Our Staff

Suzy Sostrin, MSOLI – Executive Director

Rachel Shyloski, MSW – Camp Director

Rachel Shyloski is not just the Camp Director of Camp Mountain Chai. She is the heartbeat of it. In her 18th year at CMC, a milestone the Jewish community would recognize as Chai, a symbol of life itself, Rachel’s presence at camp is less a tenure and more a testament. She did not simply show up and lead. She listened, she cared, and she built something rare: a culture where every single person who walks through the gates of Camp Mountain Chai feels genuinely seen, accepted, and free to be exactly who they are.

As Camp Director, Rachel leads with a philosophy that is as grounded as it is visionary. Under her leadership, CMC has become a pioneer in prioritizing mental health and wellness in the Jewish overnight camp world, building spaces and systems that put the whole person first. She oversees the health and security of the entire camp community with the same intentionality she brings to everything else, ensuring that safety and care are never an afterthought but always the foundation.

Rachel is also deeply committed to growing the next generation of leaders. She sees potential where others might not, invests in people before they have fully invested in themselves, and creates the conditions for emerging leaders to rise with confidence and purpose.

Rachel holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from UNC Asheville and a Master of Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, bringing both strong academic training and deep human wisdom to her leadership

Those who know her best would tell you she is helplessly compassionate, funny, and devastatingly kind. At Camp Mountain Chai, we would simply say she is R-Shy, and there is no one else quite like her.

Beth Caplan – Director of Operations & Staff Experience

Beth Caplan, known to her Camp Mountain Chai family as B.Cap, is the kind of leader organizations build themselves around. With over 25 years of experience in operations, culture, staff development, and community building, she has spent her career turning vision into infrastructure and people into believers.

As Director of Operations & Staff Experience at Camp Mountain Chai, Beth sits at the heart of a dynamic, mission-driven organization, overseeing the systems, people, and culture that make everything run with intention and excellence. Her work spans operational strategy, staff experience, brand, and culture, and she executes it with the kind of clarity and conviction that comes from having lived every layer of the organization from the inside out. She did not just climb a ladder here. She built one, growing through nearly every leadership role CMC has to offer and emerging as one of its most trusted voices.

What makes Beth extraordinary is not just what she knows, it is how she leads. She is a strategic thinker who never loses sight of the human element, someone who can architect systems in the morning and inspire a team in the afternoon. Her people-first philosophy is not a tagline. It is the throughline of everything she has built.

A Foundation for Jewish Camp Yitro VI Fellow, Beth is a recognized leader in the experiential education and nonprofit youth development space. She moves fluidly between the operational and the emotional, between the big picture and the details that make the big picture real.

Her academic foundation reflects the same breadth. Holding a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Media Studies with a specialization in Public Relations from the University of Guelph-Humber and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Social Media Marketing from George Brown College, Beth brings a sophisticated lens to communications, brand, and organizational storytelling that most operations leaders simply do not have.

When she is not leading from the front, you will find her chasing sunsets, cooking, playing guitar, capturing the world through her camera, and being a devoted mom to her husky, Aspen. She brings that same warmth, curiosity, and joy to every room she walks into, and people feel it.

Emily Merrill – Enrollment, Logistics, and Administration Director

Emily first joined CMC in 2022 as our Camp Operations Admin Assistant, where she quickly became a valued member of our San Diego office. Since then, she has been promoted to Enrollment, Logistics, and Administration Director, where she builds strong relationships with new and returning families.

Jennifer Paul – Associate Development Director

Jennifer recently joined the staff at CMC as the Associate Development Director. She’s also a current camp parent and her son will be returning for his third year. She has loved the positive experience camp has had on her son.

Jennifer worked over 10 years as the Annual Campaign Manager for Hillel of San Diego where she was responsible for multiple campaigns which included direct mail, email, social media, phone-a-thons, data management, events and parent and alumni relations. Most of all she enjoyed building relationships with the students and seeing the positive influence Hillel has on their college experience and Jewish identity. Previously, Jennifer served as the Director of Alumni Engagement at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., where she oversaw Homecoming Weekend, reunion classes and alumni clubs. Originally from Westchester County in New York, Jennifer earned her B.S. in TV/Radio and her Masters in Corporate Communications from Ithaca College and has a certificate in non-profit management from Georgetown University.

Jennifer has been living in San Diego for 13 years. She is married and has three children and two cats. She enjoys spending time with her family and doing all the amazing things San Diego has to offer from theme parks and the zoo to beaches and Padres games. When she’s not working, she can often be found at the baseball field with her boys who play year-round. In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering at her kid’s schools, dancing (tap & jazz), exercise, trying new restaurants, travel, movies and Sudoku. 

Kelly Sarvela – Accounting and HR Manager

Kelly joined CMC as our Accounting and HR Manager in March of 2023, working out of our San Diego office. Before joining CMC she worked as an accountant and HR manager for PrecisionMed, a Biotech in Solana Beach and for Baja Expeditions, an adventure travel company that runs whale watching and kayaking trips in Baja, California.

Kelly is originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota and grew up camping, swimming and canoeing on the many lakes Minnesota has to offer. She attended the University of St. Thomas, majoring in Psychology. After college, she moved to Portland, Oregon, where she spent her spare time hiking, camping and river rafting. She fell in love with San Diego while on vacation and moved to town in 2007.

When she is not in the office, Kelly enjoys spending time with her two daughters, camping, going to the beach, parks, zoo and SeaWorld. She also has a shepherd puppy named Fig and an energetic bunny named BunBun to keep her busy.