Jesse Flury poses with a cheetah.

Jesse Flury poses alongside a furry feline at a game park in South Africa, where he lead a sports program for youth who would otherwise not have had access to training and skills-building.

Meet Program Manager Jesse Flury (he/him), who joined the Camp Fire Central Oregon team at the tail end of Summer 2025!

With a passion for youth development, the outdoors, and decades of experience supporting young people—including leading a teen sports program in South Africa—Jesse jumped right into managing our afterschool programs and, come Summer 2026, will help lead Tumalo Day Camp.

Read on to learn more about his sparks, his journey, and what inspires his work at Camp Fire Central Oregon.

Q: Tell us about your personal and professional background. Also, what drew you to Camp Fire Central Oregon?
A: Personal/professional background: In 2018, my family and I came from the East Coast to Central Oregon. We love all the opportunities to get outside and explore that are available to us here. I grew up skiing and backpacking but, more recently, have added mountain biking and bouldering to the list of ways to get outside, and I love sharing these activities with my kids.

Over the past 20 years, I’ve worked in youth programming, education, and school administration. It’s given me an opportunity to work with youth of all ages and backgrounds and to have a lot of different experiences. This has included everything from organizing and running camps, to leading international travel experiences, teaching in classrooms, developing curriculum, and more.

Q: What drew you to Camp Fire Central Oregon?
A: After years of working in youth programming, I became convinced that “connection” is the most important thing we could offer youth—how building connections to themselves, others, and the world around them leads to thriving. I was excited when I saw this is the mission of Camp Fire Central Oregon. As an avid outdoor enthusiast, the chance to spend time doing the work I find most meaningful in a natural setting was an amazing opportunity. Most importantly, I love that I get to work on creating space for kids to grow and develop.

Jesse Flury, connecting in nature with his children and fur babies.

Jesse Flury, connecting in nature with his children and fur babies.

Q: Describe your role as Program Manager for Camp Fire Afterschool?
A: My job is to make sure that Camp Fire programs are running smoothly. I mostly focus on our After School Program and Tumalo Day Camp. Camp Fire has so many amazing people already. My role is really to make sure that all the supports and structure are in place for them to be able to be successful in doing the work of supporting youth. I love that I get to support and develop a team of like-minded people in this. I also get to hear lots of exciting new ideas and practices, like how we can do more with STEAM or ways to connect kids to different outdoor activities. It’s great to get to say yes to these ideas and be a part of working to implement them into our programs.

Q: What are your sparks?
A: There are so many things that can be sparks for me. I love learning, so almost anything new I can learn more about I find interesting. It can feel like “collecting hobbies” is my hobby. The things I always come back to though are reading, camping, playing music, and cooking.

Q: What are some of your personal & professional goals?
A: Professionally, I always want to keep developing my understanding of the best ways to support youth development. The topic of technology, first social media and now AI, is one that we are continuing to learn more about in terms of its impacts on youth development and what best practices look like. I want to continue to engage with this area. I also know how much I’ve learned from others along the way and am now at a point of looking for opportunities to share what I’ve learned with others. Personally, I hope to be able to take a backpacking trip through the Andes one day.

Q: What’s your favorite part of working with youth?

Jesse Flury on a hike.

A: I love it anytime they make a connection or understand something for the first time. Whether it is an academic concept or something they are connecting for the first time, there is always a look on their face that lets you know this was a significant moment for them. I think it is really awesome that I get to be a part of that. 

Q: Why does your job—and Camp Fire—matter?
A: Because growing up is hard. Everyone has to go through a process of figuring out who they are, where they belong, and what they are going to do. There are no easy answers or shortcuts. It takes time, a safe space to work through it, and people to support you along the way. Camp Fire offers those opportunities, and I get to work to make sure that is happening and that youth are getting the best support possible as they do work of discovering who they are.