Rehoboth Beach
CAMP Rehoboth names new executive director
Kim Leisey, acclaimed official at UMBC, to begin role in July

CAMP Rehoboth, the LGBTQ community services center serving Rehoboth Beach and areas across Delaware, has announced it has hired Dr. Kim Leisey, a longtime high-level administrator at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, as its new executive director.
Leisey, who holds a Ph.D. in Human Development, has served for three decades in the field of student affairs and facilities management at UMBC leading up to her current position as Senior Associate Vice President of Student Affairs, according to a statement released by CAMP Rehoboth.
“The appointment of Dr. Leisey, a Lewes resident since December 2020 and a Rehoboth Beach visitor since the early 1990s, marks the first time CAMP Rehoboth will be led by a cisgender lesbian in its 33-year history,” the statement says. “She will join the CAMP Rehoboth team on July 10, 2023,” it says.
“After conducting a comprehensive national search, the Board of Directors selected Kim because of her widely respected leadership in creating strong, healthy, and inclusive communities throughout her career,” said Wesley Combs, president of the CAMP Rehoboth Board of Directors and chair of the group’s executive director search committee.
“As a champion for all things that help humans to thrive during their lifespan, combined with extensive experience with human resources, facilities, health and safety, and operations at UMBC, Kim is the exact person to help strengthen the CAMP Rehoboth of today and into the future,” Combs said.
The need for a new CAMP Rehoboth executive director surfaced in May of 2022 when then executive director David Mariner resigned to start a new Delaware LGBTQ advocacy group called Sussex Pride. The CAMP Rehoboth board a short time later named Lisa Evans, a longtime administrator at nonprofit organizations in Baltimore, as CAMP Rehoboth’s interim executive director.
The May 11 statement announcing Leisey’s appointment as the new executive director says the search for the new director was conducted by Johnny Cooper of Cooper Coleman LLC, an LGBTQ-owned executive search firm that was selected after a Request for Proposal process that included five firms that applied.
Combs told the Washington Blade that Leisey continued in her role as Senior Associate Vice President of Student Affairs at University of Maryland Baltimore County after moving to Lewes, Del., in late 2020.
“I am honored to be working with the amazing team at CAMP Rehoboth Community Center,” she said in the statement announcing her appointment. “My leadership will honor the important and beautiful legacy of Steve Elkins and Murray Archibald,” said Leisey. “The foundation they have created is strong and powerful.”
She was referring to CAMP Rehoboth’s 1991 co-founders Steve Elkins and his then partner and later husband Murray Archibald. Elkins served as CAMP Rehoboth’s executive director from the time of its founding until he passed away in 2018.
“Together with the staff, the Board and community, CAMP Rehoboth will continue to offer advocacy, support and connections among our LGBTQ community and our friends and neighbors throughout Sussex County and Delaware at large,” Leisey said. “CAMP Rehoboth will continue to add to the vibrant communities at the beaches and beyond,” the newly named director said. “Together we will thrive. I can’t wait to meet everyone!”
The CAMP Rehoboth statement says the hiring of Leisey was the “latest milestone in CAMP Rehoboth’s multi-phased transition process that includes a three-year strategic plan being supported by MMP Associates.” MMP is a consulting firm operated by Michela Perrone, a nationally acclaimed strategic planning consultant affiliated with Georgetown University.
“Dr. Leisey will play a pivotal role in the completion and execution of CAMP Rehoboth’s new strategic plan,” Combs said.
Rehoboth Beach
Delaware officials to take questions at CAMP Rehoboth
Panelists to speak at community center

CAMP Rehoboth will host a community conversation with elected officials on Thursday, Jan. 16 at 10 a.m. at the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center.
Panelists include Mike Brickner, executive director of ACLU of Delaware; Sen. Russ Huxtable of the 6th Senate district of Delaware; and Rep. Claire Snyder-Hall of the 14th district of Delaware.
“CAMP Rehoboth looks forward to safeguarding protections of the LGBTQ+ community by bringing awareness to initiatives in place, and partnering with agencies and elected officials to listen to our challenges and concerns. We hope you will join us,” said Kim Leisey, Ph.D., executive director of CAMP Rehoboth.
Advance registration is required and can be accessed on CAMP Rehoboth’s website.
Rehoboth Beach
Rehoboth Beach’s iconic Purple Parrot is sold
Popular restaurant/bar purchased by local entrepreneurs

