Joel Gill - Executive Director

Joel joined the staff of Ferncliff Camp and Conference Center in 2011 as the Program Director and was promoted to Executive Director in 2017. Joel is a native of Arkansas and a graduate of Austin College. His work experience, which includes various camps and youth development organizations throughout the United States, has provided an excellent foundation to lead the team at Ferncliff. Joel attributes his time spent at Arkansas 4-H Center and Heifer International with giving him a valuable perspective on the importance of organizations, such as Ferncliff, on the campers we connect with each year as well as the business and corporate community. In all aspects of his work Joel is always focused on promoting the Ferncliff mission of welcoming people into a life of caring for Creation, others and themselves. Joel has served on the board of the Presbyterian Church Camp and Conference Association for the seven years most recently as the President of the organization. He enjoys trail running, watching his four kids play sports and kicking around new ideas.  Joel believes Ferncliff is a perfect place to work to fulfill his passion of connecting people to God through experiences in nature while also satisfying his need to be creative and give back to others.

Bradley Doherty - Chief Operations Officer

Bradley joined the staff of Ferncliff Camp and Conference Center in 2023.  As COO Bradley oversees day to day operations of camp.  He is originally from Wichita, Kansas, but has also lived in Colorado, Texas, Tennessee and Oklahoma.  Bradley has his bachelors and master’s in architecture from Texas Tech University.  He has worked full-time at YMCA, Methodist and other Presbyterian camps in various capacities, giving him a unique perspective and diverse skill set.  Bradley feels called to work in camp and retreat ministry because of the amazing impact a positive experience can have on a person’s development and faith journey.  He is energized every morning knowing he has the opportunity to work at a place that can make a life-changing impact on participants.  Bradley believes that people and relationships are the most important part of camp and what makes Ferncliff so special.  When not at Ferncliff Bradley can be found cycling, running, golfing, enjoying the outdoors or spending time with his family.

Jordan Lawson - Director of Group Sales

Jordan is responsible for booking all of Ferncliff's conference and retreat groups.  She is an Arkansan born and raised. She has a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Arkansas State University. She brings 10 years of sales experience and customer service expertise to her role at Ferncliff as Director of Group Sales. Jordan has seen firsthand the impact that Ferncliff can have after sending her eldest son for summer camp. She is excited to help others witness the natural beauty, community, love, and Christian hospitality that Ferncliff offers. In her free time Jordan enjoys DIY projects, being outdoors, and spending time with her husband and three children.  If you interested in having a family reunion, church retreat, day event or corporate retreat at Ferncliff, she's the one to contact!  

Emily Hooker - Director of Mission and Outreach

Emily oversees all things related to mission and outreach for Ferncliff, which includes the Disaster Assistance Center, Sharing the Goods program, farmstead, volunteer groups, and mission teams. Emily is originally from York, Pennsylvania, but has called Arkansas home since 2008. She has a BA in anthropology from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and a Master of Public Service from the Clinton School in Little Rock. Emily began working full time at Ferncliff in 2014 after four summers on summer staff. She is passionate about providing opportunities for folks of all ages to connect with themselves, others, and the Divine through nature and service. Emily is a certified Arkansas Master Naturalist, a Red Cross instructor in lifeguarding and first aid, an avid bird watcher, and a big fan of hiking and camping. When she's not enjoying the great outdoors, you can find her knitting, reading, and spending time with her husband Joseph and her baby daughter Beatrice.

Rev. Jocelyn Wildwright - Program Director and Chaplain

Lizz Garbett – Director of Group Experience

 Meet Lizz Garbett! She joined Ferncliff Camp and Conference Center as Director of Group Experience in 2024.  Lizz may be new to our staff but she is far from new to Ferncliff.  Over the span of nearly 10 years she has been volunteering for summer camps and winter camps. As Director of Group Experience Lizz works with groups in planning the details that will make their retreat amazing.  She coordinates menus, meeting space setups, AVL needs, programming and more.  She serves as host for our retreat groups while on site. Her goal is to help set the foundation so that our groups can have a transformative time at Ferncliff.  Lizz began her professional career as a registered nurse over 20 years ago, earning her diploma from Baptist Health School of Nursing and a Bachelor’s of Nursing from University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She has a wealth of knowledge and experience spanning various nurse specialties including surgery, oncology, hospice, school nursing as well as child and adolescent psychiatry.  At its core nursing is caring for people, and Lizz looks forward to bringing that care to Ferncliff.  When not working with a group you can find her in the Welcome Center ready for a conversation.  She loves to care for people and loves Ferncliff and is willing to go the extra mile to ensure guest experiences here are top notch.

