Alex Kretzinger is the Executive Director of the Des Moines Y Camp, located in Boone, Iowa, where he's served full time for fourteen years, seven of which were spent in his current role. As a native Iowan, Alex grew up spending summers on his grandparents' farm instead of attending summer camp and didn't get his first introduction to camping until he was 21. Now, Alex, his wife Beth, who he met when they were both counselors his first summer, and their children Ben (6) and Leah (4), live at camp and enjoy daily adventures in the woods. Alex is passionate about the role camp can plan in the needs of children and in addressing societal challenges. As a resource, camp combines the key developmental ingredients necessary to build strong and resilient people and communities, ensuring a better world. Using the principles of Targeted Universalism, Alex believes that meeting the needs of one specific group can help us better address the needs of all because we can only succeed if all of us succeed.