Ogichi Leadership Grows Gracefully
By Rosie Paulik
Ogichi Daa Kwe will begin a new chapter full of hope, excitement and grace. Grace Gardner, a name that evokes many memories, energy, and familiarity within our community, will officially start a full-time position as the assistant director of Ogichi Daa Kwe, effective February 21, 2023.
Grace comes to this position with a wealth of personal and professional experience that will greatly benefit Ogichi Daa Kwe and the Camping & Education Foundation. Those who have had the pleasure of meeting her, working with her up north, or taking a trip with her know she is the perfect person for this job.
Originally from Cincinnati, Grace is joining the Ogichi team with more than 7 years of professional experience in higher education and leadership development, having worked on college campuses across the country and most recently as the assistant director of education and leadership initiatives for Alpha Chi Omega, a national sorority.
Grace first stepped off the bus on Ogichi’s campus in the summer of 2007. She was a camper for five years, participating in both the LDAC and CIT programs, and even going on Ogichi’s inaugural backpacking trip. From 2012-2016, Grace returned to Ogichi each summer as a staff member, leading both canoe and backpacking trips. Since her last full summer at Ogichi, Grace has continued to travel to camp each summer to help with preseason, staff training, and Ogichi’s leadership programs.
Grace and Johanna met in the summer of 2018, when they co-led the LDAC program. While working together, they discovered their teaching ideologies, passion for women’s leadership, and general love for Ogichi Daa Kwe were parallel.
Grace will be focused on supporting the Ogichi summer staff members, including training, management, and most importantly, their growth as young women and leaders within the organization. During the summer, Grace will lead trips and help Johanna with day-to-day operations, most likely all while wearing her iconic bright-orange Crocs.
In the off-season, she’ll assist with the work that goes into ensuring a strong summer program as well as recruiting both campers and staff. “With Grace comes a better Ogichi, a stronger Ogichi,” Johanna says. “The staff will be better supported, heard and seen. A happy staff means happy campers and that’s the exact reason we are here.”
When asked to concisely describe what this job means to her, Grace shares,
“This job means everything to me. I have always believed people should do the work they are uniquely positioned to do, and this position is exactly that for me—it’s the dream. That’s about as concise as I can get without crying happy tears.”
“Grace’s positive energy is infectious and always welcomed. She has a unique ability to provide necessary feedback and have those tough conversations, which not everyone is capable of doing,” Johanna adds.
Grace currently resides in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she spends most of her free time as the spin program manager and lead instructor at SPIRE Fitness. This summer, she plans to find a way to move a stationary bike into her cabin and hopes to lead a trip down the Turtle River—her eighth time navigating this iconic route!
Congratulate Grace at grace@ogichi.org, or by leaving a comment on Ogichi Daa Kwe’s Instagram @strongspirited.