ACA, Wisconsin Fall Gathering

Save by registering early! Early bird registration is available through September 18, 2025.

Wisconsin Fall Gathering Registration:

• Your registration includes a ticket to the awards dinner on Wednesday and full Thursday conference schedule, including both breakfast and lunch.
• Affordable single and double lodging is available at Camp Wawbeek. See Camp Wawbeek tab for more additional details. Participants are encouraged to register and select their preferred lodging as soon as possible for the greatest selection.

Preconference Event Registrations:

• EPIC Workshop - Your registration includes lunch & networking.
• Camp Tours - Your registration includes exploring two camps + ticket to the awards dinner.
• Executive Workshop - Your registration includes programming & networking + ticket to the awards dinner.

ACA, Wisconsin is pleased to offer scholarships to our members to cover the registration fee of the Wisconsin Fall Gathering. We believe education and networking are more important than ever and want to make sure anyone who is wanting to participate, can do so. Please fill out the scholarship form and once reviewed, you will be contacted with the status of your request.

Not an ACA Member? Join today for FREE and get the best rates for this event!

Understanding Registration Pricing:

We encourage you to register early - not just to save money, but to help us plan the best possible event!

Early Bird: Lock in the best rate by registering early! You'll get the lowest price and the best deal.

Standard: This is our standard registration rate, available after the Early Bird period ends.

Final Wave: Begins two weeks before the event and includes onsite registration.

As the conference gets closer our team is finalizing all the details, including meal numbers, room setups, and materials. Our host site needs final numbers well in advance of the event. We are always happy to welcome last minute registrations when possible. Registering early helps us serve everyone better!

Wednesday, October 29 | Preconference Workshops

• 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. EPIC Workshop
• 11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. EPIC Lunch & Roundtables
• 12:30 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Check-in for Camp Tours or Executive Workshop
• 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Executive Workshop
  • 1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. Education Session
  • 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Hot Topic Conversations
  • 3:45 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Education Session
• 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Camp Tours
  • Easterseals Wisconsin - Respite Camp
  • Camp Gray
  • Upham Woods Outdoor Learning Center
• 5:45 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Wisconsin Awards Dinner

Thursday, October 30 

• 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Check-In & Breakfast Roundtables
• 9:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. Welcome to the Wisconsin Fall Gathering!
• 9:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Educational Workshop - Creating Meaningful Connections Utilizing Team Building & Leadership Activities
• 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Lunch & Pie Auction
• 1:00 p.m. - 1:20 p.m. LCOL Announcements
• 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Educational Breakout Sessions 
• 2:45 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. Educational Breakout Sessions
• 3:50 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Thanks for coming!

EPIC Workshop - Wednesday, October 29 | 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Emerging Professionals in Camping (EPIC) is for you, whether you are transitioning from seasonal to a year-round role, taking on your first leadership position, or launching your camp career. Join us for this great workshop! 

The Feedback Sandwich is Dead: What Actually Works Instead with Jarod "W" Wunneburger

Your staff knows you're about to criticize them the moment you say "You did a great job, but..." The feedback sandwich undermines your credibility and needs to go. This interactive session for senior camp leaders replaces outdated feedback techniques with clearer, more effective approaches. You'll learn frameworks for giving specific feedback, practice managing up, down, and sideways, and develop the courage to have real conversations that build culture, not anxiety. Through live demonstrations and practice rounds with peer feedback, you'll walk away with practical scripts and the skills to give feedback that actually changes behavior.

Jarod or "W" is a visionary education leader and consultant with over 15 years of experience driving transformative change in schools, after-school programs, and camps. As Owner and Education Consultant at Thrive Point Studio, he specializes in leadership development, organizational design, and training programs that improve retention, performance, and culture in summer camp settings. Previously, Jarod served as Director of Programs at Farm and Wilderness and ran Camp Timberlake, an overnight wilderness camp for boys ages 9-14, where he developed hands-on expertise in camp operations and youth development. He has presented at numerous American Camp Association conferences across the country, delivering sessions on classroom management, coaching systems, leadership development, and behavior management strategies. His camp consulting work includes transforming staff observation frameworks, redesigning disciplinary approaches from punitive to restorative models, and developing leadership training programs that have resulted in measurable improvements in staff retention and confidence metrics. He holds a Master's in School Leadership from Harvard University and a Master's in Special Education from St. John's University, and his approach focuses on aligning strong individual habits, intentional community culture, and robust organizational systems to create lasting impact in camp environments. 

Camp Tours - Wednesday, October 29 | 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Register for a fantastic afternoon of touring three different camps and the opportunity to connect with others. Each tour will highlight different programs and facilities that are unique to their site.

