Meet the Directors
You won’t find people more passionate for camping than Mark (“Speedy”) and Bernice Glaser. Uncle Speedy and Aunt Bernice first met at camp in 1970. They were married in 1974 and realized camping was to be their lives. Speedy and Bernice are the sole owners of Nock-A-Mixon, and thus there is one singular vision for camp. They also have no involvement or stake in any other camps, nor do they run additional day camps or session camps, meaning their commitment is soley to Nock-A-Mixon. As owners, they are involved in every aspect of the day to day operation of camp. You can find Aunt Bernice teaching Zumba classes, helping out with crafts projects and, of course, tucking the girls in every night. Uncle Speedy is regularly refereeing basketball games, teaching clinics and running our evening programs. Campers appreciate their total dedication, and as a result, feel comfortable and safe.
Uncle Speedy
Uncle Speedy is a true camp lifer, having spent more than 60 years at Camp Nock-A-Mixon! Born and raised in Hewlett, New York, Speedy first came to Nock-A-Mixon in 1957 at just 5 years old! He later progressed to counselor, Athletic Director, Division Leader, Head Counselor, and Assistant Director. He started his professional career as a Philadelphia public school teacher before going to work full time for the previous owner of Nock-A-Mixon in 1978. In 1981, he and Aunt Bernice purchased the camp and have been the owners and directors ever since. Uncle Speedy is a dedicated sports fan with an immense appreciation for the arts as an avid theater goer. As a result he is able to connect with campers of all interests. Speedy spends his winters in West Palm Beach, Florida playing golf, rooting for his beloved Ohio State Buckeyes and cooking up brand new ideas for the summer!
Aunt Bernice
Aunt Bernice, a Philadelphia native, first came to Camp Nock-A-Mixon as a counselor in 1970. She was promoted to Head of Girls' Camp in 1973, a position she held until she and Uncle Speedy became the sole owners of camp in 1981. Bernice also spent 22 years as a school teacher, and overall has more than 50 years of experience working with children. At camp, Aunt Bernice never stops moving. She runs the camp office, teaches Zumba classes, takes pictures and always has the best costumes for Junior Girls Halloween night! Of course what the girls love most is each night when Aunt Bernice visits their cabins to make sure she says goodnight to each and every girl. In the winter, Aunt Bernice heads down to Florida with Uncle Speedy where she is a passionate tennis player. She also enjoys Mahjong and knitting the most comfortable sweaters!
Gary Glaser
Director -
With camping in his blood, Gary Glaser, Speedy and Bernice’s oldest son, always knew he wanted to spend his life at Camp Nock-A-Mixon! He graduated from George Washington University in 2006, where he studied developmental psychology and business, and went to work for camp full time. Since his days as a camper and counselor Gary has served in many Head Staff roles. He has been the Dining Hall Manager, a Junior Boys Supervisor, Head of Boys Camp, and now a Director.
A life-long swimmer, Gary looks forward to teaching swim lessons in addition to helping in the tennis and lacrosse programs. He also brings out his guitar to jam with campers at our music center and perform during some evening activities. Gary’s caring personality, patience and love of teaching make him a valued asset to our campers and staff.
During the off season he helps to manage all aspects of camp, concentrating on staff and camper relations, purchasing, and our annual facility additions and renovations. Gary lives with his wife, Staci, in Blue Bell, PA with their son, Aidan, and daughter, Lily. Gary and Staci are so excited to share the camp experience they both love so much with their children.
Staci Glaser
Health Center Manager -
Staci Glaser, comes to Nock-A-Mixon with 12 years of camping experience, including 3 summers teaching cheerleading and dance. Graduating Penn State with a Biology degree, she spent 7 years in pharmaceutical sales, before going back to school to become a nurse.
During the summer, Staci works in the health center, both administratively and as a nurse. Staci’s meticulous work ethic make her a great addition to the camp team.
Jay Glaser
Athletic Director / Director -
Speedy and Bernice’s youngest son, Jay Glaser, graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 2008 with a degree in Communications and Journalism, and spent 3 years working in sports radio. However, the call of camp became too strong and Jay decided to join the family business full time in 2011!
During the camp season Jay serves as Athletic Director, Events Coordinator and the head of our Varsity Basketball program. In the winter, Jay focuses on staffing, athletics, programming and special events. He also coaches high school baseball and basketball, as well as a travel baseball team in Lower Merion, PA.
Jay is an enthusiastic coach who aspires to be a strong role model for his players, a passion he brings to camp each summer for the campers. As you may be able to guess, Jay spends his free time playing in men’s basketball and ice hockey leagues and hoping one day the New York Mets will finally pull it together!
Josh Flanagan
Head of Boys Camp -
Josh Flanagan has quite a long history with Nock-A-Mixon. He first came to camp in 1990 as a youngest junior boy, when his mother, Judy, was hired as the Girls’ Head Counselor! Since his days as a camper, Josh spent four summers as a counselor before becoming a Supervisor.
Today, as the Head of Boys Camp, Josh enjoys running around with the campers, making them laugh and creating memories that will last a lifetime. Josh has a charismatic and infectious personality that makes both campers and staff feel comfortable and connected to him. In his free time, Josh is a die-hard Philadelphia sports fan and enjoys spending time with his family and friends.
Abby Lieberman
Parent - Camper Liaison -
Abby Lieberman grew up going to summer camp and loved every minute of it! She began her Nock-A-Mixon career in 2008 as the Junior Girls Supervisor and in 2015 was promoted to Head of Girls Camp. In addition to her many years of camp experience, she also spent more than 20 years working as a teacher in various areas of education including Preschool, Elementary Education and Special Education. Now retired from teaching, she joined our year round staff in 2017! The girls love her warm nature and always feel taken care of when they are with her.
Abby earned a BA in Marketing from George Washington University and a Masters in Elementary Education from West Chester University. She lives in Fort Washington, PA with her husband Michael and has two sons, Sam and Jeremy, who also spent more than 10 summers at camp.
Supervisors
With over 95% being former Nock-A-Mixon campers or counselors, our Supervisors (also known as division heads or leaders) are truly special and unique in the camping industry. The overwhelming majority of our Supervisors work full time as teachers and educators which allows them to be the perfect role models for our campers, as they are naturally able to blend the Nock-A-Mixon way with classroom leadership and methods. You will be hard pressed to find more caring and harder working adults in our industry.
Counselors
Our counselor staff at Nock-A-Mixon is one of the best aspects of our organization. With 80-85% of our counselors each summer being former campers, our staff makes it easy to further our camp traditions while naturally being able to show our campers the empathy needed to properly nurture them. Our incredibly high counselor return rate also allows us to be extremely selective when hiring first time staff members.
All of our staff members go through an interview process before being placed within our organization. We strategically identify potential staff members with specific skills such as enthusiasm, willingness to work with children and a true caring demeanor. Each staff member receives weekly feedback sessions from their direct Supervisors in addition to a formal final evaluation before our season ends. Our head staff works tirelessly to ensure that our counselors grow both professionally and personally each summer.
Lastly, all of our staff members take part in a mandatory orientation which takes place the week before our campers arrive. Every staff member must complete a background check, provide references and have an in person interview with a member of our leadership team. We are also proud of the fact that Camp Nock-A-Mixon was one of the first camps to implement a drug testing program for counselors to ensure that our staff is at camp for the right reasons.
