What can a former summer camp director learn at a city impound lot? More than you'd think. When Chris T. Rehs-Dupin traded cabins and campfires for tow trucks and ticket disputes, he stepped into one of the loudest, toughest, and most thankless workplaces in the city. What followed was three years of chaos, conflict, hard-won lessons—and a surprising amount of grace. Impounded: Real Lessons in Leadership, Humanity, and Holding the Line is part memoir, part field guide to human leadership. From late-night customer meltdowns to cashier team rivalries, Chris tells raw, funny, and deeply human stories that always circle back to the lesson inside. Each chapter pairs real-life absurdity with a “Human Code”—a counterweight to City Code—offering practical takeaways on leadership, staying human, trust, conflict, burnout, and resilience. For anyone who’s led a summer camp, managed a public service team, or just tried to build community in impossible places, Impounded is proof that meaning can emerge even in the messiest systems. At its heart, it’s not a book about cars or municipal rules. It’s a book about people—their desperation, their humor, and the hope that shows up where you least expect it. Chris T. Rehs-Dupin has spent more than two decades leading in places where chaos meets community—from summer camps to the city impound lot. His work has been published in Camping Magazine , and Impounded is his first full-length book. Chris also earned 50 percent of a master’s degree in English from the University of Louisville, proof that unfinished chapters still matter. Known for his humor and heart, he now speaks and writes about finding hope, trust, and resilience in the most unlikely places. He lives in Ohio with his wife, Amy, and their two children, Hayden and Milo, who share his love of summer camp and his knack for asking impossible questions.
