The Pierce Family – The Heart of the Pierce Country Day Camp Tradition

Pierce Country Day Camp has been family owned and family run for over a century! It is with this history and passion for CHILDREN FIRST that the Pierce family directs all aspects of the summer day camp program. Pierce Country Day Camp has now entered its fourth generation of Pierce family ownership/directorship. First cousins, Courtney and Will Pierce, now lead camp along with their uncle, Forrester Pierce. Owner/Director Emeritus Doug Pierce now proudly watches as the family camping tradition continues with the full spirit, joy, and commitment to excellence that has become the Pierce legacy.

Courtney Pierce-Philippou – 4th Generation Owner/Director

Courtney represents the 4th Generation of the Pierce family to own and direct Pierce Country Day Camp. Courtney grew up at Pierce as a camper, counselor, group leader, office admin, bus driver and pre-school teacher. After graduating from Hofstra with a degree in Psychology and Speech Pathology, Courtney spent her first 10 years in the family business preparing to follow in her father Doug’s footsteps and is now an Owner/Director of Pierce Country Day Camp. Courtney is a standards inspector for the American Camp Association, current board member of Summer Camp Opportunities Promote Education, and a past President of the association of Long Island Camps and Private Schools. Courtney lives right here at Pierce with her husband, Pete, and their 3 children, Johnny, Charlie, and Thomas.

Will Pierce – 4th Generation Owner/Director

Will represents the 4th Generation of the Pierce family to own and direct Pierce Country Day Camp. Growing up, Will spent his summers at the Pierce family’s sleepaway camp, Birchmont, which is directed by Will’s parents, Greg and Laura Pierce. Will was a camper at Pierce and Birchmont and has worked at Birchmont in the roles of counselor, maintenance crew and Group Leader. Will attended Dartmouth College where he earned a degree in English and won two Ivy League Rugby Championships. Before becoming a year-round director, Will spent 7 years in Los Angeles working at a private equity firm where he specialized in commercial real estate acquisitions and operations. By the end of his tenure there he was responsible for a national portfolio of 26,000 apartment units and hotel rooms and directed a staff of over 400 employees. Will is a current board member of both the New York State Camp Director’s Association and American Camp Foundation. He also has served on boards in past for the American Camp Association – NY/NJ, and as President of the association of Long Island Camps and Private Schools. Will lives right here at Pierce with his wife, Kristie, and their 2 children, Brooke, and Ben.

Chris Pierce – 4th Generation Owner/Director

Chris represents the fourth generation of the Pierce family to own and direct Pierce Country Day Camp. He grew up at Pierce as a camper and spent 10 years as a staff member, eventually becoming a maintenance supervisor. After graduating from Quinnipiac University with an undergraduate degree in Management, Chris pursued a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the same institution. Following the completion of his master's degree, Chris worked for four years in corporate compliance at KPMG and PwC, where he specialized in onboarding public and private audit clients and private equity transactions. He then returned to the family business to continue the Pierce family legacy as an Owner/Director. Chris is a member of the American Camp Association, the New York Camp Directors Association, and the association of Long Island Camps and Private Schools. He lives at Pierce with his family.

Forrester Pierce – 3rd Generation Owner/Director

Forrester has successfully led Pierce for almost 30 years as its Owner/Director. Before taking up directorship here at Pierce, Forrester directed the Pierce family’s sleepaway camp, Pierce Camp Birchmont. A graduate of Villanova, Forrester is a past President of the Long Island Association of Private Schools and Day Camps, a member of the American Camp Association, and a frequent speaker at the annual Tri-State Camp Conference. Forrester and his wife, Kathy, live here at Pierce and have three sons, Forrester, Chris and Brian.