Who We Are at Black Bear Lake Day Camp, Clarksburg, New Jersey

Who We Are at Black Bear Lake Day Camp, Clarksburg, New Jersey

Year Round Team:

Mark & Melissa Magid () - Owners/Directors
Mark & Melissa built Black Bear Lake Day Camp in 1995. They met while working in accounting at Coopers & Lybrand in New York City. Mark grew up working in his family’s day camp in Manalapan, NJ and always loved the fun and excitement of his summers. Melissa attended day camp in Rockland County from the age of 5 years old, and also spent 5 summers at a resident camp in Connecticut - she always knew that this is how she would want to spend her life. They live in West Windsor with their 3 kids – Morgan, Jason and Lauren – all of whom have been campers since their first steps.

Florence Blumert () - Director of Parent Communications/ Director of Transportation
Florence has been here from the beginning while Black Bear was being built in 1995. She is always on the phone with parents answering any and all questions from "what should I pack in my child's backpack" to "how long is the bus ride." In addition to speaking with parents and handling all aspects of camper registration, Florence is also our Director of Transportation who is in charge of overall bus routes, bus mail, bus drivers and bus counselors.

Florence is a graduate of Westminster Choir College, with a degree in Music Education, and is also a certified teacher for grades K-12. She has taught in the Flemington and Evesham School Districts. In her spare time, Florence teaches private piano lessons to students aged 7 to adult, as well as sings and plays piano for private social functions like weddings and bar mitzvahs.

Florence takes pride in knowing and remembering the smallest detail for each family, to ensure that each parent feels they have a special friend at the camp that they can go to for all questions and concerns.

Kristina Piech () - Director of Staffing and Programming
Kristina has worked at Black Bear Lake since 2000 - hiring the best staff and planning our summer programs - everything from craft projects and drama shows to special events and color war. She is also a trained accreditation visitor for the American Camping Association – she visits different camps throughout the summer to assess whether they are adhering to ACA standards.

Kristina is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island, with a degree in Elementary Education and Psychology. She has taught at The Goddard School and South River Elementary School. She is also working on her Master's in School Psychology at Rider University. Her children – Kaylee and Brandon – love attending camp with mom!

Denny Schmidt () - Maintenance and Grounds Supervisor
Denny has worked at Black Bear Lake since 2001 where he makes sure everything on our 45 acre campus is running smoothly. There is nothing Denny can’t fix or build and he takes great pride in knowing our facility is always safe, clean and well-maintained.

When Denny gets time off, he enjoys deep-sea fishing. He and his wife Pauline live on the grounds of the camp with their son Georgie – who loves being a Black Bear camper!

Franne Berenberg - Supervisor of Elective Scheduling
Franne has been at Black Bear since 2004 and handles all aspects of the camper’s elective schedules. She tries to make sure every camper gets all their first choices so they are assured a happy and fun summer! In addition, Franne has been a teacher for over 20 years in New York City. She has a degree in Elementary Education and a master’s degree in Math Education. She and her husband Robert are busy with their kids Samantha, Allison and Lisa all of whom either work or attend Black Bear as well. In her “spare” time, Franne is a Girl Scout leader and leader trainer and has a scrapbooking business called Creative Memories.

Gregg Marantz - Director of Corporate Events ()
Gregg started working at Black Bear Lake in 1996 helping out with the Maintenance Staff. He graduated from Castleton State College in Vermont with a degree in Exercise Science/Sports Medicine and currently lives in Howell. He plans and organizes the corporate picnic events held during summer weekends.

Black Bear Lake, New Jersey's Premier Facility for Company Picnics, Corporate Outings & Special Events