High-Performance Coaches + Experienced Camp Professionals
Our Team
We are a dedicated team of high performance coaches, nurturing & exemplary counselors, and experienced camp professionals, passionate about the ‘whole athlete’.
Outside of sports specific training sessions, AC is distinguished in delivering programming focused on its pillars of Performance, Wellness, and Athlete Mindset mixed in with a healthy dose of fun through a daily schedule of traditional sleepaway camp activities.
Meet Our Directors
Michael Maurillo
Executive Director
Michael Maurillo is the Executive Director of Academy Camps. A New York native, Mike played four years of Division 1 Lacrosse at Fairfield University and was team captain his senior year. Mike spent over 2 decades in the Advertising and Health & Wellness sector. More than a year ago, he began his transition to the camp and coaching world by taking on the Executive Director role at Academy Camps. He is extremely active in youth sports as a member of the Westport PAL Lacrosse Board and as a coach for his local lacrosse, basketball and flag football teams.
Mike resides in Westport, Connecticut with his wife Jen and their 2 boys. Jen, a former varsity soccer player at the University of Michigan, is a Senior Vice President for Major League Soccer.
Courtney Grady
Director of Employee Development & Programs
As Academy Camps’ Director of Employee Development and Programs, Courtney brings a big passion for camp and a diverse professional background to the team.
Courtney has dedicated her career to creating transformational learning experiences for children and young adults - from language learning and study abroad programs to summer camp. She spent 9 summers growing from camper, to CIT, to senior counselor at a traditional residential summer camp up in Northern Wisconsin. She was also the Senior National Program Manager at Experience Camps, a non-profit organization that provides free, one-week camps to children who have lost a parent or sibling. While there she managed the people, processes, and systems required to deliver the camp experience to over 1,400 campers, staff, and volunteers across 10 programs and implemented scalable systems to set the organization up for accelerated growth.
Prior to joining the camp world full-time, she drove a constellation of projects at EF Education First in the higher education study abroad division. These projects spanned all areas of the business requiring her to wear many hats impacting 360 degrees of the business. No matter the role or task at hand, she’s always focused on the people in front of her.
Courtney resides in Somerville, Massachusetts and makes the most of her off-season time by traveling to visit friends and family. Her passion for camp runs deep and extends beyond the office: she hosts an annual “camp weekend” where she invites friends to celebrate, play get-to-know-you games, compete in Camp Olympics, and bring the camp magic to life.
Tim Eldredge
Director of Growth
Tim Eldredge is the Director of Growth for Academy Camps and will help guide our team as we work towards offering the AC experience to as many young athletes as possible.
Tim began his career in children’s summer camping where he led Staffing and Communications at Camp Laurel in Maine for 8 years. Prior to joining Academy Camps, Tim served as the Director of Finance and Operations at Next Generation Men & Women, where he scaled the nonprofit program to serve over 600 high school students across Metro Atlanta. He is an active member of his community and serves on the Board of Directors for East Atlanta Kids Club.
A high school basketball standout, Tim was raised in Portland, Oregon and is a University of Oregon graduate. He resides in Atlanta, GA with his wife Kristen and daughter Romi. Kristen and Tim met at camp, so camp runs in the family! Kristen is a children’s yoga teacher and community director at a local wellness studio.
Meet Our Founders
We’re the founders of Academy Camps, three life-long campers, counselors & full-time camp directors. We’re passionate about Athletics too.
While the three of us are not front and center at Academy Camps, we work closely behind the scenes with Michael and the team, sharing our knowledge, passion and industry know-how.
Jon Deren
Jon Deren has been the owner and director of Camp Manitou for Boys since 1998, never having left since he arrived as a camper in 1987. Jon was a collegiate skier at Tufts and received his MBA from Columbia University. Jon served on the Board of Directors for the American Camping Association – NY/NJ Section and is active on several ACA committees. During the year, Jon lives in Westport, CT with his wife Sara, and their 3 children.
Josh Hahn
Josh Hahn is the co-owner and Director of Camp Somerset for Girls in Smithfield, Maine, which he rebuilt and reopened in 2018 after being closed for more than 30 years. He was also the founding program director of Experience Camps, a non-profit organization that provides free, one-week camps to children who have lost a parent or sibling. Originally from Newton, Massachusetts, Josh spent 16 summers at camp in Maine. He graduated from Emory University and spent 15 years in the restaurant business in Washington, D.C. before moving to full-time camping. When not in Maine, Josh lives in Miami Beach with his husband, Adam.
Jem Sollinger
Jem Sollinger is the Managing Partner and Director of Camp Laurel. His history and career at Laurel spans over 35 years as he rose the ranks from camper, to counselor, to director and owner. Comprised of 520 campers and 300 staff, Jem’s leadership, boundless energy and attention to detail has established Laurel as a leader in the camping industry. An All New England soccer player in high school, Jem is a graduate of Union College where he was a four-year varsity soccer player and captain of the Alpine ski team. Jem is the President of The Top of the Hill Team, an organization comprised of parents and alumni that provides the Staples Boys Soccer program (his alma mater) with supplemental resources needed to remain one of the leading programs in the state. Jem is also a former member of the Board of Maine Summer Camps, Maine Youth Camping Association and Temple B’nai Chaim in Georgetown, Connecticut. Jem lives in Weston, CT with his wife Debbie and their 3 daughters.