Girl Scouts Camp CEO

Connecting teens and executives to nurture diverse pathways to success

Sixty miles from Chicago skyscrapers, tucked away in the woods of Camp Butternut Springs in Valparaiso, Indiana, executive women can become Girl Scouts for a day at Camp CEO. Women from various professions in Chicago spent 24 hours at the camp this past June, mentoring Girls Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana, by showing them the leadership skills necessary to build a successful career.

Celebrating its 5-year anniversary, Camp CEO is a special six-day camp that pairs 25 girls with one of the 25 CEOs over a three-day span, so they can fully connect and learn from one another. The idea hatched when Camp CEO Chairman Mary Lee Montague learned of a similar camp in Washington, D.C. Once a Scout herself, Ms. Montague knows how beneficial being a Girl Scout is for young women today.

“I thought it was a great way to bring women together with girls,” Ms. Montague says. “The girls are really interested in taking who they are and making themselves the best they can. We can provide them the opportunities to become even better.”

Diverse Connections
In 2010, women held 14.4 percent of executive officer positions at Fortune 500 companies, according to Catalyst Research. At the current rate of improvement, it will take about 40 years for the number of female corporate officers to match the number of male officers. This statistic alone is why programs like Camp CEO are crucial for young women today.

“It allows us to have one-on-one time with the girls, to hear their stories,” says Connie Lindsey, executive vice president and head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Northern Trust, and National President of Girl Scouts of the USA . “It allows us to reconnect, to reinforce what we believe is so important – that girls do matter. A girl can change the world if given the correct skills.”

And not only is it important for girls to meet the women who hold high-level positions, but also to realize the CEOs often come from the same diverse backgrounds reflected in their own communities. “During the week, the girls are exposed to 25 women who don’t all look the same, don’t have the same background, and frankly, who don’t have the same roles,” says 2-year Camp CEO veteran Violet Sistovaris, senior vice president and chief information officer at NiSource Inc. “It reinforces and teaches them they don’t have to be of certain ‘cut’ to get somewhere, to be successful.”

Having participated in four Camp CEOs, Maria Green, deputy general counsel and assistant secretary at Illinois Tool Works Inc., says it comes as surprise to the girls that many of the women come from different backgrounds. “They think they can do it, too, because some of the women came from backgrounds that were humble,” says Ms. Green.

“Diversity makes a critical difference in our business because it makes you think differently, which leads to better business ideas and solutions,” adds Ms. Sistovaris. “And how these girls are wired is so different.”

As the largest Girl Scout council in the U.S., Girls Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana includes girls from over 245 different communities, representing diversity in term of ethnicities, socio-economics and backgrounds. Council CEO Maria Wynne proudly points out that Camp CEO is a reflection of that; the diverse group isn’t being architected. Although the girls, ages 13-17, complete a scholarship application and interview process, the diversity seen at camp happens naturally.

“Girl Scouts allows girls to have opportunities where they meet people who are different than they are,” Ms. Wynne says, “preparing them for the world they are going to enter, whatever their profession.”

And until companies conquer the challenge of organically including diversity in their ranks, Ms. Wynne hopes they look to the Girl Scouts as an example of how to get there. By investing in communities that are diverse, girls who might not have a plethora of opportunities can learn that they matter and can become a part of the professional workplace, as well as various pathways to career success. “Companies won’t have to focus on X number to create X growth,” Ms. Wynne predicts. “We shouldn’t have to think about that.”

Dreaming Your Future
Beyond hiking, swimming, boating, earning badges and learning table etiquette, how to network and become leaders, each day the campers participate in Dreaming Your Future. Perched on tree stumps in the shade of the forest, the women talk about where they came from and how they got there. The girls, sitting cross-legged, listen, take notes and eagerly ask questions.

Jourdan Camino, who recently received the Girl Scout Gold Award, Girl Scouts’ highest achievement award, attended the camp in 2010. “The CEOs were so down-to-earth,” the Hillcrest High School senior says. “They make you feel comfortable, like you’re talking to your mom.” Many of the girls expected the women to walk into Camp Butternut Springs dressed in suits with briefcases in tow; they were surprised to see them in gym shoes, baseball caps and bandanas. The casual setting puts the entire group at ease, fostering connection and conversation.

Allison Sparrow, 14, who will be a freshman at Lake Forest High School this fall, named Dreaming Your Future as her favorite highlight of Camp CEO. “Hearing the stories of how the women have succeeded gave me a very positive outlook,” says Miss Sparrow. “If they can do it, so can you.”

TeamWerks President and Founder Alison Chung, a returning CEO, notes that getting to know the CEOs as “normal” women helps the girls relate to them – and find inspiration in their career paths. “Just because we’re CEOs doesn’t mean we’re unapproachable,” she says. “They can aspire to be whatever they want to be.”

Giving Back
Having experienced Camp Butternut Springs when she was a Girl Scout herself, Carol Saffold, MD, an obstetrician and gynecologist, feels it’s only natural to give back to the organization that filled a maternal role model for her growing up. Having participated in Camp CEO all five years, Dr. Saffold hopes to never turn down a request to help the girls. “I enjoy the face time with the girls more than fundraising,” she says. “I’ve done this many different ways – a troop leader, board member – but this [camp] is one of my favorites.”

“The girls are what keeps me coming back,” adds Ms. Green. “They’re so excited, interested, have such great ideas and are so poised. I like the networking, too. I have met a lot of amazing women.”

Ms. Wynne makes it clear that Girl Scouts is always looking for people who are forging new paths and have something to offer. The Girl Scout volunteer community is looking to include women in non-traditional areas such as scientists, engineers, mathematicians and small business owners. “You can volunteer because you have gifts of wisdom, and of life experience that you can share with these young girls. We want volunteers who want to come forth and make a difference,” Ms. Wynne says. “That’s what matters.” For more information, visit www.girlscoutsgcnwi.org. 
 

Click through the gallery below to see pictures from this year's Camp CEO.

Tagged as: diversity, Fortune 500, Girl Scouts of the USA, U.S. Girls Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana, Illinois Tool Works Inc. and Team Werks