After 21 years, Jewish Community Center associate executive director Steve Engel left the agency at the end of last month to accept the position of the division president of the National Kidney Foundation in St. Louis.

Engel is well known for his involvement at Camp Sabra. He served as camp director for 13 summers from 1986 to 1999 before becoming assistant executive director of the JCC and now serving in his current position.

“The timing is right,” said Engel who recently completed his MBA at Fontbonne University.

His love of camping started when Engel attended a YMCA day camp where his stepbrother served as the program director. He also was a camper at the Milwaukee JCC. Engel said he was “very blessed to have a wonderful mentor, Jack Weiner, who was director of the Milwaukee JCC.”

The importance of encouraging young people has been a very significant part of Engel’s tenure at the St. Louis JCC.

“I am very proud that three assistant camp directors who served with me have gone to become camp directors: Andy Brown at Camp Livingston, Randy Comensky at Camp Lakeland and Terri Grossman is the new director of Camp Sabra,” Engel said.

Engel grew up in Milwaukee, Wis., and received his BA degree in philosophy and communications from University of Wisconsin in Madison. He went to graduate school at the University of Denver where he received his master’s in social work and his first job at a JCC. He worked at the Denver JCC for four years as their B’nai B’rith Youth Organization director and their overnight ranch director.

He returned to Milwaukee to be part of the family business: Crown Prince Incorporated, a National Football League licensee sporting goods manufacturer. However, Engel discovered he really missed the camping world. So he jumped at the opportunity to come to St. Louis when the Camp Sabra position opened in 1986. Engel said it was a perfect fit and it felt great to be “back in the saddle.”

Within three weeks of his move to St. Louis, Engel was introduced to his wife Tracie (nee Brown) through a friend at the JCC. Engel said he is so thankful for Tracie’s tremendous support over the years. Tracie is the current president of the Parkway Central PTO where the couple’s two children attend school: Robert is a senior and Courtney is a freshman. Both kids grew up at the JCC.

“I am convinced our children are healthy, productive members of the community because of their involvement at the J from their experiences at the Early Childhood Center through their camping experiences,” Engel said.

Camp Sabra’s first director, Mike Lainoff had the longest tenure as camp director until Engel broke his record. Lainoff acknowledged running a camp is not an easy task. He said Engel was always ready to try new things and also was able to trust and rely on the expertise of his staff. Engel’s success can also be attributed to his great people skills: the ability to work productively with lay people and the great relationships he built with campers and their families and staff said Lainoff.

“Steve made a big imprint on campers, family and staff,” Lainoff said. “He is considered one of the top directors in the Jewish camping community.”

Francine Schraier said when she was the Camp Sabra committee chairperson she had the pleasure of working closely with Engel. She said he was the “quintessential” partner for lay and staff relations and worked very well with both groups. It was an honor to be on the camp board and there was never an empty seat at their committee meetings, said Schraier.

“Steve is a very caring individual who has a real passion for the camp and the agency,” Schraier said. “He always went above and beyond to build relationships and those relationships happened because of his dedication.”

Those wonderful relationships have continued throughout the years. Engel and Tracie have stayed in contact with many campers and counselors. Many of the camp committee chair people and board members have become dear friends. Today when Engel visits Camp Sabra he often sees former counselors who are now parents sending their children to the camp.

“Of course for me, I have forever locked them in my mind in a different time and place,” Engel said. “But it is truly a joy– it is as it should be.”

Luckily for the JCC and the community the Engels are not leaving town. Steve has already volunteered to be on the Camp Hawthorn/Camp Sabra/ Camp Wah Kon Dah reunion committee.

“Steve will forever and always be remembered for what he did for the agency as a whole, and in particular, what he did in particular for Camp Sabra,” JCC Chief executive officer, Lynn Wittels said. “We will miss having Steve on staff but look forward to him being one of our most active volunteers.”

As he reflects on the past 21 years Engel feels blessed to have had the opportunity to make such a positive difference in so many lives through his involvement at the JCC.

He has found it particularly gratifying to mentor and work with dynamic young people “who bring such enthusiasm and excitement to their jobs.” Engel also said he will be “forever grateful ” for the JCC’s support of his professional growth. Though he will miss the daily interaction his continued involvement as a volunteer takes some of edge of his very “bittersweet” parting.

“The J is heading towards financial health and this vital institution to our Jewish community will be here for years to come,” Engel said. “I am looking forward to watching the next generations grow up at the J.”