Leadership & Staff

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Our energetic and experienced staff make camp rewarding for everyone.

Deb Erdmann

Camp Voyageur has been owned and operated by the Erdmann family since 1951. Brother and sister team John and Deb Erdmann direct camp and want to help you decide if Camp Voyageur is a good fit for you or your son. Contact them with questions or to discuss your summer camp options.

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John Erdmann

Director

Since the summer of 1984, John Erdmann has continued the family tradition founded in 1951. “Kids grow in ways not possible at home during each summer in the great Northwoods.” John spent two years in the Peace Corps in Venezuela after graduating from DePauw University. He draws on work experience in higher education and the corporate and business worlds for managing the family’s boys camp. John’s first of nine grandchildren became a Voyageur camper in 2017. Connect with him on Facebook.

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Deb Erdmann, M.S.Ed.

Camp Manager

Deb Erdmann has spent nearly every summer here since she was 3 months old. She puts her Experiential Education degree to good use daily at Voyageur. “Camp provides an opportunity to affect people in a special way. Camp is my life work.” Deb manages communication with families, meals and logistics. She and her husband Jeff take care of camp in the off-season. Contact Deb for all your camp needs.

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Alex Kvanli, M.S.Ed.

Assistant Director

Alex is our year-round assistant director, blog editor, and fitness guru. He is a teacher with a Masters in Experiential Education, an avid world traveler, and enthusiast for all things outdoors. In the offseason he lives in SE Minnesota with his German wife Zar and son Finn. Alex’s favorite activity at Camp is catching bass on wacky worms.

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Bill Burgman

Program Director

Bill first worked as the tennis instructor here in 1972. He coordinates Camp staff for the morning, afternoon and evening programs. Bill taught high school, coached college tennis, and administered fitness and wellness centers.

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Vicky Erdmann Burgman

Logistics

A retired elementary teacher, Vicky coordinates supply runs and assisting with meals. She is essential in keeping camp running smooth from behind the scenes.

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Bryan Halverson

Progam Director & Media Coordinator

Longtime veteran counselor, Bryan Halverson, is back at CV yet again this summer as a Co-Program Director/Media Coordinator. When not at Camp, he guides for nearby Wintergreen Dogsled Lodge on White Iron Lake. Bryan holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and a B.S. Biology degree from the University of Minnesota Duluth.

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Dylan Jackson

Trip Director

Dylan is returning for his 11th year at camp and second as Trip Director. Dylan grew up in the Twin Cities area and recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Stout with a degree in Computer Engineering.

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Charlie Erdmann

Senior Counselor

Charlie was born in Ely and helps out with camp year round. Each year he helps edit and lay out the Paddle Post newspaper. You can find him supervising camp sports, skiing, or sailing and helping with camp media projects.

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Liz Cody

Girls Counselor

Liz is a Nebraska native and veteran CV camper and Counselor. Liz has led many memorable CV trips since 2014 and is an ACA-certified Canoe and Kayak Instructor. Liz completed her undergraduate degree at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. Her graduate research at the University of Nebraska has focused on Immunology and Microbiology, as well as Community Planning and Disaster Recovery. When not at Camp, Liz can be found leading canoe, kayak and biking trips in Southeast Nebraska and working with rural communities and agencies as a grant-writer, administrator and development specialist.

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Aaron Torres

Senior Counselor

Torres has been with CV both as a camper and counselor since 2016. He lives in South Bend, IN and is currently in his third year at IU Bloomington at the Kelley School of Business.

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Kyle Emmans

Senior Counselor

Kyle Emmans is a first year counselor at CV, but has spent the last two summers leading Boy Scout trips into the BWCAW. He has a Associates of Applied Science in Wilderness and Park Management and plans to work with the Forest Service in the near future.

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Harrison Pratt

Counselor, Sailing Instructor

Harrison returns to camp for his 11th summer, eight of those were as a camper. He is a senior at Hanover College. He hopes to share with others his love of fishing, kayaking, and waterskiing. He hopes to help others become more confident and self-reliant, by working as a team and overcoming the challenges of the great outdoors.

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Mike Whaley

Counselor

Mike studies Conservation Biology at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. He loves the outdoors, especially hunting and fishing on family land just outside of Ely.

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Kevin Marin

Counselor

Kevin is from Oaxaca, Mexico and is finishing up his thesis to become a marine biologist. He loves the sea, nature, and adventure. This is his first year as a counselor and first time in the United States.

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Wyatt Probst

Counselor

Wyatt enjoys fishing, music, and the outdoors. He’s big fan of Canada, but an Illinois native. He’s excited for his first year on staff!

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Elena Richardson

Nurse

Elena is a Registered Nurse from Zionsville, Indiana. She has worked in pediatrics in Indianapolis, Indiana and Albuquerque, New Mexico. She loves hiking, mountain biking, and skiing and is so excited for the summer!

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Kevin O’Kane

Aquatics Director

Swimmer by day, aviator by night, CV alum Kevin was a camper in the 60s and 70s and a counselor in ‘74. Kevin’s wife, Joan, who he married in 1974, also helps around camp each summer.

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Dave Gossage

Cook

This is Daves third year as the camp cook. Dave learned to cook from former CV chef Bernard Herrman. Dave was a dog sled guide for 25 years at Wintergreen. He also worked for Outward Bound as well as Wilderness Inquiry.

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Paula Hill

Nurse

This is Paula’s 11th year at CV. She is a local who loves the area and when we she saw camp, she wanted to be apart of a program that got kids into the wild. The CV spirit and the Erdmann family vision is contagious to Paula.

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Ned Yonkers

Counselor

Ned will fly in from Boston for a couple weeks to help provide some “fresh legs” during our peak. A jack of all trades, Ned’s fluent in Chinese and an expert in the jaw harp. He has spent over half of his summers at CV.