Prospective Families Aquatics Staff
Kathleen (Kat) Serafin
Swim Director
Kathleen has been a part of the Crestwood family since 1990 where she attended as a student in the Nursery program. She continued as a camper all the way through the teen program and then became a lifeguard in 2003. Having taken on every leadership position at the Crestwood pools, it was a dream come true when Kat became our Swim Director in 2014. Kat received her Bachelor’s in Childhood Education at SUNY Cortland and her Masters in Special Education at C.W. Post LIU. She started as a nursery teacher at Crestwood in 2009 and has been teaching here ever since. Her love of swimming started when she first learned how to swim at Crestwood and continued through USA competitive swimming. Kat swam competitively on a club swim team, for her high school swim team from 7th-12th grade and in college for SUNY Cortland. After college, she started coaching for her competitive swim team: Team Suffolk. Crestwood has shaped the person that she has become and she strives to do the same for every camper. Kat is married and can’t wait for her newborn son Tyler to become a Crestwood camper … and member of the swim team!
Richard Stern
Assistant Swim Director
Richard began his Crestwood experience in 1998. He has worked in every aspect of the aquatics program. In 2014, he made his return to the Crestwood family after taking time off to spend with his children. Richard received his BA in History from Ithaca College and his Masters in Secondary Education from Hofstra University. During the year, Richard is a Social Studies teacher and Dean of Discipline at John Adams High School in Ozone Park. He currently is the Head Swimming and Diving coach at Jericho High School. During his tenure at Jericho his teams have broken 24 team records and are consistently ranked near the top of Nassau County swimming and diving. For his efforts, Richard has been named Newsday’s Long Island Coach of the Year on two separate occasions as well as Nassau County Coach of the year on 5 separate occasions. Richard and his wife Stacey send all three of their children, Noah, Connor and Arden, to Crestwood.
Jenna Fennelly
Swim Supervsior
Jenna joined the Crestwood family this past school year as a teacher’s assistant in a preschool class and now she joins the camp staff as a swim supervisor. As a lifetime lover of the water, Jenna became a lifeguard and swim instructor in 2016. Although she is new to Crestwood, she is not new to the camp lifestyle. She has grown through the ranks at her previous camp from counselor to group leader and then switched over to the swim staff and became a lifeguard and went on to be the head of aquatics. She is very excited to share her experience and knowledge with all the swimmers at camp this summer!
Robin Lerner
Pool Records
Since 2007, Robin has been working at Crestwood year round. During the school year, she has worked with children of all ages – pre-k being her favorite. In the summers, Robin has been a group leader but now she is wearing her favorite hat at our pools. It is an awesome opportunity for Robin to see former campers, students and staff. Most of all Robin gets to see her 3 grandchildren who have grown up at Crestwood!
Kate Sullivan
Assistant Swim Director
Kate joined the Crestwood family in 2005 as a Lifeguard and Swim Instructor. Since then, she has held the positions of Assistant Swim Director, Small Group Supervisor, Kindergarten Swim Supervisor, and Pre-School Swim Supervisor. Currently Kate is Crestwood’s Assistant Swim Director overseeing all Preschool Divisions. Kate holds a Masters degree in Elementary Education and Special Education from Molloy College and an advanced graduate certificate in Educational Leadership from Stony Brook University. During the school year, Kate is a teacher at the elementary level in the Syosset Central School District. Her favorite thing about Crestwood is watching campers grow into confident swimmers throughout the summer and looks forward to sending her son, William, when he is age appropriate.
Lisa DiLillo
Swim Supervisor Mini & JR Day
Lisa is a year-round staff member who has worked at Crestwood since the summer of 2008. She has worked in the 5th and 6th grade division as well as in our teen program. She began teaching Pre- k for our school in 2013 and also worked in the Pre-school division over the summer. In 2021, Lisa became one of Crestwood’s lifeguards and for 2023 she will be the Swim Supervisor for the Mini & Jr Day campers. She loves seeing the children’s smiles every time they visit the pool. Her son attends both the preschool and summer program.
Emily Domnisch
Swim Supervisor Full Day Preschool
Emily is so excited to be joining the Crestwood team this summer of 2023! She graduated in May with a masters in early childhood and childhood education from the University at Buffalo. Emily was the lead teacher at the University’s Early Childhood Research center throughout her program. Prior to teaching, she was a lifeguard and swim instructor at a local summer camp and private pool for 4 years. Emily has a passion for teaching and helping children become less fearful of the water. She can’t wait to have so much fun with the Crestwood family this summer!
