Keynote Speakers

Neil Nicoll

Neil Nicoll was hired as president and CEO of YMCA of the USA in May 2006 and is the 13th person to lead the YMCA movement in the United States. He joined Y-USA following 14 years as president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Seattle. He previously was the president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Worcester (Mass.) for 12 years, executive director of the Prince Georges County branch of the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington, D.C., for six years and executive director the Dorchester branch of the YMCA of Greater Boston for three years. Neil got his start in the YMCA movement in 1968 as a program director at the Howard County branch of the YMCA of Greater Baltimore.

A nationally recognized YMCA leader, Neil was the first chair of the YMCA Activate America Steering Committee. He served two terms on the Y-USA board (1988-92 and 2004-06) and was chair of the North American Urban Group from 2003-05. He also has been a strong advocate for the YMCA National Diversity Initiative and the Abundant Assets Alliance.

Dr. Chris Thurber

Dr. Christopher Thurber is a board-certified clinical psychologist, author, consultant, and father. A graduate of Harvard University, Chris created Leadership Essentials, a revolutionary set of online staff training tools. He also hosts ACA's homesickness prevention DVD-CD set and co-authored the best-selling "Summer Camp Handbook." Chris is widely published in the academic and popular press and has more than 30 years of camp experience. Chris currently chairs the ACA's Research Committee. All of Chris's personal and professional work is guided by the principles of leadership-by-example and social connection.

An award-winning contributor to Camping Magazine, Chris has also shared his youth development expertise on MARTHA, the Today Show, CBS Morning News, NPR, and PBS. His ideas on how to maximize the benefits of the camping experience for children have been featured in Time, Parents, Scholastic Parent & Child, Parenting, Good Housekeeping, Women's Day, USNews & World Report, Newsweek, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and The Wall Street Journal.

Tom Jackson

Tom's expertise is in the area of active learning. He believes that this innovative teaching strategy can increase a student’s ability to assimilate and retain information when used along with other traditional methods of instruction. Tom has a number of presentations which look at the benefits of energizing the classroom, group settings and families. Tom is a gifted presenter who gets his message across with the use of enthusiasm and humor. Tom's presentations are not "sit and soak" affairs. People don't attend his presentations; they experience them. Everyone is involved in hands-on activities that leave the participants with all of the information required to use the information, concepts and lessons immediately. Tom feels that people learn best by doing and uses that same approach when presenting.