About AICL
OUR MISSION
We celebrate the life of the mind. We call our campers “motivated learners,” figuring anyone who shows up to take biology, math, or art in July is motivated. AICL creates an environment in which it is safe to laugh and learn, to risk and fail, and to experiment with something outside of one’s competence.
Through outreach and scholarships, we foster a racially and economically diverse community. At AICL, we see everyone as both a learner and a teacher. We encourage social and intellectual interactions that will enable our students to fulfill their personal, professional, and academic potential. Because we build curricula based on the idea that learning is fun and should be on-going, we prepare our students to engage our complex world with insight, empathy, and confidence. When a camper comes to AICL, they have an opportunity to join a community of educators and students who are passionate about learning and creating.
Our Administrative Staff
Chad Watson, Education Manager
Chad has been a part of camp for a long time- first as a camper, then as staff. He has filled just about every role at camp at one time or another. He co-directed from 2002 to 2005, then stepped back into the job in 2011. He lives in The Woodlands, Texas, where he teaches Pre-Calculus and Statistics to high school students.
Jessica Young, Medical Director
Jessica has also been a part of camp much of her life, working in a variety of roles from counselor to camp cook before becoming Co-Director in 2012. She and Chad have overseen the rapid expansion of camp and AICL’s move from Warren Wilson College to Mars Hill University. She lives with her family in Tennessee and looks forward to a future when AICL runs year-round.
Will German, Counseling Director
Will German has been coming to camp since he was very small. Much taller now, he currently lives in Asheville, North Carolina. You may know him from being the person who says "Goooooooooooood morning campers!" after breakfast.
Noah Johnson, Community Director
Noah is a camp alum who leads our Camp Apprentice and Staff-in-Training youth leadership programs. You may know her as the lead singer of the AICL disco band.
Our Board
You can contact the full board at aiclboard@appalachianinstitute.org.
Wes Cheek, Chair
In my 30+ year involvement with SIGC/AICL I have been a camper, counselor, teacher, director, board member, and parent. It was in my living room in Tuscaloosa that we decided on the name Appalachian Institute for Creative Learning. My son, Musashi, experienced his first year at camp in 2019 and I look forward to both of my children spending their future summers at AICL.
J.J. Breazeale, Secretary
J. J. Breazeale is a former SIGC camper and a mom to a current AICL camper. For the past 15+ years, she has worked in the financial services industry, but has also found time to earn her 5th degree black belt in kung fu, learn to play guitar, and start a music camp for women. She lives in Northern Colorado with her husband, daughter, and two goofy rescue hounds.
Brian Smith, Treasurer
I am an Enterprise Architect with a consulting firm based in Alpharetta, GA, and hold a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Berry College as well as graduate studies in the Master of Professional Studies program in Hotel Administration at Cornell University. My daughter Piper is a long-time—and now recently graduated—AICL camper, and supporting this community remains deeply meaningful to our family.
Shelly Twigg
I’m currently the Chief Operating Officer of a digital growth agency specializing in helping organizations grow through strategic marketing, membership programs, and web development. This organization is special to me - not only because of the incredible work it does but because both of my children have had meaningful experiences here that have had a lasting impact on their lives.
Ryan Lee
I am a former AICL camper who continues to reflect fondly on the time I spent there. Currently, as the Director of Science Instruction and the Premedical Program at Harvard Extension School and as a lecturer at Harvard Medical School, I am still inspired by and draw upon my experiences in the special learning environment created at AICL. I encourage my students and mentees to take risks and explore a variety of interests, and I emphasize fostering a diverse and creative community as a key component of student engagement. In my spare time, I enjoy cooking, cocktails, and the show Taskmaster.
Graham Marema
Since graduating from camp in 2013, Graham has worked as a teacher at AICL and served on the board. She is a writer and artist currently based in Philadelphia. Her favorite camp disco song is C'mon Eileen.
