Current Directors:

Sarah Dabney Gillespie, daughter of Strong River Camp & Farm Founder Tay Gillespie, was a camper in 1973 – the opening year of Strong River. She was a CIT, Jr. Counselor and Counselor before moving into the administrative side of camp.

    Sarah Dabney enjoyed a post-graduate year of high school in England before earning a BA from Rhodes College in Memphis, TN. She lived and worked for brief stays in Mackinac Island, Michigan, New Zealand, Santa Fe, New Mexico and Florence, Italy but always managed to make it home for camp in the summer.

Sarah Dabney currently lives at Strong River Farm and presides over Strong River Camp & Farm.

Steve Clements first came to Strong River as a camper in 1974. He also was a CIT, Jr. Counselor and Counselor for many summers and a close friend of Tay’s. He introduced Strong River to Ropes Adventure Courses and was our first Ropes Director before he went back to his first love of Canoeing.

     Steve earned a BS from Mississippi State University and became a Soccer Coach first in Meridian, Mississippi and then in Tyler, Texas. His teams have won 7 national championships. He was inducted in the Men’s Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame in 2009 and has been selected National Coach of the Year on 6 separate occasions. Steve has received the United Soccer Coaches Association Certificate of Appreciation and the Letter of Commendation for upholding the values of character through integrity and sportsmanship.  He received the 2016 NISOD Excellence Award for continually demonstrating an outstanding commitment and contribution to students and colleagues. In 2017, Clements was awarded the Charlie Lee Merit Award from the National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association for his team’s sportsmanship and character.

     Steve currently serves as Camp Director and manages the camp counselors and the camp program. Campers know him as the one who can tell them when to ring the bell and the driver of the “biscuit-mobile”. Most importantly, Steve loves camp!