Karle Johnson - Director of Food and Beverage

Karle joined Ferncliff as the Food and Beverage Director in the Fall of 2023. He lives in Little Rock with his wife and two-year-old son.  Originally from Arkansas but growing up in Texas, he has an eclectic food experience and flavor palette. He's worked at many local restaurants and trained under Chefs Paul Bash and Todd Gold. Most recently, he was the executive chef at National Park Medical Center in Hot Springs. When he isn't cooking or running the daily food services at Ferncliff, you can find him kayaking or fishing, hanging out with his family or playing music with his band. He's also a published author, and loves writing and reading fiction. Karle's credo for food has always been simple food prepared well that nourishes the mind, body and spirit. He looks forward to bringing that to Ferncliff!

Jessica Lyons Parr- Director of Donor Guidance

Jessica is excited to join the Ferncliff team as the Director of Donor Guidance. Jessica is a native Arkansan who grew up in the small town of Clinton. She received her Bachelor's in Sociology from Arkansas Tech University and her Master's of Public Service from the Clinton School in Little Rock. Before coming to Ferncliff, Jessica has served in membership, volunteer management, and development roles at the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History, the Jones Center, and Girl Scouts - Diamonds. Jessica discovered the importance of meaningful summer camp experiences during her time serving as a counselor and intern at Camp Aldersgate where she met many lifelong friends. She finds great joy in connecting people to the missions that they are passionate about and empowering others to make an impact in their communities. When not at work, you can find Jessica wandering through museums, exploring the outdoors with her husband and two dogs, reading, or traveling to new places in search of cute plant shops or bookstores.

Amara Yancey

Amara is a passionate, dedicated administrative professional with over 15 years of high-level administrative work experience. Born in Wyoming but raised in the Arkansas Ozarks of her “Mountain Home”, Amara has called Little Rock home for the last 13 years. After serving for 6 years on the Board of Directors at Ferncliff, Amara is thrilled to bring her administrative and financial skills to the role of Financial and Administrative Coordinator. She has a deep and abiding love of Ferncliff, and will talk about camp all day long. She believes that Ferncliff is a “thin space”, and she looks forward to making camp run smoothly so that everyone can enjoy their time in God’s creation. After graduating from Arkansas State University with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, Amara focused her attention on providing excellent administrative work in a variety of professional settings, such as Human Resources, Banking and Nonprofits. She is passionate about what she does and the role she plays in making Ferncliff successful. She is mission oriented and focused on providing excellent service to families, staff and donors. She is a really good parliamentarian-turned-Presbyterian and is always taking notes. When she isn’t working, you can find her volunteering in her kids’ schools, teaching Sunday School, attending a concert at the ASO or a play at The Rep, spending time with her family, petting stray cats and staying close to a body of water in the summer.

Ruth Arnold - Assistant Program Director

Pam Carpenter - Head of Housekeeping

Kathi Payne - Office Administrator

Tom Gentry - Operations Manager

Jonathan Caudle - Assoc. Manager of Maintenance

Jax Puckett - Kitchen Manager

Kimberly Graves - Communications Director

Kimberly joined the staff in 2024 as the Communications Director, overseeing communication for all areas of Ferncliff. A native Arkansan, Kimberly holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master's in Instructional Design from the University of Central Arkansas. She has worked in higher education communication and marketing for the last 15 years. Kimberly is passionate about the power of storytelling, believing it to be a vital tool for connecting people and building stronger communities. She sees storytelling as a way to convey values, inspire action, and foster understanding among diverse groups. By sharing the stories of Ferncliff's mission and impact, she aims to highlight the importance of caring for creation, others, and oneself. Kimberly believes that shared experiences can create a sense of belonging and purpose, encouraging individuals to make positive changes in their own lives and communities. When she is not at work, you can find Kimberly traipsing through the forest, gardening, hanging out with her family and dogs, sitting on her porch with a good cup of coffee, and working on her family’s farm.

Rachel Parker - Nature Preschool Director

Rachel is originally from The Natural State. She graduated from the University of Central Arkansas with a degree in Early Childhood Special Education and worked with preschoolers with severe developmental delays for 8 years before becoming a Forest Kindergarten teacher.  She is passionate about getting young children connected with nature, which is what lead her to Ferncliff.  She started the nature preschool 7 years ago and has been the Director ever since. She lives in Ferndale with her husband and their two children. She loves spending her time camping with friends and family, keeping an ear out for great music, and refining her kite flying skills.

