When Arthur and Judy entrusted me with K&E’s future in 1995, they didn’t just hand over keys to camp. They passed along a sacred responsibility.
Entrusting someone else with a place that had shaped thousands of lives, including my own.
It has been my greatest honor to carry that trust forward.
I was thinking about this over the weekend at Visiting Day when making another big announcement for K&E.
For nearly a century, Kenwood & Evergreen has been a place of deep connection and discovery. Ninety-five summers of campfires, Color Wars, first swims across the lake. Ninety-five years of parents trusting us with their most precious gifts.
Thirty of those years have been mine to shepherd, and they’ve been the privilege of my lifetime. Camp has grown over those years and much new has been built.
New traditions. New ways of thinking about our work with kids, adapting as the world changed around us while remaining the same in so many other ways.
Summers spent playing guitar at campfires, playing reveille each and every morning with an accompanying “Rise and Shine…It’s going to be a beautiful day!”, and seeing generations of campers become generations of adults we can all be proud of.
And what I’ve come to understand is that great institutions aren’t built for one person’s tenure. They’re built to outlast us all.
K&E deserves leadership that will carry it brilliantly through the next 30 years and beyond. Leadership that honors our traditions while bringing fresh energy and vision.
Leadership that ensures your children and grandchildren will have the same transformative summers that have defined this place since 1930.
That’s why, standing before our community last Saturday, I announced that Jack Schott will be taking over as Director of Kenwood & Evergreen this Fall.
The Broader Mission
Before we talk about Jack (who, for some on this list, needs no introduction), I want to share why this transition makes sense beyond K&E.
Running a summer camp for three decades has only deepened a conviction I’ve held since I first came here at eight years old: kids need these places. Now, more than ever.
We live in a world with an astounding rate of change. Within this, even childhood itself is being redefined by technology and new pressures. Having timeless places (yes, camps are timeless) as anchors for human connection is not just a nice-to-have. It’s essential.
If I could provide a simple, and personal, mission statement it would be this: I want more kids to go to summer camp.
Period. Full stop.
For the two decades, that’s meant increasing involvement with the American Camp Association, eventually serving as the ACA National Board Chair during the Covid era, and now leading their government affairs work in Washington, DC.
Camps across the country face a slew of challenges. Regulatory pressures, changing norms, and the need to articulate why summers at camp matter now more than ever.
It means being in those rooms, at those tables, advocating for what we all believe in.
The truth is, K&E thrives when all camps thrive. Every child who has a transformative summer anywhere, at any camp, strengthens our entire community of camps and families. Every camp that stays open is a victory for childhood.
This isn’t stepping back from K&E as much as it’s stepping up for the entire camp movement, ensuring that what we’ve built here, and what exists at camps across the country, remains protected and possible for generations to come.
Built on Shared Purpose
If my mission is to get more kids to summer camp, and my sacred duty as steward of this community is to ensure K&E’s future, then partnering with Jack Schott is the best way I know to achieve both of these goals.
I know this is Jack’s mission and deepest wish too.
Many of you already know Jack because you’ve met him in person at K&E or through his writing this summer. His Milk & Cookies newsletter captured why camp pride is built on the small moments. The Three Agreements showed his understanding of what builds community.
These aren’t just nice thoughts about camp. They’re evidence of someone who lives and breathes what makes this place special.
And during our announcement, Jack was given a vote of confidence from a group of people notoriously and historically tough to please: our oldest teenagers.
Oftentimes, teens are the toughest critics. Last Saturday, the cheers of Juniper and Hut 6 echoed the loudest.
They seek him out. They trust him. It says a lot.
Jack and I are joined at the hip on this journey, just like Arthur and Judy stayed close as mentors and guides during my early years. They shared their wisdom, celebrated successes, and helped navigate challenges with the confidence that comes from decades of experience.
This is not handing the Director role and walking away. I’m Jack’s biggest investor, his thought partner, his mentor, and his champion. My goal is to continue to be a vital part of camp for at least the next five summers, if not more. That will take us to K&E’s 100th anniversary!
This is what succession looks like: not an ending, but an evolution.
Looking Forward
So what comes next?
Simple: More wonderful summers of Kenwood & Evergreen.
This year I’ve seen countless children discover a better version of themselves with the help of their bunkmates and counselors. We have faced our fears.
We have laughed together and supported each other through life’s challenging moments. We have helped our kids to grow stronger and kinder and to care for each other more deeply.
This is why we’re here. This is what we will continue to do.
Thank you for trusting us with your children. For being the kind of community that makes transitions like this possible. And for believing, as we do, that summer camp remains one of the most important gifts we can give the next generation.
With gratitude,
Scott