Martinsville, IN — The American Camp Association® (ACA) announced today that Henry DeHart has been named chief operating officer of ACA, effective September 10, 2018.     

DeHart has had a lifetime of involvement in overnight camping, which had its start when his father was a camper at Camp Sea Gull as a child. He started off as a camper at Sea Gull and grew through the staff ranks, eventually becoming the program director and then executive director. In all he has worked, in some capacity, in overnight camping for more than 25 years. DeHart has most recently served as the executive vice president, camping services, for the YMCA of the Triangle. In this role he was responsible for the three overnight camps of the Association — YMCA Camp Sea Gull, YMCA Camp Seafarer, and YMCA Camp Kanata.

During this time, DeHart has served on the Y-USA Overnight Camp Cabinet, the Y Global Camping Conference Planning Committee, and the Government Affairs Advisory Committee for Y-USA. In addition, he held a position on the Board of Directors of the NC Youth Camp Association and served as the chair of their Legislative Affairs Committee. DeHart is a longtime ACA accreditation visitor and has led a number of education sessions at both regional and national ACA conferences.

A graduate of Emory University, DeHart worked in the marketing industry as a senior account executive and a strategic marketing consultant before joining the staff of the YMCA of the Triangle. A native of Greenville, SC, DeHart now lives in Raleigh, NC, with his wife, Ana, and his two third-generation campers.

About ACA:

The American Camp Association® (ACA) is a national organization with more than 12,000 individual members and 3,000 member camps. ACA is committed to collaborating with those who believe in quality camp and outdoor experiences for children, youth, and adults. ACA provides advocacy and evidence-based education and professional development, and is the only national accrediting body for the organized camp experience. ACA accredits over 2,400 diverse camps nationally.

On Friday, March 23, President Trump signed the omnibus spending package, which included provisions for the Child Protection Improvements Act (CPIA). The new law enables organizations serving vulnerable populations, such as children, the elderly, and individuals with disabilities to conduct fast, accurate, and affordable FBI background checks on prospective volunteers and employees. Prior to this law being passed, more than one-third of states do not have access to FBI background checks.

ACA leadership and volunteers were very influential in advocating for the inclusion of CPIA in the final omnibus bill. CPIA enjoyed the support of prominent members of Congress from both political parties, including House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Senator Orin Hatch (R-UT).

For more than 10 years, ACA has worked closely with YMCA-USA, MENTOR – The National Mentoring Partnership, and many other youth-serving organizations to champion the passage of CPIA. ACA’s advocacy efforts, in cooperation with the other dedicated organizations, have helped enrich the lives of children, youth, and adults. 

ACA and our partners will now work with the Department of Justice to make sure CPIA is set up effectively. In the coming months, we expect to learn more about CPIA implementation and the regular rulemaking process that takes place for new laws. ACA will remain engaged during the CPIA implementation process and provide regular updates on any new developments.