Today, the President of the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital, Diane Tipton, announced the appointment of Lidia Soto-Harmon as the organization’s CEO. Soto-Harmon will lead the organization, which serves 90,000 members, in the Greater Washington Region - covering the District of Columbia and 25 counties in Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia.Of greatest importance to Soto-Harmon is the development of a strong membership, inclusive of all girls and reflective of the racial and socio-economic diversity in her region. She states:
“Girl Scouting makes a tremendous difference in the lives of girls and adults...
By being a part of Girl Scouts, countless generations of young women develop the
leadership skills and the spirit of service that will help them bring positive
change to our world. I am honored to take on this new role and to continue
serving this organization that I love.”
It's not all talk either - Soto-Harmon has done some pretty amazing things. For the past six years, she served as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the Council. She has been charged with growing membership, engaging and developing adult volunteers, creating innovative girl programs, reaching out to girls in underserved communities and ensuring the inclusion of girls with physical and cognitive disabilities. During her tenure as COO she developed an annual conference that reached young Latinas with a message of leadership called Encuentro de Chicas Latinasde las Girl Scouts. She also developed a leadership conference for high school girls who are residents of the District of Columbia and Prince George’s County through a partnership with Howard University called Your Turn to Lead.
Prior to joining Girl Scouts, Soto-Harmon spent 25 years in leadership positions in the corporate, nonprofit and government sectors. As Senior Vice President of First Book, she helped increase access to new books for children from low-income households across the country. At the US Department of State, she served as Deputy Director of the President’s Inter agency Council on Women, traveling across the world to develop policies aimed at benefiting women and children. The accomplishment list on Soto-Harmon goes on and on. Needless to say, we are thrilled to have her on board - Congrats to her and to The Girl Scout Council of Nation's Capital!