Head Staff

Bonnie Nichols

Bonnie Hume Nichols Biography for Head Staff: 3rd Session 2023

1970 Camp; 1971 - Camper (June Session – Sycamore (1970) and Cherry (1971)
1995-2004 (“Camper Mom” to daughters, Blair and Brittany Nichols)
1999 and 2000 - Head Staff (3rd Session) - 1999 Lakeside and 2000 Hillside
2001 - 2008 Full-Time Camp Director/Program Director

I live near Blacksburg, Virginia, with my husband (“TAW Black Foot”) Nick and our vet-assistant daughter, Blair (12-yrs camper & staff). Our other daughter (Brittany (14 years camper & staff) and her husband, JP, work in hospitality on Kiawah Island and live in Charleston with their kids (my grandkids!) - Emma (14) who is a 2nd year TAW camper and John (12).

I retired from working as a management consultant for large corporations in May 2022. These days, I now spend most of my time focused on trying to “give back” through various charitable church/community endeavors. On the other hand, I admit that I also make time to play on the golf course where we live!

Why is Ton-A-Wandah special? Our beloved TAW truly is most definitely NOT "Just a place& but a Place in your Heart"… FOREVER!

For former campers and staff alumni everywhere: There are so many ways to stay true to your old TAW roots - even if you have no daughters to send to camp! Camp Reunions, GUGG, Sunday Services, and Work Weekends are just a few; and of course, ending/referring nieces, granddaughters and others are certainly great options as well. We should always remember that our beloved camp truly does "weave us together" for a lifetime! Camp Ton-A-Wandah will open its arms to you in a way that will not only melt the years of absence away; but also make you feel as if you never left!

Special Memories: There are way too many to count, but below is a sample of those that bring back a warm memory for me, such as:

-The legacy and individual members of the Haynes Family!!! There were so many ways the camp owners stayed involved daily and year-round. I am especially elated that Ben, Kim and their family are continuing the special legacy for all TAW Campers and Staff: past, present and future!

-The privilege of recruiting some of the most wonderful young women in the world to be activity instructors, cabin counselors and valued members of our summer story each year! They each became such a vital part of "my life's story.

-Everything Weezie! She personally helped me as a homesick 1st year Camper - and then provided me with much-appreciated guidance throughout my time as both a member of head staff and later as Camp Director. Of course, there were also those “special memories” of being "kidnapped" out of the Dining Hall by pirates during “Gold Rush”, hiding together during a “Counselor Hunt” or assisting her “after-Taps dining hall raids” for her beloved vanilla ice cream cups.

-Counselor Orientation! It was always a special time for me - with our primary goal being to effectively bring new and old staff together in such a special way that would make anyone on Opening Day think they had known each other all their lives. It was always so gratifying to witness the fruits of those efforts first-hand each summer and now via shared photos and TAW&'s alumni communications initiatives available today.

Cameron Vivanco

My name is Miss Cameron and I will be part of head staff for Starter Session. I am from North Carolina and grew up as a camper and then counselor at Ton-A-Wandah. I loved every minute! I now live in South America and get to run a program that helps students that live in desperate and difficult situations go to school. Maybe you can help me do that one day! I look forward to meeting all of the Starter Camp campers in August!

Emmalyn Grau

Hey everyone! I am Emmalyn Grau and I am from Wausau, Wisconsin. I am a recent college graduate with a specialty in Art and Media studies. I hope to someday get a job in Illustration or Animation. A fun fact about me is that I was originally born in Calcutta, India and was adopted when I was only a baby! I love to draw and paint during my free time and hope to have campers join me in a mural or a fun chalk fest competition to help show case all of our art skills! I can't wait for this upcoming summer at camp and connect with new friends!

Jane Clarke

Smile TAW ladies! I’m Jane and I will be taking pictures again this summer! I’m looking forward to seeing all of your happy smiles session one!

Jennifer Wadman

Hello TAW friends! I am so looking forward to another great session at camp. I am a homeschooling mother of 11 and grandmother to 3. I enjoy reading, playing games, and being outside. Some of my favorite memories are from days and nights camping, and I can't wait to share more happy times with you!

