Leadership
Staffed by professional educators and outdoor adventure enthusiast with a passion for nurturing and challenging young people, the staff at Victory Ranch invests in the lives of kids all the time. You don’t find these folks taking the summer off.
Anne and Dennis Smith, Founders and Directors
Anne & Dennis are the founders & serve as directors of Victory Ranch. 2013 will be their tenth summer to move their family to Bolivar, TN to live for the entire camp season. They are committed to providing leadership to the counselors and staff as well as being intimately involved in scheduling & supervising each day’s activities.
Anne is an Art & Technology teacher at Evangelical Christian School. Dennis is in his 26th year at Presbyterian DaySchool, where he is the Director of Operations and Athletics. With over 45 combined years of experience teaching, coaching, and directing camps, the Smiths are an integral part as to why Victory Ranch is one of the country’s premier summer camps.
Frank Clampitt
Assistant Director
Starting his ninth year at VR, this former high school English teacher and coach will serve as one of our Assistant Camp Directors this summer. He swings in the trees by day as the head of our Outdoor Adventure Program but gets down to earth at night as “Frank the Tank,” the Master of Ceremonies for the Victory Ranch Rocking Mudslide. Frank pours his mud, sweat, and cheers into making camp a blast.
Graham Harrison
Assistant Director
Starting his tenth year at VR, Graham will be serving as one of our Assistant Camp Directors. Who better to manage our aquatics program than the cousin of Ernie Brown Jr., “The Turtleman”? He is as at home in the water as… well… a turtle. Graham has been involved in every aspect of camp: serving as counselor, lifeguard, Sports and Recreation Director, Adventure Director, and even helping with our Round Up worship time. We call him our Victory Ranch Swiss Army knife.
Chad Eoff
Programs
Chad started his VR career nine summers ago as a counselor, but now this Presbyterian Day School teacher takes time off to serve as our summer Programs Director. His cast of characters includes the infamous pirate Captain Kirk and the martial arts master Bob Vance of the Bolivar Karate Complex. Chad also leads the music and worship during Roundup every night.
Brad Droke
Outdoor Adventure
Summer 2013 will be Brad’s seventh year at Victory Ranch. By day you will find him most often at the Giant Swing or at one of our climbing towers, but by night you will find him helping with our worship time and our night activities. Brad has become a favorite among campers and staff alike.
Chuck Smith
Chaplain
In his tenth year at VR, Chuck uses his gifts and experience as an ordained minister to oversee camper and staff spiritual growth. His experiences as a youth pastor, a teacher, a coach, and a principal, make Chuck an ideal mentor for counselors, staff, and campers alike. Chuck is currently serving as middle school principal of Evangelical Christian School in Memphis, TN.
Jonathan McCauley
Sports and Recreation
Cousin to European sports fanatic Jon Sports, Jonathan has been entertaining campers and staff at Victory Ranch for six straight summers now. This lifelong athlete graduated from the University of Memphis, and is skilled in all activity facilitation, from BMX and Monster Golf, to Paintball, Archery, and Mountainboarding. The list extends forever!
Penny Russell
Sports and Recreation
Penny has been involved in VR from the very first summer. She is a former Bethel College athlete and has become a mainstay in our Sports and Recreation Area. She is currently a full-time teacher at Bolivar Middle School. In the summer you will find her under our canopy of trees at the paintball course or on one of our fields coaching.
Zeb Russell
Equestrian
Zeb’s birth certificate states his place of birth as “saddle”. This real cowboy is entering his tenth year at Victory Ranch and has provided thousands of campers with a safe, positive introduction to handling and riding horses. His calm manner and infinite knowledge of riding, roping, and everything equestrian builds the confidence of novice riders.
Grant Smallwood
Sports and Recreation
Grant has been heavily involved in athletics and youth ministries for most of his life. He is a football, basketball, and baseball coach at Tupelo Christian Preparatory School. In his sixth summer at VR, Grant will serve as our Sports and Recreation Director and will continue his reign as the Barnival Ring Master and the celebrity talent show judge Huggie Bear.
Garret Harrison
Sports and Recreation
Summer 2013 will be Garret’s seventh year at Victory Ranch. By day you will find him most often at the Rifle and Archery Range, but by night you will find him at our Round Up worship time and our famous night activities. Kids love him for his genuine personality & willingness to participate anytime. We love him because he is a great Christian role model for our kids… oh, yeah and the campers too.
