(Courtesy of NJY Camps) NJY Camps is proud to announce the hiring of Will Eastman and Sam Aboudara as chief development officer and chief operations officer respectively. Their hirings come off of the momentum of a successful 2021 summer, NJY Camps 100th year of camp, and represent a step forward for the organization into 2022.
Eastman joins NJY Camps as chief development officer after several leadership positions in the nonprofit sector, including the camping world. Most recently, he was part of the Sunrise Day Camp Association for six years, where he held several roles including as founding executive director of the Baltimore region and the director of the American Friends of Sunrise Israel campaign. In Baltimore, Eastman was recognized as a “40 Under 40” leader by the Baltimore Business Journal. Prior to Sunrise, he served as the executive director of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, where he expanded the organization’s impact and footprint across the United States, Europe and the Middle East.
Eastman was born and raised in Central New Jersey, where he graduated summa cum laude from Rutgers University. At Rutgers, he received the Hillel International Exemplar of Excellence Award for his efforts on campus and was a fellow in the Eagleton Institute of Politics. Eastman, with his wife and two young daughters, reside in Livingston. He is a board member of the Synagogue of the Suburban Torah Center. He is thrilled to be part of NJY—a historic organization that changes the lives of children and families in his own community and beyond.
Aboudara is thrilled to be returning to NJY Camps as its new chief operating officer. He spent the previous 15 months serving as the director of operations and engagement at JPro Network, the professional association for the continental Jewish nonprofit sector. Aboudara was responsible for JPro’s organizational infrastructure and affiliate development strategy. His contributions included producing the organization’s first HR handbook, supporting an extensive budget reformat, leveraging its CRM for enhanced data tracking and implementing a new prospecting strategy, which led to JPro reaching its membership revenue target within the first five months of the fiscal year.
Aboudara previously spent 15 summers working at NJY Camps and nine as the full-time director of teen camp. During his tenure, he also served as the director of staffing and training and supervised the Total Specialty Camps program. Aboudara’s professional background also includes serving as the leadership manager at Maccabi Great Britain and some time as a self-employed consultant; working with a variety of organizations; designing and delivering educational programs and trainings throughout the UK. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Loughborough University and an Executive Certificate from Pace University’s Lubin Business School, where he also serves on the school’s advisory board. Aboudara was previously a JCC Association Merrin Fellow and served on the alumni board of the Foundation for Jewish Camp’s Cornerstone fellowship.
To find out more information about the past, present and future of NJY Camps please visit www.njycamps.org.
