Can You Lead a Camp Without Camp Experience?

Why there’s room for both camp veterans and newcomers — if you get the balance right.

It’s a question we hear a lot: Does a camp leader need to have grown up in camp?

The short answer: usually, yes — at least at the top. But the longer answer is more nuanced, and it’s one worth unpacking because it speaks to the future of camp leadership.

Why Camp Experience Still Matters

Camp isn’t a nine-to-five job. It’s a 24/7 community built on relationships, logistics, and resilience. The people who’ve lived it understand what it means to take a late-night call about a homesick camper or a broken water line — and still be up at sunrise running morning flagpole.

That experience isn’t something you can replicate in theory. It’s learned through years of living in the rhythm of camp, balancing chaos and care, and understanding that “days off” often mean catching your breath before the next crisis.

When we’re recruiting for top jobs — Executive Directors, Camp Directors, Chief Program Officers — we can spot it immediately. People who’ve run camps before speak a different language. They know what it means to live on property, manage seasonal staff turnover, work through parent concerns, and still be smiling by breakfast.

That’s why, at the highest levels, we believe camps should almost always hire someone who’s done it before. There’s just too much at stake to take that risk on someone brand new to camp.

But There’s Also Room for Fresh Voices

That said, the camp world can’t thrive on insiders alone. New voices and diverse experiences are essential to innovation. People who come from adjacent fields — education, youth development, social work, or nonprofit management — often bring new systems, equity perspectives, and organizational skills that make camps stronger.

There’s absolutely a place for those candidates — just usually not at the very top right away.

The best path for someone transitioning into camping from another field is to join at a level where they can learn the business of camp: roles like Program Manager, Assistant Director, or Director of Operations. Those jobs give them the hands-on exposure they need to understand the unique pace, pressure, and personality of camp before stepping into the big chair.

When camps make space for that kind of entry, they not only expand the talent pool but also build a more diverse and future-ready leadership pipeline.

The Exceptions That Prove the Rule

Of course, there are exceptions — and they can be incredible. We’ve seen people from completely different fields become legendary camp leaders. One of our favorite examples is a long-time New England camp director who started her career as a physical therapist. She had never worked in a camp leadership role, but she was on staff for a few summers and had the empathy, systems thinking, and heart that camp demands.

That’s the key. You don’t have to have grown up in camp to succeed in it — but you do need to get camp. You need to understand that leadership at camp isn’t just about strategy and programs; it’s about living and breathing a community.

The Bottom Line

Camps shouldn’t close the door on candidates from outside the industry. They should open it — strategically.

Bringing in diverse perspectives is how the field evolves. But to lead a camp at the highest level, you have to have lived it — or at least have the humility to learn it first. The best leadership teams blend both: people who know the heartbeat of camp and people who bring in fresh external perspectives.

That balance is where real growth happens.