After 25 years of success, owners Hugh Fuller and Troy Roberts recently sold Rehoboth Beach’s Purple Parrot restaurant and bar.
During those 25 years, they built it into an iconic establishment in Rehoboth Beach, Del., popular with locals and tourists alike.
“I think you know that this has basically been my entire adult life,” Fuller said. “Selling wasn’t something I was even contemplating until my health took a turn after contracting COVID, which took a toll on my everyday health. I went from working almost every day to barely going in.”
Fuller added that when local entrepreneurs Tyler Townsend and his partner Drew Mitchell reached out, he knew it was time to sell.
“We knew we made the right decision going with some young blood that knew the staff, the restaurant, and us,” Fuller said. “We know that our baby is in good hands and will breathe for another 25+ years with them at the helm. I plan to take some time and bring my mom back to her hometown in Germany to visit her family, which she hasn’t seen in over 30 years.”
Roberts added, “It is bittersweet selling a business you created, nurtured, and ran for 25 years. It is much easier knowing who is going to love it next. More importantly, we really wanted our staff to be OK and again picking the right guys offering that security to them was a major plus. I’ve learned so much being in the restaurant business for 30+ years. You meet so many great people, so many loyal customers, amazing locals, and even better staff. It truly does become a family situation. I will always be grateful to every single one of them past and present. I cannot wait to see what the next chapter of the Purple Parrot Grill has in-store.”
The new owners, Townsend and Mitchell, are already a big part of the Rehoboth scene. Townsend is a successful restaurateur, part of the Second Block Hospitality Group, which owns The Pines, Drift, and Bodhi Kitchen. Townsend is also one of the owners of Aqua Bar and Grill. Townsend and the other three partners in Second Block Hospitality, were named restaurateurs of the year by the Delaware Restaurant Association earlier this year. Mitchell has a company that does corporate branding, but is no newcomer to hospitality. He is the owner of the Fathom Gallery on 14th Street in D.C., a popular event space.
Townsend told the Blade he and Mitchell are not planning any big changes for the Parrot. The staff will remain the same and the food and drinks will continue as they are now. They will continue to be open on Thanksgiving and Christmas, as a home for those looking to have a great place to spend the holidays with old, and new friends. While the Parrot is independent of Townsend’s other businesses, he believes there can be some synergy among them, and if the time and event are right, there will be collaboration.
Reaction to the news from locals has been overwhelmingly positive.
Christopher Chandler, who has worked as a bartender and manager at the Parrot for years, is well respected in the community and has been voted best bartender in Rehoboth Beach a number of times by Blade readers. Chandler said, “Hugh and Troy were, and are, like family to me. They treated me and the staff of the Parrot as part of theirs. I’m sad they are gone but if anyone is capable of continuing their legacy it is Tyler and Drew.
“In the short time since their purchase of the Purple Parrot they have continued on that tradition. I’m excited about continuing into the future what the Parrot has been to the community, and to the employees, just with new owners.”
Bob Suppies, who is a partner with Townsend in Second Block Hospitality said, “I couldn’t be more excited for Tyler and Drew having purchased The Purple Parrot. When Tyler, Kevin McDuffie and I bought Aqua Bar & Grill from the famed Bill Shields, it was important for us to honor the brand and legacy of a great Rehoboth Beach institution. I know Tyler and Drew will do an outstanding job protecting what Hugh and Troy have built and given to our community.”
Steve Fallon, owner of local retail store Gidget’s Gadgets, said, “The Purple Parrot is a monumental institution produced by the hard work of Hugh, Troy, Cathy, and their loyal staff. We will be sad not to yell “Hey Hugh!” across the street. But I also know that Tyler and Drew will carry on the history of the Parrot with a fresh approach and always keep the customers happy. I wouldn’t fear that they would do as others have done and try changing a functioning landscape into a horror show.”

Rehoboth Beach
Adult suspect pleads guilty to Rehoboth Beach hate crime
Case pending for five juveniles charged in targeting women for harassment

A 21-year-old man has pleaded guilty to a charge of disorderly conduct in connection with an Aug. 17 incident in which five juveniles and one adult were arrested for allegedly targeting three women for harassment on a street in Rehoboth Beach based on their perception of the victims’ sexual orientation.
Lt. Mark Sweet, a spokesperson for the Rehoboth Beach Police Department, said the adult suspect in the case, Jerome Charleston, was sentenced to a fine of $100 plus court costs at a Sept. 18 arraignment in which he pleaded guilty to a single count of disorderly conduct.
A statement released by Rehoboth police at the time of the incident says it occurred on Saturday, Aug. 17, at 2 a.m. at Baltimore Avenue and Second Street. The statement says three women flagged down a police officer after a vehicle drove past them and then came to a stop.
According to the statement, five juveniles exited the vehicle and approached the women, making statements that their behavior in public was not appropriate. During the exchange, the statement continues, one of the juveniles fired an Airsoft gun at the women and all five returned to the vehicle and fled the area.
Airsoft guns are replica guns designed to shoot non-metallic projectiles. No injuries were reported in the incident.
The police statement says officers in nearby Dewey Beach located the vehicle and apprehended the five juveniles and an adult driving the vehicle.
“Once in custody, it was determined that the only reason the suspects stopped to confront the victims was due to their perception of the victims’ sexual orientation,” the Rehoboth police statement says.
The police statement says three of the juveniles arrested in the case, two of whom were 15 years old and the other 14, were from Rehoboth Beach. It says another youth, age 14, was from nearby Lewes, and the other, at age 15, was from nearby Blades, Del.
The statement says each of the juveniles was charged with Aggravated Menacing, a felony; and the misdemeanor counts of Offensive Touching, Conspiracy in the Third Degree, Disorderly Conduct, and a Hate Crime.
Charleston, the only adult in the case, was charged with Disorderly Conduct, which is a misdemeanor.
The Washington Blade couldn’t immediately determine the status of the case against the juveniles. Police spokesperson Sweet said those cases were still pending and Rehoboth Police could not comment further on those cases.
In most jurisdictions, including Delaware, juvenile cases are kept confidential and are not part of the public court records.
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