Meet Our Site Director: Jenny Smith

Meet the Site Director: Jenny Smith
Meet the Site Director: Jenny Smith

ESF FEEDS PASSIONS AND
POWERS SUPERHERO POTENTIAL!

Hi, my name is Jenny Smith and I am the Site Director for ESF at Greenwich Catholic School. 2024 will be my 13th summer with ESF and my 12th summer as Site Director. I began working at summer camps when I was a Senior in High School, teaching tennis at Chase Tennis and Golf Camps in Bethlehem, N.H. Eighteen summers later, I was still at Chase serving as the Director of Tennis and of Camp Life. After receiving my Master of Science degree in Physical Education, I spent the next 30 years at the Nightingale- Bamford School in NYC, where for 24 years I was the Director of Athletics and Physical Education. I was also the Director and Founder of the summer camp, ”Sunny Days” at Nightingale for 20 years. I am currently in my 10th year at the Rye Country Day School, where I teach, coach and coordinate within the Physical Education Department.

I graduated from Miami University (OH) with a bachelor’s degree in History and a minor in Coaching. In addition to summer camps, I have worked with children in many different capacities; I have been a coach for youth soccer and baseball, a soccer referee, and I designed and ran youth programming for 3rd-12th graders at a church in CT for nine years. Outside of camp I am happily married to my amazing wife Kiki, and we welcomed our first child, and future ESF camper to the world in October 2021. 

  • What do you love about working at ESF?
    It is one of the happiest, fun and professional places that I have worked. Every day, we get a chance to impact children’s (and adult’s) lives in a most positive manner.
  • What is your favorite camp tradition?
    World League! It is an opportunity for sports campers and coaches to come together from different Sites and compete. In my 39 years of coaching, these competitions bring chills to my body because of the collaboration and sportsmanship that I have observed.
  • What is an ESF fun fact about you?
    I love being “Captain Respectacular!”
  • What is the most unique/interesting job you have had outside of ESF?
    When I was in Graduate School, I worked at a Pizza shop where I made pizza, Stromboli, cheesesteaks and grinders.
  • What is your favorite quote?
    “It doesn’t get better than this!” —ESF Summer Camps
  • What is one of your guilty pleasures?
    Ben and Jerry’s “Phish Food!”
  • If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
    Super Woman!