Nov. 3, 2012. Ralph del Campo (right) and Bill Bailey organize disaster volunteers in the Tabernacle. Paul Goldfinger photo ©

August 27, 2013. Ocean Grove, N.J.    By Paul Goldfinger, Editor  @Blogfinger

Ralph delCampo had just retired from his job as a pharmaceutical industry executive early in 2012. He was going to embark on a sabbatical to figure out what he would do next, but after only two months of that, he agreed to replace Scott Hoffman and become the interim Chief Operating Officer of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association.  He had been on the Board for a few years, and it seemed that running the CMA programs would be right up his alley.  After all, in his career, he was in charge of large operations including supervising corporate programs in multiple countries at the same time.

But when Sandy hit in October, 2012, he found himself faced with a huge challenge.  He has remained at his post longer than he ever expected and he has had to learn how to deal with large government agencies, especially FEMA.  But he has been quite comfortable in supervising the CMA response to the Sandy devastation including working with consultants, planning construction projects, coming up with technological solutions to structural challenges, dealing with elected officials and starting a fund raising campaign.  He and his colleagues have faced many challenges including planning for a future where another large storm will not destroy our homes and facilities.

His official departure date is November 6, 2013, but Ralph lives full time in the Grove, and he will continue to be on the Board of the CMA and on the Executive Committee. He said, “I’ll stay involved.”

The search for the new COO continues, but the field has been narrowed, and a replacement may be announced soon.

Everybody around here calls him Ralph, and his good humor and people skills have certainly come in handy as he pursues financing and reconstruction at the beachfront while supervising the vast programming activities of the CMA.

He also will be one of the individuals who will run the annual Labor Day CMA Public Meeting which will be held in the Youth Temple on Monday, September 2, 2013  at 9:00 am.  The agenda for that meeting is complicated, but Ralph is determined to move things along so that everyone can get to their holiday activities.  There will be the usual opportunity for Q and A at the end.

LEADBELLY