Get To Know Me!
My name is Ian Roberts. I am a veteran of the Nonprofit, Outdoor Recreation, and Summer Camp industry serving in field, support, and executive-level leadership roles for the past 20+ years.
I reside in Brecksville, OH, with my wife, Stephanie, daughter Kaya (14), and son River (7). We also share a home with fifteen chickens, three ducks, backyard apiary, organic gardens, and two dogs.
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Hobbies
Backpacking
Homesteading
Travel
Animals
Outdoors
Culture
What Do I Bring?
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Two decades of experience as a well-respected figure in the summer camp industry. I currently serve on the American Camp Association Local Counselor of Leaders for the state of Ohio. I am the founder of the Camp Pro Collective Facebook page, one of the largest gatherings of camp professionals in the world. I co-authored a book, Connection Without Contact, with Jim Cain. I am an ACA Lead Visitor and have ben associated with the American Camp Association as a member beginning in 2001.
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Communications and Relationship Building – In my most recent position, I oversaw Camp Ho Mita Koda, the world’s oldest summer camp serving kids and families with Type 1 Diabetes. Under my leadership, the organization served over 1,500 participants per year through innovative year-round programming, 125+ seasonal staff, and 5 full-time staff. As a seasoned camper, tenured instructor, and parent of a camper, I know the ins and outs of what people desire from camp. Being on the front line has not only provided me with a chance to fine-tune my skills in communicating with a wide variety of audiences, but more importantly it has provided a greater understanding of the significance of maintaining “beyond expectation” positive connections with campers, staff, and families at all times.
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Record of Results and Operations Management – I am adept in increasing enrollment, driving revenue, capturing market share, and introducing improvements to camp programming and structure. Year over year enrollment continued to grow at a fast rate and I was financially responsible for an annual budget of $1,000,000. I grew the organization's annual income from $250,000 (2017) to over $1,000,000 (2023) in a few short years.
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Program Differentiation – In addition to being flexible and responsive, I’m also a fanatic for keeping things fresh and relevant – particularly when it comes to differentiation and creating a culture of innovation and continuous improvement. One of my bigger projects involved collaboration and development, with the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, to create a brand-new summer camp-specific idea. The result? A first-of-its-kind, nationally recognized fee-based program for all camps in the United States called the Leave No Trace Youth Program Accreditation. Additionally, Camp Ho Mita Koda was the only T1D camp in the entire world to operate in-person programming in 2020.
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Passion, Energy, and a Community-First Attitude – Ultimately, I feel as though my self-starter attitude, passion for entrepreneurship, and desire to go the extra (ten) miles in anything that I do extend far beyond my past endeavors. I believe in applying this same level of drive and dedication to tasks as visible as prepping the materials for a staff leadership meeting and as mundane as making sure the copier never runs out of paper.
As you will see from the attached resume, I’ve built my career on a variety of increasingly higher-level roles, where I was not just a director but also commander-in-chief, technology whiz, bookkeeper, and marketing guru. I’m not only used to wearing many hats, but I sincerely enjoy it; I thrive in an environment where no two workdays are exactly the same.
Contact
I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. Let's connect.
330-608-0321