Jessica Lucas

Hello! I'm Jessica Lucas and I'm from Mt. Pleasant, SC, and teach 5th grade during the year. I'm mom to Claire and I'm excited to return for my 2nd year at Ton-A-Wandah. I love reading. In fact, I read over 100 books last year! My favorite part of Camp TAW (besides the people of course) is the lake! I can't wait to see everyone soon!

Jill Maliszewski

Hello, my name is Jill Maliszewski and I am the mom of two TAW girls. We are from Jacksonville, Florida where I practice Speech Language Pathology. The mountains are my happy place as an Appalachian State University alum. I am looking forward to joining my girls this summer for Annastin's 8th summer and Molly's 3rd.

Kathryn Christian

Hi Everyone!  I'm "Ms. Kathryn"!  I am from Chesapeake, Virginia. I teach elementary and middle school Gifted and Talented Resource during the year. I "built" my own Jeep and love to take it off-road. I was a camper a looonnngggg time ago. This year I have a daughter and a niece at camp with me!  I just love sharing TAW with all of the great campers each summer!

Katie Grove

My name is Katie Grove. I’m a former TAW camper and counselor and am VERY excited to be returning as a head counselor for starter camp. My daughter, Mary Mac, will be a first-time camper! I am a lawyer in Greenville, SC and love hiking with my husband and three kids. We used to love taking our pup, but she is 13 now and has a hard time getting around. I am so excited to return to TAW this summer!

Kristin Finley

Hey all!  I'm Kristin Finley and I live in Apollo Beach, Florida.  I am a retired teacher and am traveling a lot with my retired Army hubby, and Camp Ton-A-Wandah is one of our favorite destinations!  I am a long-time head staff member of 10 years, I think (my daughter Carly spent 14 summers here). I love that the girls get to be their best selves here at camp.  I enjoy teaching the girls new skills, whether it is crafting, sewing, cooking… it beats a regular classroom. I look forward to another great TAW summer!

Kristin Keiper-Berneman

Hey y'all, my name is Kristin and I'm excited to return to Camp TAW! I was a Hilltop camper in the 90's and can't wait to return as a Head Staff with my two daughters, Josie (7) and Natalie (6.) During the year, I'm a counselor at an elementary school in Nashville. In my free time, I enjoy reading, singing, jiu jitsu, and biking. My favorite teams are the Florida Gators and the Vanderbilt Commodores. I look forward to singing all the TAW songs again this summer!

Marcia Tuten

Hey everyone! I’m Marcia Tuten and I live in Georgetown, South Carolina (although I call Panama City, Florida my home)! I’m 71 years young - does that make me the oldest recycled teenager at camp? I have over 30 years of experience teaching first grade and nearly as many years of experience camping with my family and friends…. Including my 10 year old granddaughter, Ella Ann, who will be a camper at Ton-a-Wandah. In my free time I enjoy quilting, hiking, swimming, reading and fun girls’ nights out. I look forward to meeting everyone this summer at Ton-a-Wandah and making new friends along the way.

Monica McGraw

Hi everyone! I’m Monica McGraw and I’m from St. Augustine, Florida. I have four children, two dogs, and one sweet hubbie. I teach yoga and play tennis.

One fun fact about me is that I love Karaoke! My favorite karaoke song is Glamourus by Fergie. My favorite place to hike is Rancho Santana Nicaragua.

I am so excited to be in nature hanging with amazing people for a whole 3 weeks this summer.

Stephanie Parker

Sparker here!  Super excited to be back.  Loved Camp Ton-A-Wandah as a young girl and am ready to be Head Staff again during 2nd session! Currently, I live in Land O Lakes, Florida with my amazing husband Scott, Shepherd girl Midnight and 3 cats:  Scrappy, Justin and Jose.  My most favorite role is "Mom" but since all my girls are adulting really well now, that time is spent mostly on mother-daughter coffee dates and dog visits with my grandbaby golden retriever by the name of Rebel.

A Florida girl all my life.  Love the beach, running, swimming and reading on the back porch-you name it!  After decades of corporate work, I retired back in November 2020 to use my Master in Ministry to focus on serving others.  Today, this looks like serving as an Associate Pastor at my church and building a Mental Health Coaching practice. 

All of that is a really fancy way of saying how much I love to witness people tell and live their authentic life story! I am really looking forward to taking the journey with everyone as we together make it a great session!  Blessings