New Concordia Language Villages Site Director Brings Local Leadership

Concordia Language Villages announced that Kyle Chones has joined its Bemidji area campus as site director, assuming strategic leadership for immersive language camps that host about 3,000 villagers each summer and run additional events during the academic year. The site director role includes oversight of program delivery, staff and volunteer coordination, and engagement with local institutions that support seasonal operations.

Chones brings an unusual career path to the position. He played basketball at Colgate University, was drafted by the Lawton Fort Sill Cavalry of the Continental Basketball Association, and received an invitation to Toronto Raptors training camp. An injury ended his professional basketball aspirations and he considered law school before directing his efforts toward youth recreation, camps and outdoor education. His professional background includes roles with the American Diabetes Association, the Salvation Army Potomac Division, and most recently managing youth recreation at the University of California Berkeley.

The Concordia campus northeast of Bemidji draws a concentrated population each summer and hosts events during the school year, which creates demand for local services, seasonal hires and facility support. Those dynamics make the site director a visible civic leader whose decisions influence local employment, volunteer engagement and educational programming that can involve Beltrami County schools and community groups. "Chones said he was drawn to Concordia for the sense of community."

For residents, the change in leadership invites attention to how Concordia will manage staffing, camper safety and partnerships with local businesses and institutions. The site director will also play a role in maintaining program quality that parents and educators rely on for immersive language learning. Continuity of operations is particularly important as Concordia prepares for its summer season, when logistics for housing, food service and transportation place coordination demands on the local area.

Chones’s mix of camp administration experience and youth recreation management positions him to oversee Concordia’s campus operations. Community stakeholders will be watching how his leadership translates into stable employment opportunities, strengthened community ties and continued educational offerings in Beltrami County.