Director: Elyse Wallach – Elyse is excited to be returning for her 24th summer! Camp Hadar is a special place for her and being the director fulfills a long time dream. Elyse is looking forward to using her camp experience and creativity to bring new ideas, programming, and of course fun to this camp season! Her favorite camp activities are arts and crafts and swimming. During the school year, Elyse is an elementary special education teacher. She loves spending time with her friends, family, and her dog Kenzie. When she’s not at camp or school, you can find her crafting, at the gym or on a beach.
We would also like to extend a sincere thank you to Julie DeFrancesco for stepping in as Interim Director earlier this year to help prepare for summer 2026. Her hard work has set a wonderful foundation for the upcoming season.
Assistant Director: Jason Stark – Summer camp has been a part of Jason’s life since his early days at Camp Simchah in Middleton, MA in the late 1980’s. He has previously worked with the YMCA in Marblehead, MA as staff, as well as a specialist and CIT leader at Summer on the Hill in Marblehead MA. During the school year, Jason teaches High School Social Studies.
Camp Staff Includes – A nurse on site and/or Red Cross CPR and First Aid Certified Staff, with an on-call physician available; certified waterfront staff; specialists and counselors with excellent experience in their field.
The Camp Specialist Staff – Includes the Aquatics Director, Lifeguards, CIT Director, Athletics Staff, Arts and Crafts Staff, Music Staff, LIT Director, Assistant Director and Camp Director.