Meet the Staff
Camp Chief Ouray has always been a place of strong bonds and relationships. We have a leadership team that cares deeply about camp and giving each child the experience of a lifetime. The CCO Directors have over 40 years of combined camp staff experience and have worked together for the past 5 years. This consistency in leadership allows CCO to provide great experiences for our campers and seasonal staff.
- Camp Chief Ouray is staffed with a year-round Camp Director, Assistant Director and a Registrar. They are joined on a seasonal basis by college graduates and students to fill many important roles in the counseling and specialist positions.
- Camp Chief Ouray understands the importance of positive role models for today’s young people. We carefully recruit, select, and maintain staff for their enthusiasm, maturity, skills and ability to display wholesome values for our campers.
- Staff members are chosen through a detailed application and interview process. All staff backgrounds are checked against the Central Registry for Crimes Against Children and the Colorado or Federal Bureau of Investigation in accordance with Colorado licensing requirements.
- A well-trained, enthusiastic staff is crucial to an exciting and unforgettable camping experience. Each staff member undergoes an extensive and professional training program together in preparation for our campers’ arrival. We emphasize group dynamics, child development, teaching methods, outdoor living skills and safety and health including certification training in First Aid, CPR and Wilderness First Aid.
Marty Ferguson - Camp Director
Marty has been with the Camp Chief Ouray Family since 1995. In 2003 he was promoted to Camp Director after 9 summers at CCO in various camp leadership roles. An avid skier and former math teacher, Marty is the Vice President for American Camp Association-Rocky Mountain, a Leave No Trace Master Educator, and actively involved with local youth leadership. Marty loves live music and the NC State Wolfpack!
Read a Letter from the Director
Mary Ann Degginger - Assistant Director of In-Camp Programming
Mary Ann has 16 summers of camp experience in four different states. She has been a counselor, CIT Director, Trip Leader, and Camp Director. Before joining the CCO crew, Mary Ann was a high school science and computer teacher, and basketball coach. Mary Ann enjoys hiking, biking, playing basketball, and is a devout Mizzou sports fan. Her latest adventure – becoming a mom.
Melisa LaFon - Registrar
Melisa LaFon has lived here in Grand County for 15 years. She is married and has two beautiful little girls. She is originally from Orlando, Florida but when her family visited Colorado when she was 12 years old, they fell in love and relocated to Grand County.
Melisa comes to Camp Chief Ouray with a ton of office experience. She has worked with a property management company in Winter Park for several years. Melisa started as a front desk attendant, and worked her way up to head the Reservation, Guest Service and Homeowners Division. After many happy years with that company, Melisa did some soul searching about what was most important in her life and discovered that it was to spend more time with her husband and her amazing little girls.
Gwen Chappell - LTP Director
Gwen worked for CCO in the summer of 2007 as a trip leader. Before that she graduated college with a degree in Physical and Health Education from Ball State University. She is originally from the suburbs of Indianapolis, IN. In the years after working at CCO she worked with AmeriCorps. Her first year was with National Civilian Conservation Corps, a national service program that travels, works and lives at a 10-person team for ten months, working with different non-profits and government agencies. Works included New Orleans building houses and a summer camp in upstate New York called Double H. In 2009 she worked for another AmeriCorps program, Northwest Service Academy and spent 10 months travelling and working on the Pacific Crest Trail. In her personal life, she is a daughter to wonderful parents, an aunt to a niece and two nephews and a godmother to a seven year old!
