Park Leadership
Learn more about our team
Joanne Schmid
FOUNDER – RETIRED
I was born and raised in New Hampshire, but I made the move to Michigan in the late 1960s. By 1991, I decided to leave the Detroit area and embark on a new adventure up north along the Rifle River. Before my time at River View, I worked in the banking industry in Macomb County. When we came across a little run-down campground in Northern Michigan, we saw its potential and thought, “Why not give it a shot?”
In those early years, I kept my job downstate in Macomb County, spending weekends and any free time I could manage traveling up I-75 to Sterling to work on the campground. Bit by bit, with the help of my family, we transformed that little park into the wonderful facility it is today.
When we first started, everything was managed by hand and on paper—no fancy systems back then! Over time, we improved our processes, created systems, and streamlined everything to make the park run more efficiently.
These days, I’ve stepped back from the day-to-day operations. I spend my winters soaking up the sunshine in Phoenix, Arizona, but I always make my way back to River View each summer to check in and make sure everything is running smoothly. In my free time, I enjoy caring for my dogs, Madigan and Murphy—they keep me on my toes!
Todd Golebiewski
OWNER / OPERATOR
River View has been the family business since I was in middle-school and a big part of my life since back then. After mostly-retiring from a 20+ year career in network television broadcasting, I’ve slowed down a bit to focus my energy on solely running River View Campground & Canoe Livery. Working my way thru school as a Television Newscast Director, I graduated from Michigan State University in 2001 with a degree in Telecommunications and worked as a broadcast graphic designer and IT consultant for ABC Television in San Francisco. Later, I joined a Silicon Valley company that revolutionized sports TV with cutting-edge graphic enhancements.
One of the highlights of my career was working with ESPN Monday Night Football for 15 seasons, leading the team behind what’s known today as “Augmented Reality” graphics—like the iconic “Virtual Yellow Line” that shows the first down marker. Sports broadcasting took me on some incredible adventures, including covering the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, several Super Bowls, countless NFL and college football bowl games.
For years, I balanced my television work with my responsibilities at River View. Now, I’m grateful to dedicate my time fully to the campground. These days I’ll still occasionally lend a hand on some TV broadcasts when I can be of assistance on large events.
While I sometimes do miss the fast-paced, high-tech world of broadcasting, I’ve fully embraced the quieter life up north. Trading big city hustle for the serenity of northern Michigan has been a welcome change.
In the off-season, I keep busy with RV trips and trailering my race car across the country to tackle some amazing sports car road courses. By spring, I’m always recharged and excited to head back to Michigan to kick off another season at River View.
Kim Ebeling
SENIOR OFFICE MANAGER
River View became our family business when I was in high school. I spent many fun summers during college and after working here. Following college at Michigan State University, I worked in mostly large corporate environments, including MASCO Corporation, Merrill Lynch, and Penske Automotive Group.
I was with Penske Automotive Group for nearly 20 years in customer and investor relations. As a member of the Penske Automotive Group event planning team, I coordinated many large-scale corporate events. Working for a prestigious Fortune 500 company provided me the opportunity for significant travel and to experience what a high level of customer service should be.
As my mother Joanne, our founder, headed toward retirement, I decided to leave the high-pressure corporate life, and I returned to River View, hoping to bring my leadership and organizational knowledge back to the family business. The summer is my favorite time of year, and since coming back to River View in 2016, I get to enjoy the outdoors so much more than I ever did sitting in my former corporate office building.
My off-season is filled with family time with my husband and two daughters. The summers are a busy time for River View, so I love that I get the opportunity to spend more quality time with family in the cooler months and throughout the holiday season.
It makes me happy to know that I can be part of facilitating a wonderful experience for our guests to spend time with family and friends creating memories in the beautiful Michigan outdoors.
Mary Carr
SECURITY AND OFFICE MANAGER
Coming soon…
Mary Beth Williams
CLEANING & GROUNDS SUPERVISOR
I’ve been part of the RV and campground operations world for quite a while now, River View my second park in Michigan. Several years before this, I worked at Lighthouse Village RV Resort in Homer, MI, and then ventured south for a few years to warmer climates.
In New Orleans, LA, I managed grounds and cleaning crews, including during the challenging aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Getting a campground back into shape for campers after such devastation was no small task, but it was a rewarding experience seeing our efforts pay off.
After Louisiana, I headed to Florida and joined Sun-N-Fun with Sun Outdoor Resorts in Sarasota. There, I led a wonderful crew maintaining hundreds of vacation rental units and handling repairs. I was also entrusted with managing the wellness center, where I learned a lot about pools and gym equipment—skills I never expected to pick up!
In 2017, I returned to my Michigan roots and joined the team at River View. Here, I work with a fantastic seasonal workforce to keep the park in top shape and lead the team responsible for keeping our facilities clean and organized. Along the way, I earned my bus driver’s license, which allows me to drive River View guests, but also help the local community school when they need an extra driver.
When the off-season rolls around and our winter projects wrap up, I enjoy cheering on the Detroit Lions during NFL season and spending time with my dog, Noah.