On behalf of the Brown Ledge Board of Directors, I am thrilled to announce the Board’s unanimous selection of BLC alumna Abby Lovshin-Smith as the new Director of Brown Ledge Camp and the Brown Ledge Foundation. Abby will be joining Bill, Kathy, and Kim as a member of the Executive Team, effective October 15, 2018, at which time she will begin a nearly year-long transition period that will conclude on September 30, 2019. Upon Bill and Kathy’s retirement on March 31, 2019, Abby will work alongside Kim as co-Director until taking the reins as Director on October 1, 2019. The transition period will allow Abby the benefit of learning first-hand how Bill and Kathy have so successfully ushered Camp into modern society without compromising its foundational principles.

As you all know, this search process has been a long and thoughtful one. We sought input from each and every one of you in determining the qualities and characteristics desired in a new director and we did not stop our search until we found such a candidate in Abby. Thank you for the calls, emails, and participation that allowed us to bring forward a candidate who we believe embodies what it means to be a leader of Brown Ledge and a protector of its philosophy. In Abby’s words,

“I believe in giving children a supportive environment in which to choose their interests and follow their hearts to what makes them happy. I believe that allowing girls the space to both succeed and fail in a supportive community builds their confidence and independence. When children feel autonomy over their choices, they learn to have security and trust in themselves. Brown Ledge’s Freedom of Choice philosophy, 92 years later, is still unique and essential to building an independent, confident character.”

A Brown Ledger herself, Abby began her Brown Ledge career as a camper in 1993 and graduated from the JC program in 2000 before spending five summers on senior staff as a sailing counselor. Abby describes Brown Ledge as her place of self-discovery; it taught her to be empathetic and to feel pride in herself and others, and she passed those lessons on to her campers and fellow staff members. During her time as a JC and staff member, she guided campers through their challenges, offering a hand when they faltered, and celebrating in their successes, both on and off the dock.

In 2006, Abby set off for Atlanta, Georgia, to pursue a career in visual design, which led her to Anthropologie, a subsidiary of URBN, Inc. During her time with Anthropologie, Abby has distinguished herself as a leader within the organization. Starting as a retail associate, Anthropologie quickly recognized Abby for her ability to build community within the stores she managed, to identify and nurture excellent staff, and to connect with customers, ultimately promoting her to a regional management position in Nashville, Tennessee, where she most recently ran three stores that total $10 million in sales annually, while managing over 80 employees. The company also relied on Abby’s skill set for nation-wide store-openings, flying her across the country to launch new stores, including the creation and opening of their newest concept, Anthropologie & Co., the company’s first ever large-format super store. She was part of a team that built these stores from the ground up, bringing vision to reality from physical design to staffing and management. She will bring to Brown Ledge a devotion to Camp and its mission paired with her unique combination of management and service oriented skills.

Although Abby left Brown Ledge after the summer of 2006, Brown Ledge never left her. The daughter of Rose Lovshin (the original Mama Skunk), sister and sister-in-law to Brown Ledgers Rini Lovshin-Smith and Declan McDaid, and cousin to Brown Ledger Gabby Lovshin, Brown Ledge for Abby is truly a family affair. Abby is overjoyed to be returning to her Brown Ledge roots and welcoming her husband, Mitchell, and new baby girl, Dottie, to the Brown Ledge family. They will be moving to Abby’s hometown of Middlebury, Vermont in December, where they will be closer to friends, family, and Brown Ledge.

Please join the Board in welcoming Abby and her family back to the shores of Malletts Bay. We are eternally grateful to Bill and Kathy’s years of devotion to Brown Ledge, and we are excited for Abby to continue their legacy of developing strong, independent women through programmatic excellence and ensuring that Brown Ledge continues to thrive for generations to come. 

Fondly,