Rich Deering

Rich and his dog Roxie 2002

Rich Deering is currently Birch Rock' Alumni Director, a position he has held since 2002. Before that Rich has held many roles on campus. He was the assistant director to Brad Smith for a couple summers in the mid-'90s and was Head Counselor in the mid-'80s but he probably enjoyed his Waterfront Director years in the '80s the most. Since being Waterfront Director, Rich can still often be found on the waterfront helping with Instructional Swim.

In the mid-'90s, when the Board of Directors hired Director Brad Smith, Rich was the perfect man to assist Brad in settling in and recovering the somewhat dwindling Birch Rock. Rich's business savvy and amazing sales ability have always been strengths for the camp, but it is his love for the Rock and knowledge of its history that was of great use to Brad and the community in the '90s.

Rich will likely be best remembered for what he did during his own summers as Camp Director. Brad did a terrific job of keeping the camp numbers up enough to stay afloat, but it was Rich who took the camp to the next level. He did this in so many ways from ACA accreditation, to hiring the right staff and more importantly paying them appropriately for their service, to working closely with the Board of Directors on facility management, and so much more.

Rich has always said that,"...camp is a place of life-long learning for all, no matter what your age."

Rich's Summers at the Rock

Year	Cabin	Role	Note
1973		Camper	with Counselor ?
1974		Camper	with Counselor ?
1975		Camper	with Counselor ?
1976		Camper	with Counselor ?
1977		Camper	with Counselor ?
1978		Counselor-in-Training	with CIT Director ?
1979		Junior Counselor
1980		Counselor
1981		Counselor
1982		Waterfront Director
1983		Waterfront Director
1984	skipped
1985		Head Counselor	Program
1986	skipped
1987	skipped
1988
1989	skipped
1990	skipped
1991	skipped
1992	skipped
1993		Assistant Director	worked with Director Brad Smith
1994	skipped
1995		Assistant Director	worked with Brad Smith
1996	Swordfish	Camp Director
1997	Swordfish	Camp Director
1998	Swordfish	Camp Director
1999	Swordfish	Camp Director
2000	Swordfish	Co-Director	Ran Camp with Mike Mattson
2001	Swordfish	Co-Director	Ran Camp with Mike Mattson
2002	Swordfish	Alumni Director
2003	Swordfish	Alumni Director
2004	Swordfish	Alumni Director	shared cabin with Dave Jenkins
2005	Swordfish	Alumni Director
2006	Swordfish	Alumni Director
2007	Swordfish	Alumni Director
2008	Swordfish	Alumni Director
2009	Swordfish	Alumni Director