Moving Forward: GSCSNJ launches nationwide CEO Search
A Message for our Girl Scout Family,
Girl Scouts of Central & Southern NJ is announcing the
retirements of our Chief Executive Officer Mary E. Connell and Chief Operating
Officer Gertrude “Gert” Kaczorowski.
After 52 combined years of dedicated service to the Girl Scout Movement,
Mary and Gert have notified the board of their plans to retire. The entire board of directors recognizes the
awesome contributions that Mary and Gert have made to this council and are
thankful that they have devoted their time and talents to furthering our
mission of building girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the
world a better place. The board is proud
that through their guidance, GSCSNJ stands as one of the strongest Girl Scout
councils in the country. Under their
leadership, we finalized the realignment of three council’s and have flourished
into one of the most stable and recognizable high performing Girl Scout
organizations in the state of New Jersey; all this while continuing to grow
membership to a record 25,353 girls.
While we often joke that “GSCSNJ is the best council on the planet”, the
truth of the matter is that in their five years together as CEO/COO, GSCSNJ’s
girl membership has grown 7 percent, while public support has grown from 7.4
percent of our budget to 9.6 percent of our current $8 million budget. The board is eternally grateful for the
guidance, leadership, strategic direction and vision that both Mary and Gert have
provided for GSCSNJ over the years.
Today, we are reaching out to our entire Girl Scout family,
not only to notify you of the impending retirements, but also to share the
plans in place for the search, selection and transition of a new CEO and COO. We realize that the selection of these two
senior leadership positions are among the most critical decisions a Girl Scout
board of directors can make. To conduct
a thorough search and effect a smooth transition, we have formed a Search
Committee comprised of five members of our volunteer board of directors. The Search Committee Chair, Kathleen Larkin,
will lead our efforts along with Hugh Regan, Margaret Smith, Deb Ihunnah and
myself, Ann Marie Horner (ad hoc member).
GSCSNJ’s Director of Human Resources, Teresa Gallagher is working with
the search committee to support the recruitment efforts and serve as a staff
liaison. Since its formation in
September, the committee has retained Diversified Search, a leading and
world-renowned executive search firm to assist with the broad-based nationwide
search for a new CEO search.
Here is our timeline for recruiting, screening, hiring and
transitioning of a new CEO/COO:
•
In the
coming weeks: After meeting with a cross-section of diverse stakeholders to
clarify the key responsibilities of the role and critical skills required,
Diversified Search will create the CEO
position description and launch a nationwide search for the most qualified
candidates. Gert’s last official day will be December 14, 2012.
•
Fall –
Early Winter: Diversified Search will recruit, conduct preliminary
screening interviews and make recommendations of potential candidates for
consideration to the CEO Search Committee.
•
Late
winter – Early Spring: Candidate interviews will be conducted and a final
recommendation will be made to the board for approval.
•
Late
Spring: Introduction of the new CEO.
Transition period with new CEO and Mary prior to her official May 31,
2013 retirement date.
•
Summer -
Fall: The new CEO will search for a new COO based on GSCSNJ's goals and strategy
moving forward.
The search committee looks forward to keeping you informed
with periodic updates on where we stand in the selection process. In the meantime, we welcome any questions you
have about the search process. Send any
questions to tgallagher@gscsnj.org
Any person who is
interested in applying for the CEO position should contact Judy Boreham,
Managing Director at Diversified Search at Judy.Boreham@Divsearch.com
The board of directors recognizes the unique opportunity that
launching a CEO Search at this time represents for our organization. This is a time for us to reflect on our
mission, strategic goals, and operations—and how best to achieve them. Once a new CEO is selected, we will provide an
opportunity for members to meet and get to know her/him. The CEO will begin to share their vision for
our organization moving forward. We are
an exceptional organization, and with the continued partnership of all our
members and community supporters, we will continue to build the best Girl Scout
council on the planet.
Yours in Girl Scouting,
Ann Marie Horner
GSCSNJ Board Chair
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