers, staff and families. Having witnessed your journey has been a very special part of my own years with Tamarack.
And to Lee, I’m not sure I have all the words to meet this moment. You are an absolute gift to Tamarack and to this community, and you’ve become a gift to Jessica and me personally as well. I’ve learned enormously from you, and you’ve motivated me to give Tamarack all that I can and then some. I’ve seen firsthand how deeply you care about people and how you uplift others every day. This is clearly not just a job for you: it is a passion, a love and your calling.
I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished together, but I’m even more grateful for the relationship we’ve built along the way. All these years later, I never expected camp could still give me new lifelong friends. But in you and Robin, it did. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
And then there is my family: I want to thank my parents for giving me my very first opportunity to experience Tamarack all those years ago, having no idea just how profoundly this place would shape my life. Yesterday marked 13 years since I lost my mom, and I know she would have been incredibly proud to see me lead Tamarack. I feel her presence and her influence deeply, and I am especially grateful tonight for the gift that she and my dad gave me by making Tamarack part of my life.
Andrew and Abby, I’m incredibly proud that you’ve each found your own paths to giving back as counselors, leaders and proud Jews. Tamarack became part of your stories, too, and that means more to me than you know. I’m proud of each of you every day.
And Jessica, thank you for supporting my love of Tamarack and all the time I’ve devoted to serving this place over so many years and particularly these past two. More than anything, I continue to be inspired by your strength, your optimism, and the way you move through life with such grace and perspective. You make me better, and I couldn’t imagine having made this journey without you by my side.
Finally, Elizabeth, we’ve been on this board journey together for most of the past two decades, and I’m incredibly grateful not only for your partnership and support, but for the friendship we’ve built. Your leadership has strengthened mine and this agency. I’ve watched the thoughtfulness, seriousness, commitment and heart you’ve brought to preparing for this role, and I could not be more excited to watch you lead. Tamarack is in excellent hands. Fasten your seatbelt — it’s the ride of a lifetime.
And… there is always more. Maybe that is ultimately what I’ve learned from this experience. Tamarack has never belonged to any one of us or any one generation. We each get our turn to care for it, strengthen it and, ultimately, pass it forward. For 125 years, one generation has handed this place to the next. And while just about any alum will tell you that their time at camp was the way Tamarack was meant to be, our responsibility isn’t to recreate Tamarack exactly as we experienced it.
Our responsibility is to preserve the essence of Tamarack while having the courage and vision to let it evolve while remaining rooted in that idea of building the future Jewish community in the fresh air that Blanche and Ida began on Belle Isle back in 1902. Because somewhere at Tamarack today, there may be another 18-year-old counselor having the same feeling I had all those years ago. They may not have the words for it yet. They may just feel their relationships deepening, their confidence growing, and that they’re discovering something about themselves and the person they want to become. Maybe they’re even thinking, as I did, “This is how I want to live my life.” And they may have no idea where that feeling might take them. Neither did I. At 18, I thought my dream was to run a camp.
What I understand now is that my dream was to carry what I found here — the authentic connections, an incredible community, an appreciation for the outdoors, the power of making a difference in the lives of others, the pride in living Jewishly, and the sense of purpose and belonging — into the rest of my life. And I am just one Tamarack story with so many more stories yet to come. My hope and belief is that for the next 125 years, Tamarack will continue giving generations of young people the opportunity to discover their own version of that dream. Thank you for allowing me to live my dream.
