We couldn’t be more excited to welcome our friend from the Alliance for Camp Health, Kelley Freridge!

As the Chief Marketing Officer of ACH, Kelley is committed to ensuring that all young people have access to positive educational experiences and safe spaces where they can thrive. With more than 20 years of experience, Kelley specializes in leveraging narrative-building and strategic engagement to support communities of care, while driving transformational impact.

Keynote Topic

"What Really Drives Us? Rethinking Motivation Through Culture Building, the Science of Hope, and Storythinking"

Why do some people light up with purpose while others disengage or withdraw? Traditional models of motivation often emphasize rewards, habit-building, or willpower— but emerging research reveals a deeper, more hopeful story. This session introduces a new theory of positive human motivation, grounded in the research of Dr. Marcus Collins on Building Culture, Dr. Charles “Rick” Snyder and Dr. Chan Hellman on the Science of Hope, and Dr. Angus Fletcher on Storythinking. At its core, this theory explores three powerful, interdependent drivers of motivation: Culture, Hope, and Story.

Participants will leave with actionable strategies to reframe motivation in their camper and staff ecosystems, fostering agency, illuminating new pathways forward in community, and reinforcing shared meaning. We’ll also explore how these ideas can be applied across key relationships, with parents, community partners, funders, staff, and stakeholders, to build environments where people feel inspired to grow, belong, and thrive.