Dorothy Thomas - Teacher

Dorothy calls Arkansas home, though she grew up in the Midwest and Texas.  She landed at Ferncliff in 2015 as an intern and then accepted a teaching assistant position with the preschool in 2016.  She finds joy in working with children and being in the outdoors, has 17 years experience working with children, and has completed course work in child development from the University of Central Missouri, which makes her a natural fit for our program.  She is an Arkansas Master Naturalist and has just recently completed a Nature-Based Teacher Certification course with the Eastern Region Association of Forest and Nature Schools.  When not at the school she likes to explore the State Parks of Arkansas, support the local art and music communities statewide, and is learning to play the Dulcimer.

John Hooker - Teacher

Hi everyone, my name is John Wilson Hooker! I’ve lived in Central Arkansas for all my life and have been working at summer camps and in early childhood education since I was fourteen years old. I’m a big hiker, a big consumer of animation and new music, and an even bigger goof ball when given the slightest opportunity. I love a good cup of tea, any dish with copious amounts of mushrooms, and spending time with ornery cats. I graduated from Hendrix College in 2018, and I’ve been working in the outdoor education field with 3, 4, and 5 years olds since January of 2019. I’m so excited about continuing that journey at Ferncliff!

Janae McCallister - Teacher

My name is Janae McCallister & I am so excited to be joining the Ferncliff Nature Preschool staff this year. I was born & raised in Arkansas & after spending 9 years in Mississippi, my family & I relocated back to The Natural State in 2021. I am married, with 3 boys, ages 11, 8 & 4. We love to spend our weekends camping, hiking, or at the lake when we aren’t busy playing baseball. I am also a huge animal lover & our 4 mini Aussies are always adventuring with us. I love to read, do lots of DIY projects around the home & anything crafty/creative. I have a long history of working with kids, starting with babysitting, working in a traditional preschool setting, nannying, & then raising my own 3 boys. I studied Wildlife Ecology & Early Childhood education in college & I am looking forward to the opportunity this year to incorporate my love of nature into working with kids. I can’t wait for all the experiences we will get to enjoy together!

Hollie Whiteseven - Teacher

Camping around the world with my military family, exploring woods with my cousins, fishing with my grandfather, and a memorable trip to the Grand Canyon at 14 sparked my lifelong love for the outdoors. This passion led to a career in outdoor education, where I've served for nearly 30 years with the Corps of Engineers, Arkansas State Parks, and now as Assistant Chief of Education for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. I love to fish, bird, hunt, hike, paddle, and Dutch oven cook with my family and friends in many of the natural spaces that Arkansas offers.  Connecting people to conservation is vital to the future health and well-being of society and it starts at the beginning, as children learn to love, engage in discovery, and feel safe and confident outdoors. Through nature, children will retain their sense of wonder, learn naturally about science and life cycles, problem-solve and create, and socially connect with their peers, wildlife, and the world around them.

Anna Derting - Teacher

Anna Derting is from Washington State. She has worked with both the Summer Camp programs and the Nature Preschool here at Ferncliff for the past year. She is currently working towards her early childhood education credentials. She loves cooking and baking and enjoys a good afternoon nap. A fun fact about Anna is that she was born in Madagascar! Anna is most excited for making new friends and welcoming kids into a loving environment.

Rachel Talmadge - Teacher

Rachel was born and raised in Fredericksburg, Virginia. She loves reading, being in nature, and hanging out with her family. She is a graduate from Mississippi State University, where she studied Elementary Education. She has worked at Camp Hanover for the last 4 years and is excited to join the Ferncliff team! Rachel will be a floating Teaching Assistant at the Nature Preschool this school year.

Katelyn Hoffman - Teacher

Hi! I’m Katelyn and I am 18 years old. Originally I am from Germany but I will be a residential volunteer here at Ferncliff and work at the nature preschool for the next year. I love working with kids and being outdoors, so the preschool is a perfect match for me. As a floater, I will be able to work with all kids here and I am super excited to learn from them as well. In addition, I will also be doing the after-school program. I hope to support the kids as best as I can in their exploring and learning and I am looking forward to seeing what the year will bring!

Madison Smith - Teacher

I am a native Arkansan and became connected to Ferncliff through family and as a camper.  While working on my history degree at Hendrix College, I was a Ferncliff Camp Counselor.  After completing my degree, I worked in various positions at Ferncliff as a preschool floater, the after school coordinator, and a leader at Learncliff.  My love of diving deeply into the natural spaces of this campus and finding solace there, combined with my experience working with children, led me to the Nature Preschool.