Dr. Rebecca Nykwest is an educator, administrator, and organizational leader with a lifelong commitment to learning and building community. Raised in Alexandria, Virginia, she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and History from the University of Virginia, followed by both a Master’s degree and Ph.D. in History from the University of California, Irvine, where her research focused on the intersections of gender, race, and education in early modern Europe and the Americas.

Over a thirty-year career in education, Rebecca has taught preschoolers, elementary students, college students, and adults. Her academic background and teaching experience laid the foundation for a career that bridges education, leadership, and organizational development.

From 2011 to 2025, she served as Director of Communications, Head of School, and ultimately Vice President at Prince William Academy in Virginia, a preschool through Grade 8 private school known for its strong academic programming and emphasis on foreign languages. In these roles, she led institutional growth and accreditation, strengthened academic programs, and built meaningful connections among the school, its families, and the broader community.

Rebecca is an active participant in the Denman Island community and has served on multiple boards, including Blackberry Lane Preschool Society, the Denman Island Community Education Society, and the Parent Advisory Council at Denman Island Community School. She also enjoys singing with fellow Denman Islanders and is a long-time member of the community choir, as well as part of a local octet, the FourTune Cookies.

Since first coming to Denman Island in 2004, she has been inspired by its uniquely creative and connected community. She believes strongly in fostering opportunities for residents, artisans, and musicians to share that creative spirit, both within the community and beyond.

Angela Abrahão is a multidisciplinary leader with a career spanning business, technology, agriculture, and community health. She brings deep experience in strategic planning, grant writing, agriculture consulting, and e-learning coordination, alongside a strong foundation in change management and program development.

Angela has also worked closely with governance bodies and executive leadership teams, supporting organizational strategy, operational alignment, and board-level initiatives. Her experience extends into the healthcare sector, collaborating with health practitioners to strengthen operations, enhance systems, and support integrated models of care. She approaches her work with Indigenous communities through relationship, respect, and support for community-led priorities.

As Co-Founder of E.VENTURES, Angela has worked for 25 years at the intersection of software engineering and digital marketing, supporting rural and agriculture-based businesses across British Columbia in building accessible, sustainable systems. Her work is rooted in bridging gaps — between technology and land-based industries, and between innovation and community realities.

Angela is also a trained herbalist and medicine maker, permaculture and eco-social design practitioner, with hands-on experience managing agricultural projects and contributing to sustainable enterprise development. Her work extends beyond business into community care, where she is known for fostering compassionate, supportive environments grounded in trust and meaningful human connection. Angela brings a unique ability to cultivate resilience, connection, and long-term sustainability in every space she works.

Sergio Abrahão is the Chief Technology Officer at Camp Denman, bringing over 31 years of experience as a Senior Software Engineer, hardware engineer, and technology leader to the organization. Throughout his career, Sergio has built a reputation as an innovative problem-solver with deep expertise across software development, artificial intelligence, complex telecommunications systems, and custom hardware solutions.

Beyond his extensive software background, Sergio is an accomplished hardware engineer. He specializes in developing firmware, communication devices, ESP32 microcontrollers, and custom electronic devices for real-time signal monitoring. This dual expertise in software and physical hardware will be instrumental in spearheading Camp Denman’s upcoming technology and infrastructure projects.

An accomplished entrepreneur, Sergio founded the technology firm e.ventures, where he has spent over 16 years leading the development of e-commerce platforms, complex API systems, and AI models for real-time market predictions. He has also served as the Chief Data Scientist for DomainerSuite since 2019, designing advanced AI applications, large-scale SEO models, and big data tools.

Before establishing his own ventures, Sergio spent over a decade driving massive technological transformations for global corporations, leading highly technical system migrations, provisioning, and infrastructure projects for industry giants such as IBM, TELUS, Bell Canada, Amdocs, SIAC (NYSE), Ford, Bank Boston Fleet, Toyota, and PricewaterhouseCoopers. His expertise has successfully guided international projects across North America, South America, Central America, Europe, and the Middle East.

