Time to Launch
With another successful Women’s FEST behind us, CAMP Rehoboth now sets its sights on the summer of 2019. While we’re charging ahead with summer programming, the search for our next executive director (ED) has launched.
Our Board Succession Team met on April 13 and were joined by the community members composing the Search (Joyce Felton, Wes Combs, and Lois Powell) and Transition (Linda Gregory, Beth Cohen, and Jon Worthington) Committees.
In a productive session led by search consultant Sonia Stamm, the joint committees reviewed and agreed upon an updated timeline that aims to see the new ED start with CAMP Rehoboth by October 1. All agreed this is a somewhat aggressive date, but with continued focus, determination, and—most importantly—a large pool of qualified candidates, we are hopeful this goal will be achieved.
Our attention then shifted to the ED’s job description, and bringing it in alignment with the strategic direction guided by community input and approved by the Board of Directors at its March meeting. Part of the new description was shaped by changes to our staffing in communications. Specifics on this may be found in the CAMP Matters feature in this issue.
After several iterations, with review and feedback from Sonia, Murray Archibald, and the Succession Team, the Board voted unanimously to adopt this newest version. With this important groundwork complete, the recruitment phase of the search will now become our priority. In recent issues, I highlighted three of the six community members (Wes Combs, Joyce Felton, and Linda Gregory). Given our shifting focus into the search, this column features Lois Powell, the remaining member of our Search Committee, who is a retired nurse practitioner whose career in psychiatric/mental health nursing spanned more than 33 years.
Lois was employed at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Westchester, NY where she held leadership positions as coordinator of their adolescent program, an alcoholism treatment inpatient unit, and as director of outpatient child and adolescent services. She was most notably responsible for creating their Connections Program, a comprehensive, school-based psychiatric rehabilitation program that served hospitalized adolescents being transitioned from support services back to their high schools and homes.
Lois agreed to serve on the Search Committee because, “As CAMP Rehoboth endeavors to remain vital to its membership and the community at large, it must have an Executive Director who will work with the Board of Directors in a manner that will ensure that the mission and vision of the organization are fulfilled.”
Lois and her partner, Sharon Bembry, met in 2006 and have been active volunteers and members of CAMP Rehoboth for several years. If you don’t know Lois from CAMP Rehoboth, perhaps you know her music career? You can read more about Lois in our feature.
At this critical and exciting juncture, we are thrilled to have Lois’s voice (speaking and singing!), and all of the committee members’ voices, represented in the search to bring a new executive director to our beloved CAMP Rehoboth. Sincere thanks to all of you! ▼
Chris Beagle is President of the CAMP Rehoboth Board and is a realtor at Berkshire-Hathaway-Gallo Realty in Rehoboth Beach.