• Easterseals Wisconsin Respite Camp - Respite Camp provides individualized support, care, and strives to help campers improve their social skills by matching them with other campers of their age in a group. Campers can take part in tractor-trailer rides, enjoy swimming and nature hikes, and experience the thrill  of of our high ropes course, climbing walls, and zip lines, A variety of arts, crafts, sports, and games are offered, and our accessible playground and sensory rooms are always available. The tour will highlight the Multipurpose room and newly renovated staff cabins.
• Camp Gray- Camp Gray is a Catholic summer camp and retreat center that serves over 4,500 people every year with week-long summer camps, guided retreats, and facility rentals. The tour through the property will display the dining hall (built in 2017), gymnasium (built in 2018), and many of our cabin spaces both new and old.
• Upham Woods Outdoor Learning Center - Upham Woods, an outdoor learning center managed by the University of Wisconsin - Madison Division of Extension, has been operating since 1941. We serve 10,000 people annually, providing programming aligned with state science standards and offering diverse outdoor recreation opportunities for school, 4-H, scout and conference groups. Join our tour to experience the low ropes challenge course, nature center, dorms/cabins, and our new conference center.

Executive Workshop - Wednesday, October 29 | 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

This workshop is for executive directors and senior management. It will be a great opportunity for executive level professionals to come together to connect and learn.

• 1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. Education Session 
  • Have a Plan & Know Your Why with Dave Sherry from the Sherry Group
• 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Hot Topic Conversations
• 3:45 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Education Session
  • Farm to Camp - Local Food Procurement at Wisconsin Summer Camps with Elizabeth Yost and Layne Cozzolino from Wisconsin Farmers Union Kamp Kenwood

Wisconsin Awards Dinner - Wednesday, October 29 | 5:45 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

You're invited to an evening of fun and recognition! Help us celebrate the people and programs doing excellent work in Wisconsin camping at the Wisconsin Awards Dinner.

Award nominations for 2025 are open! Show your appreciation and send in your nominations by Tuesday, September 30th. 

Brian Kenney is the founder and current owner of Team Extreme. Team Extreme specializes in working with all types of teams, from early childhood to adulthood, to assist them in improving their leadership skills and abilities to harness team cohesion. For over 25 years, Brian has been traveling to schools throughout Wisconsin, creating an environment where teams come together through activities and conversations to grow and succeed. He is very focused on increasing human connections within schools and communities.  Brian also cares deeply about inclusion, equity, and diversity. He retired from teaching special education after 25 years in 2022.

Fall Gathering Workshop - Creating Meaningful Connections Utilizing Team Building & Leadership Activities

Developing meaningful and purposeful connections to others is crucial to being a good team player. Learn to connect to others while working on critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Learning the value of connecting with others will increase your leadership skills and allow you to maximize team performance. This session will involve hands-on small and large group activity sessions to develop strong team-building and leadership skills. This workshop will be mostly hands-on activities with some informative and instructional material. This is a very activity-focused session with lots of movement and intense focus on bodily-kinesthetic awareness.

• Infusing Environmental Education into your Camp Program
• Green, Yellow, Red: Returning Staff Eligibility
• Beyond "Go Sit Down": Building Better Consequences That Actually Work
• Putting the Social Back in Media: Rethinking Camp Marketing
• Camp Tour of Easterseals Camp Wawbeek
• Unpacking Ableism, Repacking Inclusion: Neurodivergence Edition

Easterseals Wisconsin is located on 400 beautiful and wooded acres near the Wisconsin Dells. 

Lodging

Affordable single and double lodging is available at Easterseals Wisconsin the night of October 29th. The rooms feature twin beds with shared restroom and shower facilities. Participants will need to provide their own linens and towels. When registering, please select if you would like lodging in step 4.

Single Lodging - $25

Double Lodging - $18/person

1. It's Professional Development With a Return on Investment (ROI)

Attendees gain practical tools, strategic insights, and peer-driven solutions they can bring directly back to camp operations, staffing, risk management, programming, and more.

2. It's Affordable

Quality professional growth without the high price tag. The Fall Gathering is one of the most budget-friendly ways to build staff capacity and bring fresh, actionable ideas back to camp. 

3. It Helps Retain Great Staff

Want to keep passionate, talented team members? Invest in their professional development. Giving your staff space to connect, learn, and be inspired increases loyalty, motivation, and creativity. 

4. Bring Back Ideas, Tools, and Renewed Vision

You'll return not only with new strategies and best practices - but also with renewed clarity about why we do this work and how to do it better. Your team benefits from that kind of energy and direction. 

5. It's Time to Debrief and Grow After the Busiest Season of the Year

Let's be real - summer at camp is nonstop. This gives camp pros the space to pause, reflect, and regroup alongside people who truly get it. That time to process, share lessons, and reset leads to clearer strategy, renewed energy, and stronger planning for the year ahead.

Sponsorship opportunities:

• $3,000 Title Sponsor*
• $2,000 Keynote sponsor*
• $1,500 Meal sponsor*
• $2,000 Awards Dinner Sponsor*
• $1,000 Session sponsor
• $500 Snack/Break sponsor

All sponsorships come with a table, and logo recognition on signage at the event, and the events web page.

Sponsorships with an (*) also include two minutes to address the participants.

Please contact Kim Fitzgerald, [email protected] with any sponsorship inquiries.