Sergio holds a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Computer Science and Computing Systems Engineering from Richmond, The American International University in London, and completed post-graduate coursework in IT Management and Telecommunications at Ryerson University. Fluent in English, Portuguese, Italian, and Spanish, with working French and conversational Lebanese Arabic, he is widely recognized by peers for his work ethic, his calm under pressure, and his ability to integrate seamlessly with teams to deliver high-quality results.

Max Johnston is a Red Seal Carpenter based on Denman Island, bringing a strong mix of construction experience, outdoor skills, camp experience, and practical site knowledge to Camp Denman. Max has worked in carpentry and construction for several years, including with Village Point Construction and Samia Harris Enterprises, and earned his Canadian Red Seal Interprovincial Carpentry Certification in 2025.

Max also has a background in camp and recreation environments, having worked as a junior counsellor, senior counsellor, and first aid support at Blue Lake Camp. His experience in outdoor settings, first aid, water safety, and hands-on building makes him a valuable part of the Camp Denman team.

Friendly, hardworking, organized, and comfortable working with people, Max brings a steady and practical presence to the camp. His skills support both the ongoing maintenance and upkeep of the property and the safe, welcoming environment Camp Denman is creating for guests, staff, and visitors.

Mark Benard brings a rare blend of high-tech wizardry and boots-in-the-dirt practicality to Camp Denman. With a 31-year career in the visual effects industry, Mark’s journey includes a highly decorated decade at the helm of his award-winning VFX house, Lost Boys Studios. Under his leadership, the studio delivered high-end visual effects across hundreds of feature films, television series, game cinematics, and commercial productions — earning numerous accolades, including Leo Awards for Best Visual Effects and a Primetime Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Special Visual Effects for the hit series Stargate SG-1. He also served for several years as the Education and Technology Chair for the Vancouver chapter of the Visual Effects Society.

Building on his studio’s success, he founded and directed the internationally acclaimed Lost Boys | School of VFX. Over its 21-year history, he built the academy into what Variety and The Hollywood Reporter hailed as one of the top training grounds in the world. As Managing Director, Mark designed the curriculum, mentored students, managed complex technical pipelines, and spearheaded marketing — and personally designed, built, and filmed hundreds of cinematic shots to simulate real-world production, from set building and costume creation to lighting, cinematography, and directing performance. After launching the careers of over 600 digital artists into top-tier Hollywood studios (with a 98% placement rate), Mark exited his business and brought his passion for creative technology to Denman Island.

Growing up just across the water in the Comox Valley, Mark has always considered this region home. Stepping onto the Camp Denman grounds is a literal homecoming: his very first away-from-home camp experience took place right here when the site was known as Elkhaven. A fiercely imaginative youth and dedicated Lego maniac, his obsession with computer graphics began by relentlessly tinkering with the single Commodore 64 at his elementary school. Years in the Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, and youth cadet programs forged his lifelong foundation in mentoring, teamwork, and wilderness adventure.

Dr. Samia Harris is an educator, founder, consultant, and public speaker with decades of experience in school leadership, curriculum development, teacher training, and arts-based education. Born in Cairo, Egypt, and educated across Egypt, Canada, and the United States, she brings a deeply international perspective to learning, leadership, and community building.

As the founder and longtime director of Prince William Academy in Virginia, Dr. Harris built a respected independent school rooted in academic excellence, character development, whole-child education, and global citizenship. For years, she championed a holistic curriculum that valued the arts alongside core academic subjects, including visual arts, diverse dance traditions, music, and cultural learning.

Dr. Harris also initiated a successful exchange program between Virginia and Costa Rica, fostering cross-cultural music learning, international connection, and national recognition. Now in Denman, Canada, she hopes to expand this vision by supporting similar exchanges between Canada and other countries, training others to sustain and grow these programs and using the arts as a peaceful and unifying language.

Throughout her career, Dr. Harris has emphasized generosity, character development, and service. At Prince William Academy, she encouraged students to understand the importance of giving through coat and blanket drives, holiday food drives, and a character development program designed to help students grow into compassionate global leaders.