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Welcome
to the second issue of 20/20 News, our e-newsletter about the American
Camp Association's vision for the future. This issue describes
the new ACA National Board development process and answers the popular
question: "Where is my ballot?" You can nominate a personal
contact who works outside of camp and cares about the future of camp.
ACA's 20/20 Vision: 20 million campers
and 20,000 participants in ACA by the year 2020.
This e-newsletter is intended to keep you informed about the association's
plans and actions toward reaching this vision and to help you identify
how you can personally impact ACA's 20/20 Vision.
National Leadership and the Need for Change
On November 4, 2008, a record number of Americans cast their ballots
in the Presidential election. Whether you voted for Barak Obama's "Change We Can Believe
In" or were drawn to John McCain's promise that "Change is
Coming," there is no doubt that this was an election about bringing much
needed change to our nation.
In October 2007, the ACA National Board of Directors came to a similar
conclusion about ACA. They recognized that something about ACA just
wasn't working.
We have been unable to grow as an organization for many years now,
and the children that attend most of America's camps are more
representative of the demographics of our nation's past than
our present or future.
Despite our best efforts, even counting all of the children at non-accredited
camps, approximately 10 million of our nation's 70 million children
were lucky enough to attend a camp last summer, and 3 million of them
did so at an ACA-Accredited® camp.
This is not for lack of trying. ACA has been the beneficiary of skilled
and devoted volunteer leadership over many years. We have an outstanding
CEO, who has articulated a path to a better future with ACA's
20/20 Vision. But in October 2007, our National Board realized that
as a group of mostly volunteer camp professionals, our best efforts
could never bring to ACA the strong public voice and influence that
will be required to advance the 20/20 Vision and move this association
forward.
We did not have the expertise required to navigate this change, and
after much input from members and volunteers from across the country,
including at the 2008 Council of Delegates meeting, the National
Board voted for Change. They changed the ACA Bylaws in a way that
would allow us to recruit, cultivate, and elect a group of new "Public" Board
members who could help us develop the national voice, influence,
and capacity to double the number of children that attend our nation's
camps and grow ACA membership to 20,000 or more.
They looked at the practices and governance structures of many of
the nation's
most effective and influential nonprofit associations and designed
a new National Board Development process for ACA, including direct
election of new Board members by the National Board. They voted
to create a new structure for association leadership that could
identify leaders within our community of camp professionals that
can work effectively with our new public board members, and who
can continue to ensure that the voices of camp professionals will
be heard on the National Board, as we embark on our journey towards
our 20/20 Vision.
Introducing
the New ACA National Board Members
Our first new class of public board members were identified and recruited by
our Board Development Committee in the weeks that followed the 2008 Council of
Delegates meeting, and were elected by our National Board in June. They include: |
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Ed
Greene, Ph.D.— A senior consultant and advisor
in the field of child development, early learning, and children's
media environments. Through his work, Dr. Greene facilitates
communication, capacity building, and strategic approaches for
early care and education program implementation. A former camper
and counselor, Dr. Greene served as an elected member of the
governing board of the National Association for the Education
of Young Children, the largest early childhood organization
in the United States. He serves on the boards of the Council
for Professional Recognition, the High/Scope Educational Research
Foundation, the Coalition for Quality Children's Media;
the advisory boards for Jumpstart Mid-Atlantic Region, The Educational
Equity Center at the Academy for Educational Development, and
the National Center for Learning Disabilities. Dr. Greene attended
DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, where he earned a
bachelor's in music. He received his M.A. in child and human
development from Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, California,
and completed his Ph.D. in elementary and early childhood education
at Indiana State University.
