Your staff are the backbone and the heart of your program and have a tremendous role in the overall success of a summer at camp. You hire and train each of them, but sometimes the message can get lost, and staff can flounder.

Setting up your staff for success starts with clear employment expectations and practices. We may have a vague sense that we should be complying with a bunch of employment laws, but how well do we understand what they really are? When organizational policies consider and uphold legal requirements, camp staff are better equipped to maintain compliance and meet expectations. Effectively drafting and communicating these policies can be tricky but are the foundation for a successful employee.

Lawyer and camp operator Isaac Mamaysky will spend the day taking participants through the basics of employment law, including what you can (and can’t) ask on a job application, how employment relationships and agreements are structured, how to craft your staff handbook to effectively communicate certain essential policies, and the key requirements to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act along with corresponding policy considerations.

María Cantón, Chief People & Culture Officer (HR) and Bexi Perez, Senior Association Director at the YMCA of Greater Boston will also provide real-world examples of how these ideas have played out at their camps – from using job descriptions to set and uphold expectations to enforcing policies that have been on the books, but loosely implemented.

Our speakers will use both theoretical and real-life examples, and participants will have ample opportunities to ask questions and gain clarity on how to improve their current practices.

Learning outcomes:
1. What you can and cannot legally ask on a job application.
2. How to use your staff handbook and a job description to set expectations from the start and comply with employment laws.
3. How these expectations are managed and maintained, both logistically and legally.

*This is a 200-level offering best suited for camp directors, assistant/associate directors, HR staff, or anybody who is involved in hiring/firing.

Registration Details

When: Thursday, November 12 from 10:00am to 3:30pm

Where: Cedar Hill Day Camp, 265 Beaver Street, Waltham, MA 02452

Cost: Members $95; non-Members $125

Registrations are non-refundable but may be transferred to another member of your team prior to the start of the event. 

Click here to register!

We never want cost to be a barrier to attending ACANE programs, and financial assistance is available. Please use this form to request aid, and reach out to Kerry Salvo (kerry@acanewengland.org) with questions.

About the Instructors

Isaac Mamaysky is a Partner in Potomac Law Group, where he started a practice team focused on the camp industry. He and his law partners regularly represent day and overnight camps in a wide range of legal matters. In addition to his law practice, Isaac is the founder and executive director of a large ACA-accredited overnight camp in Wayne County, PA.  By working at the intersection of camp and law, Isaac brings a unique perspective to helping camps with their legal needs. Isaac writes the Camp Law Blog (www.camplawandfinance.com).

Bexi Perez is a seasoned nonprofit leader with 25 years of experience in youth development, program operations, and organizational leadership. For the past 13 years, she has served with the YMCA, where she currently provides strategic leadership and oversight for camp and after-school operations.

Throughout her career, Bexi has been committed to building high-quality programs that create safe, inclusive, and enriching experiences for children and families. Her leadership spans program strategy and operations, staff development, compliance, risk management, continuous quality improvement, and the development of strong leadership teams. She is particularly passionate about developing people and creating systems that allow both staff and programs to thrive.

Beyond her operational leadership, Bexi serves as the leader of the Association’s HLLN Employee Resource Group (ERG), helping advance opportunities for connection, representation, and belonging across the organization. Equity and inclusion are central to her leadership philosophy, and she is committed to ensuring that diverse perspectives are represented in organizational conversations, practices, and decision-making.

With more than two decades of nonprofit experience, she remains deeply committed to developing the next generation of leaders, strengthening youth-serving programs, and advancing equitable practices that help organizations and communities thrive.

María Fernanda Cantón is a human-centered People & Culture executive with more than 20 years of leadership experience across the nonprofit, public, private, and healthcare sectors. She serves as the Chief People & Culture Officer at the YMCA of Greater Boston, where she leads strategies to strengthen organizational culture, leadership development, employee engagement, talent management, and organizational effectiveness in support of the Y’s mission.

Previously, María Fernanda served as Chief Human Resources Officer at a multi-site community health center and held Human Resources and Equal Employment Opportunity leadership roles with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for more than a decade. She also led the Human Resources function for a multi-state education technology company.

María Fernanda holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications and International Affairs, a Master of Public Administration from Suffolk University, and a Certificate in Strategic Human Resources Leadership from Cornell University. She is passionate about helping mission-driven organizations build inclusive, high-performing workplace cultures where people and communities can thrive, and actively supports her community through volunteer service and nonprofit board leadership.

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Questions, reach out Gillian Gold, Events & Logistics Manager at gillian@acanewengland.org or 781-541-6080 ext. 106.

Use of Images and Audio by ACA, New England: Through my registration, I give American Camp Association, New England (ACANE) full rights and permissions with respect to any photographs, video, and audio recordings taken during the ACANE event. These images and recordings may be used by ACANE and its agents in any format or medium and for any lawful purpose.