North Georgia Camp & Retreat Ministries

North Georgia Camp & Retreat Ministries (NGCRM) is a family of ministries including Glisson Camp & Retreat Center, Grow Day Camps, Shoreline Camps, and the Experiential Leadership Institute (ELI). NGCRM is governed by a Board of Directors.

Adam joined the Glisson staff in May 2014. As a maintenance team member, Adam is responsible for working to keep all facilities at Glisson in their best shape. Adam enjoys all outdoor activities including rock climbing, kayaking, and fly fishing. Adam lives in Dahlonega with his wife, Amy, and daughters, Charlotte and Chloe.

Bryant joined the year-round team in March 2018. As a Facilities Assistant, he’s part of the team responsible for keeping camp ministry facilities and vehicles and the Glisson grounds in great shape. Bryant enjoys spending time outdoors, and lives in Dahlonega with his dog, Rosco.

Blake first joined the year-round team as a Facilities Assistant in July 2015, and began serving as Director of Facilities in November 2020. Blake has overall responsibility for keeping camp ministry grounds, facilities, and vehicles in their best shape. Prior to his time at NGCRM, Blake worked in commercial construction. He enjoys many outdoor activities but can most often be found camping or fishing with his family. Blake lives in Dahlonega with his wife, Shana, sons, Hank, Bo, and Gus, and daughter, Annie.

C. Russell Davis is Executive Director of the North Georgia Conference Camp and Retreat Ministries, Inc., in his seventeenth year serving the churches of our conference. He leads a team responsible for the ministry and facilities of Glisson Camp and Retreat Center, for Grow Day Camps and the Experiential Leadership Institute, ministries that have the capacity to provide life-changing experiences for the more than twelve-thousand children, youth, and adults they serve each year.

Now in his thirty-first year leading camping ministries, Russell has served camps in Virginia, Oklahoma, and South Carolina prior to coming home to Georgia. He has served as Chairperson for the national Association of United Methodist Camp and Retreat Ministries, has led and designed workshops and events for a variety of United Methodist and American Camp Association regional and national conferences, was been a visitor for the American Camp Association for twelve years, and served as a representative to the ecumenical Outdoor Ministries Connection. He attended Georgia Southern College in Statesboro during the Erk Russell national championship years and attended seminary at the Candler School of Theology at Emory.

Russell is married to Rebecca who is an ACFRE-certified fundraising professional working with Hope Atlanta. They have two adult children, Sam and Libby, and two dogs, Merry and Pippin.

(Updated – October 2023)

Jonathan first came to Glisson in 2013 on his confirmation retreat. He didn’t return until the summer of 2021, when he served as a counselor for Village and Sparrowwood. In the summer of 2022, he served as one of the Sparrowwood team leaders. This past summer Jonathan served as a Site Director for Grow and ELI, and is excited to step into a new role as a Program Intern. In addition to camp ministry, Jonathan is passionate about family, music, and disc golf.

After multiple summers as a camper and then counselor at Glisson, Cameron came back to camp in 2008 and never really left. What began as an internship has since morphed into various roles and an amusing amount of job titles. His latest is “Director of Communications & Program Advancement” for NGCRM’s family of ministries. It’s a bit long-winded, but so is Cameron. He’s hoping this title might last longer than the others since it captures what he’s been up to all along: sharing camp’s story and dreaming up ways to help make camp even more impactful and possible for more people in more places. Prior to his full-time role at camp, Cameron served in youth ministry and worship leadership roles at United Methodist Churches while studying at UGA (Psychology & Religion), and then later Georgia State (MPA). He and his wife, Britt, live in Decatur with their two kiddos, Eli and Callie. When not working or parenting, he’s probably making music somewhere.

Autumn began her Glisson journey as a camper in 2005. She went on to participate in ELI and Crew. In 2016, Autumn served on Summer Staff as a Village counselor and a Site Director for Grow+ELI+Shoreline from 2017-2019. Autumn graduated from Kennesaw State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Leadership and Psychology. She returned to North Georgia Camp and Retreat Ministries in 2020 as a Program Intern focused on Grow & ELI, then joined our year-round team in 2021 as a Retreats Coordinator and Grow & ELI Administrator.

Laura joined the NGCRM staff in January 2017. Glisson has been an integral part of her life since she was in her early teens. Both of her now-grown daughters were highly involved in Glisson beginning in the 4th grade. Amanda was a counselor and Summer Leadership Team member for several years before serving as a program intern for two full years. Emily attended the LIT program and was a Crew member, then served as a counselor for several years. Laura comes to NGCRM from Carrollton, GA where she retired from the University of West Georgia after 32 years of administration including positions such as Assistant Registrar and Associate Director of the Advanced Academy of Georgia. As Executive Assistant for NGCRM, she works closely with Russell Davis while also managing donations and working on special projects.

