CEO BRIEF

Yvonne Grant
CEO of Girl Scouts of Suffolk County 

February 2019’s CEO Brief features Yvonne Grant, CEO, Girl Scouts of Suffolk County not-for-profit organization. We’re the preeminent leadership development organization for girls and in 2018 was a finalist at HIA-LI’s 24th Annual Business Achievement Awards in the category of Not-For-Profit.

Tell us about how you/your company started. In 1912, the first Girl Scout troop in the nation was formed in Savannah, GA, by Girl Scouts’ founder Juliette Gordon Low, and in 1915, the first Girl Scout troop in Suffolk County was formed in Huntington, NY. Since its founding, the Girl Scout movement now serves more than 1.8 million girls nationally, with the help of 800,000 adult volunteers.

What was a turning point for you/your company? In 1968, the seven Girl Scout councils throughout Suffolk County merged to form one centralized council. In this way, Girl Scouts of Suffolk County (GSSC) was better able to serve its growing base of girls. Since then, GSSC has grown in leaps and bounds, and currently serves 30,000 girls annually with the dedicated support of 5,000 adult volunteers.

What is your philosophy at Girl Scouts of Suffolk County? GSSC builds girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place. If girls can dream it, they can do it.

Tell us about your company’s profile today. GSSC is the preeminent leadership development organization for girls. And with experiences that range from STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) to the outdoors to community service to entrepreneurial expeditions, Girl Scouts offers every girl a chance to practice a lifetime of leadership, adventure, and success. Girl Scouts is also proven to help girls thrive in five key ways: developing a strong sense of self; seeking challenges and learning from setbacks; displaying positive values; forming and maintaining healthy relationships and identifying and solving problems in the community.

The inclusive, all-female environment of a Girl Scout troop creates a safe space where girls can try new things, develop a range of practical life skills, take on leadership roles, and feel comfortable enough to just be themselves.

What opportunities do you see in the future? As GSSC looks toward the future, it will continue to offer its girls innovative programs and opportunities to help propel them onto a successful path to adulthood. It will stay at the forefront of offering experiences to girls in the areas of STEM, cybersecurity, financial literacy and more.

GSSC will strive to meet the needs of girls in an ever-changing world, offering them an environment where they can take positive risks and take steps to excel, while always feeling comfortable enough to be their best selves. GSSC will continue to give girls the important tools they will need to become the strong, confident, and successful leaders of tomorrow.