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Camp Background
- 22 full summers at camps across the country (e.g., from California to Maine and world
(i.e., Australia and New Zealand)
- Held virtually all positions at camp from counselor to director
- Camp characteristics included: both centralized and decentralized camps; from
1 – 8 weeks; camp sizes from 60 children to over 400; single gender and coed
camps; affiliations – agency, religiously affiliated, independent for profit, and
independent not for profit; and from free to $1500 per week.
- Has been a director of a camp with 400 children and 115 staff, and a camp with
90 children and 47 staff. Currently in his 8th year as a camp director.
- Given more than a dozen ACA conference presentations, consulted with numerous
camps, and presented at ACA section meetings
Academically
- Doctorate in psychology with concentrations in developmental, social, and
organizational psychology
- Conducted several original camp outcome, research evaluations
- Taught at 3 universities, including child development at Westmont
Result
- Directing a summer camp with over 90% camper return rate and 85% staff return rate
- Directing a summer camp that is sold out years in advance
- Wrote numerous works related to camp -- see resources
As a child, camp was a place where Randy gained a lot of self-confidence,
social skills, independence, creativity, physical skills, and leadership while having more fun
than he thought was possible. As an adult, Randy has dedicated his life to providing
exceptional camp experiences where children and staff can thrive and grow. He is
committed to creating a special, magical world that helps to create fine people in a
safe, fun environment.
Dr. Grayson passionately believes that camp can give staff a world of good too, as he has
personally benefited enormously from his years at camp. After spending over a year
recovering to 95% from a severe cervical spinal cord injury (total paralysis for months),
Randall feels that the summer camp environment helped channel and challenge his new found zeal for life.
Some fun facts about Randy include: he is a master balloon artist, he worked as a cowboy
on a sheep ranch in New Zealand, he’s handy with both broad swords and fencing swords,
he built a life-sized fully functional catapult, he has broken 16 bones, he just missed being on
the Olympic archery team, he is an amateur hang glider pilot, he is a certified massage
therapist and hypnotist, and he used to own an 8 foot boa constrictor named “Cuddles.”
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