The Directors
Run by one family since 1916

Brant Lake Camp has been run by members of the same family since it was founded by Bob Gerstenzang in 1916. The camp's current directors are Bob Gersten, Karen Gerstenzang Meltzer, Richard Gersten, Dave Cramoy and Andrew Berlin. All five devote their professional lives to making Brant Lake Camp a safe, fun and exciting place. Each director is responsible for supervising different, but crucial, aspects of camp.

Executive Director - Richard Gersten
has been a Brant Laker all his life. Formerly a camper, counselor, area head and then Director, Rich comes from a strong sports background as both a player and coach. In high school he was a 5-sport varsity athlete and in college played on the freshman basketball team at the University of North Carolina. He has been a teacher and Dean of Students and coached more than 50 seasons of high school sports, including 30 years in basketball.

Rich now works year-round on Brant Lake Camp and is responsible for all decisions involving campers, counselors and the program at BLC. Rich is married and has two children, residing in Brant Lake and New York City with his wife Mieks Gersten, the Co-Director of our Dance Camp and an Associate Director of Brant Lake Camp.

Director - Bob Gersten
has been at Brant Lake for more than 70 summers. After a fine career as an athlete and coach, he became Dean of Students at Nassau Community College of SUNY and President of the Long Beach Board of Education. “Bobby G”, as he is affectionately known, is still vital at camp on a daily basis teaching tennis, participating in shows, leading assemblies and delights in telling stories from the past. Bob winters in Coconut Grove, Florida, where he plays tennis daily.

Director - Karen Gerstenzang Meltzer
has been the camp's Administrative Director since 1956. She received her initial training under the supervision of Bob Gerstenzang, her father, who founded the camp. Karen is past Vice President of the American Camping Association and past president of the New York State Camp Directors Association. Karen plans many of the camp trips, shares responsibility for the camp tours, and oversees the office.

Director - Dave Cramoy
has spent more than 24 years at Brant Lake Camp-- having been a camper and a counselor for 13 years. After having worked in the marketing/advertising field for 30 years, he returned as a Director in 2000 with both administrative as well as sports instruction responsibilities. Formerly a scholarship baseball player at the University of Colorado, Dave is also a USA Hockey Advanced Level Coach and has coached boys and girls for over 20 years in both sports from grade school through the high school level. At Brant Lake Camp, he oversees our baseball and roller/ice hockey programs. He is the father of two girls and two boys and currently lives in Lake Placid, NY with his wife Carolyn.

Director - Andrew Berlin
has been with Brant Lake Camp since 1980, having started out as a counselor and group leader. He became a Director in 2008. Andy has worked for the Great Neck Public Schools as a Physical Education Teacher since 1984 and presently is the Department Head of Physical Education and the Athletic Director at Great Neck South Middle School. He swam at the collegiate level at Syracuse University.

Andy has coached middle school and high school boys and girls swimming since 1986. Most recently his boys' high school swim team won the county championship in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011. Andy was Long Island and Nassau County Coach of the year for 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011. He has also coached lacrosse and soccer, and is presently coaching girls softball which he has done since 1990.

At Brant Lake Camp Andy is responsible for the scheduling of tournaments and inter-camp games and is the head of the Intermediate Division of camp. Additionally, he also concentrates on the coaching of baseball, basketball, and waterfront activities.

Andy has a high school age daughter and resides in Great Neck, Long Island.