Staff and Board of Directors
"Equally impressive was the level of commitment from both Ben Swan and the
counselor in our son's tent to ensure that he got the most out of the experience."
—Pine Island Parent
Ben Swan, Director | benswan@pineisland.org
Ben Swan was born during the 1955 camp season, and he has been
connected with Pine Island in some capacity ever since. He spent his
childhood at Pine Island, as a camper then as a counselor. He continued
as a member of Pine Island Camp’s board of directors, returning to the
staff in 1988 as assistant director. He assumed the post of director in
1990. His family’s involvement with Pine Island Camp dates to 1908,
when his grandfather purchased the fledgling institution, and he is the
third generation of his family to serve as Pine Island’s director. Ben
has a B.A. in English from Washington & Lee University and an M.A.
in English from the University of Virginia. He was a teacher at
Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia for several years before
returning to Maine to work for Pine Island. He and his wife Emily
guided Pine Island Camp through its transition to a not-for-profit
educational institution in 1994, oversaw Pine Island’s acquisition of
the Whitehead Light Station in 1996, and orchestrated the celebration
of its 100th anniversary in 2002. In the off-season, Ben and Emily live
in Brunswick, Maine, with their children Harry, Rippy & Katie. Ben
is involved in land conservation and community improvement efforts in
Brunswick.
Photo: 2004, (Clockwise from left) Emily Swan, Business Manager; Ben Swan, Director; Rippy Swan; Harry Swan and Katie Swan.
Emily Swan, Business Manager | eswan@pineisland.org
Emily married into the Pine Island Camp community in 1987 and has been
its business manager since 1990. In addition to overseeing the details
of running the camp, she is the voice at the other end of the phone
line during the Pine Island season. Emily has a B.A. in history from
the University of the South at Sewanee and a J.D. from Harvard Law
School. In the off-season, Emily lives with Ben and their children
Harry, Rippy & Katie in Brunswick, Maine, where she is chairperson
of the town’s historic preservation board and is involved in educational issues, downtown improvement efforts, the local library, and various other volunteer activities.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Monroe Baldwin
Charlie Birney
Ned Bishop
Whit Fisher
John Goodhue
Charles Hale
Martin Hale
Tim Nagler
Ben Swan
Pope Ward, Chairman
David Williamson
Tom Yoder
Alumni Trustees:
Stuart Murray
Andrew Regier
Directors Emeritus:
Jim Breeden
Sam Brown
Warren Eginton