Leadership | Camp Rock of South Georgia

Jay Watkins

Pastoral Advisor

Jay Watkins has served as pastor of Redland Baptist Church in Valdosta Georgia for over 20 years. He has led the church from 60 to over 600 in attendance and membership. Pastor Watkins serves as a Trustee on the North American Missions Board (NAMB), and sits on several national committees. Jay has led the Valdosta Baptist Association in large outreach events like Community Day where over 70,000 people have been given essentials like food, clothing, medical help, plus much more. This idea has grown from a South Georgia effort into a national movement to reach strategic cities in North America.

Redland Baptist Church has also started, under Jay’s leadership, a fine arts academy where at-risk children from the community are bused to the church for various classes (equestrian, various musical instruments, sports, etc.) His heart is to help others know the love of Jesus Christ and that tomorrow can be brighter than what they may be experiencing today. Jay is married to Sandra Watkins and they have five adopted children. Adoptions are also very important to Jay, and he and Patti Karras have helped many families experiences the blessings of adoption.

Rylee Gilbert, LMSW

Executive Director

Rylee joined the Camp Rock of Georgia, Inc. team in February of 2019 as Case Support Supervisor. Rylee assumed the role of Executive Director in April of 2020. In her role, Rylee oversees day-to-day agency operations, the Case Management department, Resource Development, and prospective foster family training. Rylee is a licensed social worker with both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Social Work from the University of MIssouri-Columbia. Prior to joining the Camp Rock of Georgia, Inc. team, Rylee worked as a Care Coordinator for the statewide CSEC serving agency, Georgia Cares. She also served as Site Manager for the Jumpstart for Early Learning program at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. Rylee married her husband, Cameron, in March of 2020. Rylee, originally from Southern Missouri, relocated to Georgia in the summer of 2017. She is passionate about family reunification, education equity, and child advocacy.

Denise Buchanan

Case Support Supervisor

Denise joined the Camp Rock of Georgia team in August of 2021. Denise is a retired Educator with 30 years experience working with students with special needs as a Teacher and an Administrator. She has worked for the past 10 years with students with Emotional and Behavioral Disabilities and has a passion for helping children to learn coping skills so that they can become more successful. Denise earned her Bachelors and Master’s Degrees from Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, GA. She received her Specialist in Education Degree from Nova Southeastern University in Ft Lauderdale, FL.

Denise is married to Arthur “DJ” Buchanan. They have 3 children- Jordan, Katlyn and Taylor- all “20 somethings”.

Blake Connell

Case Support Worker

The newest addition to the Camp Rock team, Blake Connell, joined us in January 2021. Blake has taken on the role of Case Support Worker. In December of 2017, Blake graduated from Valdosta State University with his bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Anthropology with a minor in Psychology. Blake is from Adel, GA and currently resides in Valdosta, GA. He is the father of one son named Aiden, who is Blake’s biggest fan. Blake is passionate about helping children receive every opportunity to reach their fullest potential to ensure they live their best life possible.

Sandra Watkins

Administrative Secretary

Sandra is a mom to 5 children. For the last 18 years, her role as mother, wife and professional has kept her busy. Sandra has worked alongside her husband in ministry for the last 24 years. She has been married to Jay, senior pastor at Redland Baptist Church, for almost 25 years. Sandra was a customer service representive in Banking for the last 20 years. She is also trained as an Emergency Medical Technician. She took a brief time off from work to be a stay home mom. She now serves in the role of Administrative Assistant at Camp Rock of Georgia, Inc.