Roberta Preston, a North Dakota native, moved to Oklahoma when she was in high school. She attended the University of Tulsa where she received both her undergraduate degree and her MBA. Preston spent more than 20 years in the corporate sector working for Amoco, BP, PricewaterhouseCoopers and IBM. She joined Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma as CEO in December 2010. MIKE SIMONS / Tulsa World
1
How has the Girl Scout program evolved over the years, and what does it offer today?
Our founder, Juliette Low, was a revolutionary woman. In 1912, she founded Girl Scouts on traditional values and yet opened the world for young girls in a very nontraditional way. She integrated girls of all backgrounds, races and even disabilities, encouraging them to prepare not only for traditional homemaking but also for possible future roles as professional women and for active citizenship outside the home.
Today you will still see classic badges alongside modern skills - even business skill badges such as business plans, profit and loss, research and development, and customer loyalty. But it goes far beyond badges. Character building happens all along the way.
2
Before becoming CEO of Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma in 2010, you spent more than 20 years working for big corporations such as Amoco and IBM. What made you want to switch to the nonprofit world?
The role of CEO for Girl Scouts spoke to me as a meaningful way for me to bring business skills to a wonderful organization. I was at a place in my career where I had accomplished my professional goals. This opportunity for change came at the perfect time for me to keep my focus on family and to give back to the community.
3
Describe some of the financial training Girl Scouts receive.
Girl Scouts are extremely well known for Girl Scout Cookies. Yet people may not realize there is top-notch financial literacy program underlying the entire endeavor. Five essential skills are learned, and each year girls can earn a pin that reflects these skills: goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills and business ethics.
They learn how to be self-reliant and fuel their dreams as they utilize the "cookie credit" they earn to do things like go to camp, fund community service projects, and even travel abroad. There is an additional array of cookie business badges, financial literacy badges, and journeys skill-building curriculum for girls at every level from K-12. And those who pursue the highest awards in Girl Scouting - bronze, silver and gold awards - have real-world experiences as they finance and direct their own comprehensive project that benefits their community.
4
How do you make young girls grow more confident as leaders?
Girl Scouting has a purposeful design based on progression and has become the most highly researched leadership program with specific target outcomes. All of the awards are designed to build comprehensive leadership skills. Training programs prepare girls to take new steps in leadership by becoming a program aide or a counselor-in-training.
The formal Girl Scout Leadership Experience is built on three keys: discover, connect and take action. First, a girl will be able to discover her own world in light of her values, knowledge and skills. Then she learns to team up with others by connecting locally and globally. And finally, it isn't complete without her action to make the world a better place. It is here where you see the unique element of Girl Scouting come into play which is exponentially effective when it comes to leadership. Personally, I feel it is very important to introduce girls to successful female leaders. That is one of the reasons why I initiated the CEO visits for Girl Scouts so these young women can not only meet a female CEO but have dialogue and share their views. Coming in the future will be a special Camp CEO for girls and female executives. And we continue to develop programs that bring opportunities girls may not have access to in other ways.
5
How does Tulsa benefit from having a strong Girl Scout organization?
As we build the next generation of female role models, we see these young girls grow into involved citizens with keen interests that connect with their communities and keep making a difference as adults. A recent study, "Girl Scouting Works: The Alumnae Impact Study," shows that women who had been Girl Scouts were more engaged and educated, had higher incomes, and more likely to volunteer and vote. This was true regardless of race/ethnicity or socioeconomic class. What community wouldn't benefit from having girls and women like these who are engaged and invested? What's more, those tried and true values that have held strong for over 100 years are still relevant and valuable today.
Original Print Headline: Leading the next leader generation
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