Lisa Evans, who currently serves as acting manager of CAMP Rehoboth, an LGBTQ advocacy nonprofit based in Rehoboth Beach, Del., has been named the organization’s interim director.

CAMP Rehoboth’s search for an interim director began after David Mariner stepped down from the role on May 31. On June 10, Mariner announced the official launch of Sussex Pride, a new LGBTQ nonprofit serving the greater Sussex County, Del. community.

Evans steps into her new role with an extensive background “in the world of nonprofits.” For more than 40 years, she has done nonprofit and government work in Baltimore, primarily in the housing sector.

 “The acronyms here at CAMP Rehoboth are different than what I used to use in the housing world,” Evans said, but “the fundamentals … carry through no matter what the nonprofit is.”

Since April, Evans has served in an “advisory role” as acting manager, working directly with staff and community members to “troubleshoot” any issues that arose following Mariner’s announced departure, said Wesley Combs, president of CAMP Rehoboth.

Evans was selected as part of a nationwide search for an interim director that began as soon as the organization’s board of directors became aware there would be a vacancy in the position, he added. She was selected from a group of four final candidates as the best fit for the role.

“The executive committee immediately met to form a search committee that would be responsible for identifying qualified candidates who have experience serving as interim executive directors, which is a specific, unique expertise,” Combs said. “Lisa was the person who was the most qualified and (the) best fit for what CAMP Rehoboth was looking for.”

In 2020, CAMP Rehoboth began developing a strategic plan that was ultimately left unimplemented because of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moving forward, the organization aims to develop and implement a plan using the 2019 plan as a reference. 

“We’re going to use (the 2019 plan) as the basis for this process, revisit it and engage members of the community for feedback on ensuring that it is currently relevant to reflect the needs of the community today,” Combs said, a process that Evans will help lead.

In particular, the plan will further examine how to better serve trans individuals and LGBTQ youth in the greater Rehoboth Beach area, Combs said. 

Combs added that CAMP Rehoboth aims to complete the planning phase by October and use it to develop a job listing for a permanent director. Currently, they hope to release the job description in November and locate a new director in February, he said.

While Evans owned a home in Rehoboth Beach she regularly visited for more than 25 years, her permanent move to the city came in 2020, when she retired just before the pandemic. Living in the city full time has helped her realize “that CAMP is very much a [critical] part of the Rehoboth community.”

Beginning her term as interim executive director, Evans emphasized that she has one central goal in mind for the organization: stability.

“I don’t see my role here as turning anything upside down,” but rather “making sure that we continue to do the things that we’re doing — that we continue to do them even better if possible,” Evans said. 

“That’s how I see my role: making sure everything’s in great order … so that when a permanent executive director comes in they’ve got something great to build on,” she added. “I’m willing to go back to retirement.”