Henry DeHart became chief executive officer of the American Camp Association (ACA) in September 2025, after serving as interim CEO since October 2024 and as chief operating officer for the previous six years, where he supported ACA’s programs and services for the public, the camp field, and ACA members. His responsibilities have included membership, accreditation, professional development, research, business development, and marketing to support day and overnight camps and camp professionals across the country.

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Cory Harrison is the chief operating officer of the American Camp Association, supporting many of the programs and services that ACA provides for the public, the field of camp, and ACA’s members. His responsibilities include accreditation, professional development, innovation, research, communications, and marketing to support day and overnight camps and camp professionals across the country. He brings more than 20 years of professional experience in camping, having spent nearly his entire career in the field — first with the Salvation Army, and most recently 15 years with the YMCA, where he served as vice president of overnight camping at the YMCA of Greenville, directly overseeing one of the top 10 largest YMCA overnight camps in the country. Cory lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with his wife Stacie, director of Camp WeHaKee for Girls in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, and their son Caleb. He is also the father of Mason, Elijah, and daughter Cate. Stacie and Cory met at an ACA conference and honeymooned at an ACA national conference — a fitting origin story for someone who has spent his career inside this community. With camp woven into every part of his life, personal and professional, he is eager to bring that same commitment to his work at ACA.

Betsy Kelder serves as the chief engagement officer, responsible for human resources, leadership development functions, volunteer engagement, ACA field teams, the IT department, and ACA’s enterprise risk management portfolio. Betsy grew up in the Boston area attending day camps from a young age.  At 9, she had her first overnight camp experience, and at age 10 she found her home away from home at Hidden Valley Camp (HVC). She spent 17 summers (five years full-time) at HVC filling almost every role from camper to associate director. Betsy served on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for ACA prior to joining as a full-time employee and served on the Board of Directors for the American Camp Association, New England affiliate for 10 years including as the board’s president from March 2020–2023. Betsy lives in the Boston area with her husband and two girls, who are following in their mother’s shoes attending overnight camp at Hidden Valley.  She loves to spend time with friends and family and be outdoors as much as possible.

Christa Cassidy serves as the interim senior vice president, finance for the American Camp Association. She is responsible for budgeting and forecasting, risk management, and oversees the IT, human resources, treasury, and facilities management teams. Christa is the staff liaison to the Audit and Financial Policies Committee of ACA and to the Board of Directors of the American Camping Foundation. She has spent her entire career in the nonprofit industry. Prior to joining ACA, Christa served as the CFO of the Indy Chamber and assistant treasurer for the Pension Fund of the Christian Church. Christa is a graduate of Ball State University and has her Certified Public Accountant license in the state of Indiana. She lives in Plainfield, Indiana, with her two toy poodles.   

Marna Redding serves as senior vice president, development, leading business and funds development, growing resources, relationships, and partnerships to expand the work and influence of the American Camp Association. Marna is directly responsible for the design and implementation of strategies to identify funding sources through annual giving efforts, brand alliance, corporate and foundation funding. While not a camp kid herself, Marna resides in upstate New York with her husband and they are proud camp parents of a son and daughter who attend camp in Maine.  

John Beitner serves ACA as the senior director of programs, supporting accreditation, professional development, and the national conference.  Prior to joining ACA staff, John was a teacher, a longtime ACA volunteer, and a camp professional who worked for the same camp for 30 years. He is an enthusiastic traveler who resides in Los Angeles with his husband and dog. 

Michele Branconier serves ACA as the senior director of volunteerism, leading the region director team, and is responsible for local office service delivery, engagement, and volunteer leadership. She directly supports the national volunteer engagement committee, the national awards committee, and the board national public policy committee. Her lifelong connection to camp includes attending camp, working there, meeting her husband at a camp conference, and her children attending and working at camp. Residing in the California desert, Michele enjoys outdoor activities year-round. She has a particular fondness for sports, especially college football and volleyball, and loves watching her children compete. Michele also enjoys cooking, traveling, spending time with her three dogs, and being with her husband, Dave, and their children, Bella, Tommy, Michael, and their new daughter-in-law, Payton. 

Laurie Pearson, PhD, serves camps and their communities through her work as the senior director of innovation and learning at the American Camp Association. In that role, Dr. Pearson supports a team of researchers and grant managers who gather insights from the field and translate them into practice. She is passionate about the transformative role evaluation can play in a camp organization and enjoys engaging with camp professionals as they work develop a culture of continuous improvement at their camp. Prior to joining ACA, Dr. Pearson was on faculty at California State University, Chico, and prior to that she was a day camp director in Salt Lake City, Utah.  She earned her doctorate in parks, recreation, and tourism from the University of Utah, and now lives in Salt Lake City with her family — furry and otherwise.