Henry DeHart became the interim CEO in October 2024. Henry has served as the chief operating officer of the American Camp Association (ACA) for the past six years, where he supports all the programs and services that ACA provides for the public, the field of camp, and ACA’s 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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Christa Cassidy serves as the chief financial officer 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 chief development officer, 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.