Audrey’s experience with camp ministry began as a Glisson camper with Village and Outpost, then continued as an ELI participant in 2012-2013. She served on summer staff as Crew in 2014, Counselor in 2015, Sparrowwood Co-Director in 2016-2017 and Grow Site Director and Program Intern in 2018-2019. Audrey received a Bachelor’s degree in Outdoor Recreation from Central Michigan University and a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from SNHU. After working for a disability services nonprofit in Atlanta for a few years, Audrey rejoined the year round team in 2021. Audrey and her basset hound, Murphie, live in Dahlonega, GA and enjoy visiting local parks and hiking trails in the North Georgia mountains.

Ian first worked at camp in 2015. In 2020, Ian joined the year-round NGCRM team as a Retreats Coordinator and Development Specialist.

Ian and his wife, Stephanie, live in Dahlonega.

Stephanie joined the year-round NGCRM team in 2015 after having served on summer staff with Glisson’s summer leadership team (’09, ’10, ’12, ’13) and then as a program director for Grow and ELI (’14, ’15). Stephanie’s role with NGCRM includes coordinating all aspects of Glisson’s Village, Outpost, and Sparrowwood programs. Stephanie and her husband, Ian, live in Dahlonega, and enjoy every opportunity to get out and explore God’s Creation.

Rachel joined the year round team in 2021. She served on summer staff from 2016-2019, where she got to work alongside some of her best friends, heroes, and dance partners. In 2019 she graduated from The University of Georgia with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management. After graduation, she returned to the beautiful North Georgia mountains to serve as a Program Intern for NGCRM. Rachel now lives in Dahlonega and serves as the Village Program Director. She enjoys the public library, a good road trip, and being with friends and family.

Garrett joined the year-round team in 2023. As a Facilities Assistant, he’s part of the team responsible for keeping camp ministry facilities and the Glisson grounds in great shape. Garrett enjoys an intense game of pickle-ball and lives in Dahlonega.

Will joined the year-round team in 2017. He was a long-time Glisson camper and served as a part of the Summer Team as a Crew member in 2011, a counselor in 2013, Crew Director in 2014, and Resident Camp Assistant in 2015. He is a proud graduate of the University of Georgia with a degree in Natural Resources Recreation and Tourism. After multiple years serving on the year-round team as a Camper Coordinator, Will shifted into a new role as Business Manager. Prior to his time with NGCRM, Will worked for several years as a youth director in the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church. Will and his wife, Hannah, live in Roswell with 3 children, Addie, Josie, and Cam, and their dog, Nugget.

Will’s first experience working with camp ministry came as a Glisson Crew Member in 2018. He returned in subsequent summers to serve as an Outpost Counselor (2019) and an Outpost Team Leader (2021). After graduating from LaGrange College with a bachelor’s degree in Nonprofit Leadership (2022), Will served as a Site Director with Grow and ELI. As part of NGCRM’s 15-month internship, Will reprised his role as a Site Director in 2023 before transitioning to the role of Program Intern this fall with focuses on Retreats, Sparrowwood, and Outpost. Beyond his time at camp, Will loves to learn and write music.

Sarah began her camp ministry journey as a Glisson mini camper in the early 2000’s and kept coming to Village with her best friend every summer after that. She later served on Summer Staff in different capacities across programs from 2013-2018. After graduating from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor’s degree in English, she served in various campus ministry roles at the UGA Wesley Foundation. Sarah joined the year-round NGCRM team in 2023 as Summer Camp Registrar with a primary focus on coordinating and supporting registration for camper families of Glisson’s summer programs. Sarah enjoys hearing people’s camp stories and getting to be on a team dedicated to enabling children, youth, and adults to experience transformation and growth in a camp ministry setting.

Stephen served on summer staff as an Outpost Counselor in 2009, an Outpost Trip Leader in 2010, and an Outpost Co-Director in 2011. After graduating from Kennesaw State University in May 2012 with a Bachelor’s degree in History, Stephen married his wife Ellen in July 2012, and then began a year-long internship with Glisson that he completed in July 2013. In August 2013, Stephen became Glisson’s first-ever, year-round Program Director specifically focused on our expanding Outpost program. Stephen’s role with NGCRM includes coordinating all aspects of Glisson Retreats, Grow Day Camps, and ELI. Stephen and Ellen and their sons, Micah and Owen, live in Dahlonega.