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Alan
Yuspeh — Senior vice president and chief ethics and compliance
officer for Hospital Corporation of America. A former camper
at Blue Star and current member of the Board of Directors of
the Joe C. Davis Outdoor Center of the YMCA, Alan spent fifteen
years in private law practice, last as a partner with the law
firm of Howrey & Simon. He served as General Counsel to
the Committee on Armed Services of the United States Senate
from 1982 to 1985. He also served as a member of the staff of
United States Senator J. Bennett Johnston of Louisiana from
1974 to 1978, serving as administrative assistant, chief-of-staff,
and legislative assistant. He began his career as a management
consultant in the Washington, D.C. office of McKinsey & Company.
Mr. Yuspeh received his bachelor's degree at Yale University
magna cum laude with honors in political science and economics.
He received a master in business administration (MBA) degree
with distinction from Harvard Business School. His law degree
is from Georgetown University, where he was an editor of Law
and Policy in International Business, the school's journal of
international law.
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Glynn
Turman — After more than fifty years in the entertainment
industry, award-winning actor, producer and Director Glynn Turman
recently won his first Emmy in the Outstanding Guest Actor category
for his special appearance in the new HBO series "In Treatment".
Glynn turned in critically-acclaimed performances as a series
regular on another HBO hit series, "The Wire," as
Mayor Clarence Royce which earned him a 2007 ‘Best Supporting
Actor' NAACP Image Award nomination. Glynn's
other acknowledgements include 3 NAACP Image Awards, including
the Lifetime Achievement Award for Theatre; a Los Angeles Critics
Award nomination; a Dramalogue Award; and multiple NAACP Image
Award nominations. Glynn is a firm believer that, to whom much
is given, much is required. To that end, with the help and
support of his wife, Jo-An, and at the urging of Coretta Scott
King, Glynn established "Camp Gid D Up" — a
free western style summer camp for inner-city and at-risk youth
in the wake of the 1992 civil unrest in Los Angeles. Turman
credits his ability to remain focused and stay out of trouble
as a youth largely to his mother's insistence on sending
him to camp each summer, and since 1992 hundreds of youth have
enjoyed camping at their forty-acre ranch just outside of Los
Angeles. In addition to his professional accomplishments and philanthropic
work, Turman is a professional Rodeo Cowboy and Roping Champion. In
2000, Turman won the state's Regional Team Roping Finals
and placed in the top five in the National U.S. Team Roping Cowboy
Finals in Oklahoma City. |
Jo-An
Turman — Senior director of marketing and communications
for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles. Jo-An is constantly
challenging herself to make a difference and help others achieve
their goals. Born in New York and raised in Los Angeles, Jo-An
has a B.A. degree in Afro-American Studies & Marketing and
a master's in urban education & real estate. She
is the co-founder, along with her husband, Emmy winning actor/director
Glynn Turman, of the nonprofit children's organization and
summer camp for inner-city and at-risk youth, IX Winds Ranch Foundation's "Camp
Gid D Up." Prior to joining Habitat for Humanity
of Greater Los Angeles in August 2007, Jo-An was the director
of real estate & marketing & communications for the L.A.
Neighborhood Housing Services and a teacher at charter and private
schools. Her big city roots give her a clear understanding
of the needs of her community and will help ACA expand the base
of children that currently participate in the camp experience. |
How Can You Impact the 20/20 Vision?
The National Board Development Committee is already working on our
second class of new board members. If you have a personal relationship
with someone who you feel could advance our 20/20 Vision through their
expertise in funds development, organizational financial management,
or public relations, please share their names directly with our National
Board Development Committee. In addition,
if you have a personal relationship with a nationally known individual
who could increase ACA's visibility, voice, or influence, please
share their names as well. Our Board Development Committee will handle the cultivation
of candidates with great care and professionalism, and will keep you in the loop
so that your personal relationships will remain strong.
In our next newsletter, you will hear about our initial work on creating
a strong Association Leadership structure, which can help us develop
and strengthen leaders throughout ACA and identify camp professionals
that will be joining the National Board in the future. Your voice
and influence will remain strong as we continue on ACA's journey
toward a better future—our 20/20 Vision!
Questions or comments? E-mail the task force at 2020@ACAcamps.org.
20/20 Task Force
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