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
CAMP Rehoboth’s Sunfestival to feature comedy, DJs, auction
Annual Labor Day fundraiser a highlight of summer at the beach
CAMP Rehoboth is preparing for a weekend of celebration and fundraising, featuring comedians, auctions, and DJs. Proceeds will support future projects essential to the LGBTQ community center’s work in Delaware.
CAMP Rehoboth will host its annual Sunfestival Labor Day celebration from Aug. 31 through Sept. 1 at the Rehoboth Convention Center.
The weekend kicks off with an auction featuring global travel packages, performances by popular gay comedian Joe Dombrowski, and music from renowned DJ Robbie Leslie of Studio 54 fame, alongside gay circuit party DJ Joe Gauthreaux.
Auction items include a seven-day stay at the four-star Westin Paris-Vendôme, a nine-day all-inclusive LGBTQ Prague and Danube river cruise, a “Choose Your Own Cruise for Two” on Avalon Waterways with itineraries in Europe, Asia, or Southeast Asia, a seven-day 2025 Puerto Vallarta LGBT Experience for two during high season at Almar Resort, and a “Dine Around the World Without Leaving Rehoboth Beach” dinner package featuring gift certificates to 13 local restaurants, valued at $1,900.
In addition to the various worldly excursions, the auction will also feature an electric bike and artwork created by one of CAMP Rehoboth’s co-founders Murray Archibald.
Proceeds from the auction, comedy show, and dance party will go toward funding CAMP Rehoboth, dedicated to fostering inclusivity and providing support through specialized programs, events, and advocacy. Its mission is to create a positive environment for residents and visitors alike, promoting equality and well-being for all.
CAMP Rehoboth supports the Delaware LGBTQ community through various arts and cultural programs, health and wellness efforts (including mental health resources and HIV/STI testing), and LGBTQ community building.
Dombrowski performs Aug. 31 with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. The Sept. 1 “A Night of Dance” kicks off at 7 p.m. until 1 a.m. featuring DJ Robbie Leslie and DJ Joe Gauthreaux. Various ticket packages are available. Tickets for the comedy show start at $50 and tickets for the dance party start at $70.
For more information on the weekend’s events and tickets, visit camprehoboth.org and tickets can be purchased at give.camprehoboth.org/events/sunfestival-2024.
Rehoboth Beach
Rehoboth Beach getting two new commissioners
Suzanne Goode, Craig Thier prevail in weekend election
Rehoboth Beach, Del., held an election for two soon-to-be-open seats on its Board of Commissioners on Saturday. Suzanne Goode and Craig Thier are Rehoboth’s newest Commissioners-elect.
The election was held at the Rehoboth Convention Center. Thier, a 22-year resident of Rehoboth received the most votes with 611, with Goode following right behind with 521 votes. Rachel Macha received 448 and Mark Saunders 489 votes. Saunders was the only LGBTQ candidate running in the election.
In total 1,147 people sent in ballots for this election with 652 cast in person and 495 sent by absentee ballot. Current commissioners Toni Sharp and Tim Bennett did not seek re-election, triggering the election.
Thier and Goode will be sworn in during the Sept. 20 commissioners meeting.
For more information, visit the city of Rehoboth Beach’s website at cityofrehoboth.com.
Rehoboth Beach
Rehoboth Beach to elect two new commissioners Aug. 10
Sharp, Bennett not seeking re-election
Rehoboth Beach will elect two new commissioners on Aug. 10.
The Rehoboth Beach Board of Commissioners will have two new members to replace Toni Sharp and Tim Bennett. Four candidates are running to replace Sharp and Bennett, as neither filed for reelection.
Suzanne Goode, Rachel Macha, Craig Thier, and Mark Saunders are running for the two open seats.
Mark Saunders is the only candidate who identifies as a member of the LGBTQ community. Saunders was formerly a Realtor, has owned property in Rehoboth with his husband since 2005, and has been a full-time resident since 2013 according to his open letter to The Cape Gazette.
Saunders has some experience in local leadership, acting as president-elect during COVID-19 for the Rehoboth Beach Homeowners’ Association, and later becoming president for the next two years. He also has experience serving on the Rehoboth Board of Adjustment.
Saunders’s goals include establishing a “reasonable and sustainable balanced budget” for Rehoboth’s business owners and residents and advocating for more full- and part-time residents in the city.
The other candidates for the seats have a range of experience in the Rehoboth area. Susanne Goode has made a career in economic analysis for private firms and government agencies, including for the Executive Office of the U.S. President. Goode also has done local volunteer work with the Parent Teacher Association.
Goode said her goals for Rehoboth Beach include preserving the beaches, controlling government spending, and raising revenue.
Rachel Macha is also running for the board of commissioners. Macha brings extensive experience working with the Rehoboth local government. She has served on numerous boards, including on the Rehoboth Beach Planning Commission from 2019 to 2022, Rehoboth Beach Plant, Shade and Tree Commission from 2018 to 2020, as well as the Rehoboth Beach Main Street board of directors. In addition to her local government experience, Macha has 30 years of senior management experience for both public and private companies.
Macha highlighted in her open letter that she wishes to “leverage her business background” to make the commission and its decisions “run efficiently and effectively.” She explained she would do this by using “Common Sense Decision-Making,” to improve Rehoboth’s policies and processes as well as minimize unnecessary city spending.
Craig Thier is the last of the four running for the two open seats. Thier is a full-time resident of Rehoboth and has owned property in the area for the past 22 years. His local experience includes being a founding partner of Blue Line Planning, an institution that focuses on financial growth and planning, experience on a New Jersey school board, and serving on the Rehoboth Boardwalk and Beach Committee since 2021.
Thier has said his goals for Rehoboth include overhauling the annual budget by using two-year projected financial forecasts for devising future city plans, as well as more consistent checks on the city’s comprehensive development plan as actions go into motion.
Election day is Saturday, Aug. 10 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at the Rehoboth Convention Center located at 229 Rehoboth Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, Del. A city spokesperson announced there are 1,664 registered voters in town. The two winners will join the commission in September and serve three-year terms.
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