James Cleland

James Cleland is the Ministry and Program Coordinator at Lakeside Christian Camp, where he has been serving youth and families through summer camp ministries and Christian schools since 2001. While studying at Texas A&M University, James started his youth development career at one of the only Christian summer camps in the nation that focused on ministering to children with learning differences. James went on to teach an array of subjects at Christian schools in Texas and Georgia.

During his career as a teacher, James has developed and led year-round outdoor programs for youth and hands-on learning programs for children with ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Eventually, he returned to the camp where he grew up, this time as Camp Director.

On his website, CampHandbook.com, and at conferences and seminars, James equips youth development professionals with creative ways to develop and foster spiritual, emotional and physical growth through mission-focused programming. He also has extensive experience in web design and technology consulting and has presented seminars on using social media and web design to further a camp or corporation’s mission.

In his time off, James enjoys spending time with his wife Ryann and their chocolate lab Georgia. A kid at heart, he also has fun building massive structures with his unnecessarily large Lego collection.