Desiree joined the camp team in December 2011. Her responsibilities include communications, donor gift acknowledgement and recognition, office management and support, volunteer coordination, and camp and fundraiser event support. With a background in business and creative writing, Desiree possesses extensive knowledge and experience in corporate communications. She brings to the team superior customer service skills and a dedication to community service. In her career of over 20 years at Delta Air Lines, Desiree supported corporate policy while representing the company in strategic communications resulting in customer retention as well as customer recognition. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism/Public Relations from Georgia State University.
Desiree has a genuine passion for the mission of Camp Southern Ground and the people it serves. She is active in her community, and spends her time traveling, enjoying sports, and spending time with family and friends.
Jessica joined the Camp Southern Ground team in September 2016. Her responsibilities include event sales, event management, retreat sales and corporate hospitality. She has over 17 years of event expertise from her career at the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Foundation, where she was responsible for organizing high-profile sporting events each year to benefit the Aflac Cancer Center at Children’s. She has experience in managing event committees, volunteers, vendor negotiation, and event logistics and was responsible for building and maintaining relationships with professional athletes and professional teams. She has a passion and strength for organization, details, customer service, and relationship management.
Jessica graduated from The University of Georgia with a degree in Consumer Journalism and lives in Senoia with her husband, Matt, and two daughters, Reese and Ally. She is active in and leads committees in her neighborhood and community.
Brooke joined the team in the spring of 2023 and is responsible for overseeing cabin life operations for the Summer Camp Program. She began working in the summer camp industry in 2011 and has worked at residential camps across the country in a variety of roles. She has a strong background in program development and challenge course management. While working for the YMCA, Brooke designed programs in partnership with Abilities Unlimited HI, the US Navy, and the Department of Land and Natural Resources. She grew up in Boca Raton, FL and holds a B.A. Degree from Colorado State University. Brooke is a passionate surfer and environmentalist.
Melissa first joined the Camp Southern Ground team in 2018 as a summer staff member and joined the full-time team in May 2023. Melissa has a B.S. in Early Childhood Special Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). As a former public school teacher, Melissa has over 9 years experience working and serving the neurodiverse population. As Admission and Inclusion Manager, Melissa’s responsibilities include recruiting and evaluating all camper applications as well as overseeing all aspects of the inclusion program. Melissa is originally from Cleveland, Ohio but has spent the last nine years living in Culpeper County, VA. She is very excited about Atlanta exploring all that it has to offer.
Lacy joined the team in spring of 2023 as the Veterans Programs Director of Wellbeing. He is a transitioning Air Force Officer with over 22 years of service and most recently served as the Inspector General for the 117 ARW, Sumpter Smith Joint National Guard Base, Birmingham, AL. Lacy has served as an Assistant Professor, an Operations Officer, and a Recruiting Officer for Samford University’s AFROTC program. He is a former 106th Chief of Operations Group Standardization and Evaluations, Assistant Director of Operations, Evaluator/Instructor Pilot, and Command Pilot with more than 4,200 hours in the T-37, T-1, KC-135R, and T-6 aircraft. He has flown combat missions in operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, Inherent Resolve, and Freedom’s Sentinel. Lacy attended the inaugural Warrior Week veteran program in 2018 as cadre, returned as a guest speaker, and has had a heart for Camp Southern Ground’s mission ever since. He is grateful to return to serve with his wife Kaleigh and their son, Rowan.
Kyle Butcher is a combat veteran injured in the line of duty in Iraq as an Army Airborne Ranger. Kyle is a Warrior PATHH Guide and Program Coordinator for the Warrior PATHH program at Camp Southern Ground. Warrior PATHH is the nation's first non-clinical program to cultivate and facilitate post-traumatic growth among post-9/11 active-duty service members, veterans, and first responders with combat trauma.
Kyle served in the Army as a member of the 3rd Ranger Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment, where he was trained as a Saw Gunner (Squad Automatic Rifleman) and Infantryman. He was in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) 2003-2004 and then Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) 2004. Kyle was wounded in action in Mosul, Iraq, in November 2004 and was awarded the Purple Heart and Army Commendation Medals.
After transitioning out of the service, Kyle began working as a Landman in 2006 in the oil and gas industry in the Dallas/Fortworth Area. He navigated the complexities of land acquisition and leasing, ensuring successful oil and gas exploration ventures while fostering positive relationships with landowners and stakeholders. In 2015 Kyle moved back to Georgia, where he was born and raised, and took a job as a freight broker, negotiating contracts and connecting shippers and carriers to optimize complicated logistics and facilitate the delivery of goods.
In January 2023, Kyle participated in Warrior PATHH, which had a profound impact on both his life and his family's well-being, inspiring him to dedicate himself to bringing this transformative program to as many veterans as possible. In May 2023, he joined the PATHH team at Camp Southern Ground full-time.
Kyle lives in Brooks, GA, with his wife Kaley, who was named Fayette County’s Realtor of The Year. They have two daughters, ages 10 and 5, and enjoy fishing, hunting, and anything outdoors.
After dedicating 30 years to Naval service, Rob's life took a transformative turn in August 2022 when he attended Warrior Week. It was during this experience that he uncovered his true "purpose," setting him on a new path in the realm of real estate. While the world of real estate offered excitement and fulfillment, he continued to seek a deeper calling, something that would truly "fill his cup" and allow him to serve others in a meaningful way.
In September 2023, an opportunity emerged that perfectly aligned with Rob's aspirations. He stepped into the role of Assistant Program Manager for Warrior Week, becoming an essential part of the team. Rob brings a passionate and unwavering commitment to his role, driven by his own transformative experience as a participant in the very program he now manages. His mission is clear: to provide others with the same life-changing benefits that he himself received.
Outside of his professional life, Rob shares his journey with his loving wife, Stephanie Weaver, who is also a valued member of the Camp Southern Ground team. Together, they are proud parents to four amazing children: Tyler, Kyle, Karly (who serves as a CSG Summer camp counselor), and Nathaniel. Their family calls Williamson, Georgia home, and they are accompanied by their ever-faithful labradoodle, Oreo.
Rob's commitment to service and his dedication to helping others find their purpose are a testament to the transformative power of programs like Warrior Week and Camp Southern Ground.
Michael joined Camp Southern Ground in February 2023, and brings extensive knowledge of HVAC, commercial refrigeration and building automation systems. He holds national certifications in boiler repair and holds a 4th Class Engineer’s license from the Georgia State Association of Power Engineers. Previously, Michael was the Commercial Refrigeration Lead at Four Seasons Environmental, assigned to the Centers for Disease Control. Also, he operated his own business providing residential HVAC and refrigeration services, and maintained heating, ventilation and refrigeration apparatus at Georgia Institute of Technology. Michael earned an associate degree in HVAC and an associate degree in commercial refrigeration from Georgia Piedmont Technical College, where he is now an adjunct lecturer in building automation systems.
Rick joined Camp Southern Ground in October of 2021 as a Crew Leader on the Grounds Team. He was previously employed by the City of Peachtree City as a Grounds Leader for 7 years. A native of Western, New York, Rick developed his passion for landscaping and gardening at age 10 when he began helping his grandfather.
Rick and his wife Shannon live in Sharpsburg and have three daughters, Marissa, Bobbi and Rylee, who is a high school senior in the delayed deployment for the Marine Corp. They enjoy trips to Biloxi and beautifying their own yard.