14 Aug The Girl Scouts, where many BPW members got their start, are thriving.
On August 3rd we welcomed Mary Pat King, the esteemed CEO of Girl Scouts of West Central Florida, as our guest speaker. Mary Pat who took us on an inspiring journey through the diverse programs offered by the Girl Scouts that are specifically designed to empower and encourage girls, fostering their skills and knowledge. She enlightened us on the incredible ways in which the business and professional women in our community can get involved and make a meaningful impact. She highlighted the overlapping histories of the Girl Scouts with BPW as wella s the multitude of places where our missions, ideals and activites still harmonize.
Click here to view the power point presentation
More info on Mary Pat King
Mary Pat King, CAE, was named CEO of Girl Scouts of West Central Florida (GSWCF) in March 2020. GSWCF serves nearly 18,000 members spanning eight counties: Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando, Polk, Citrus, Sumter and Marion.
Prior to Girl Scouts, Mary Pat spent her career working for national organizations focused on issues most impacting youth, families and schools. She led the conceptual design and launch of numerous National PTA programs including: School of Excellence, STEM + Families, Smart Talk, Connect for Respect, Take Your Family to School Week and Family Reading Experience. For the American Diabetes Association, Mary Pat managed ADA’s youth, family and community outreach programs nationwide, including ADA’s 56 Diabetes Camps, Diabetes Expo, Live Empowered, Family Link and Port tu Familia. She also ran two fundraising events nationwide: Father of the Year Awards Galas and School Walk for Diabetes. At Safe Kids Worldwide, Mary Pat managed the first few years of the Safe Kids Walk This Way program, partnering with FedEx to scale up a three-school pilot of International Walk to School Day in 2001 to 300+ participating schools worldwide by 2004. Mary Pat also worked at two Washington, DC-based public relations firms where she managed client portfolios focused on mental health and education issues. She began her career as a news clerk and intern features writer for The Watertown (NY) Daily Times.
During the past 20+ years, Mary Pat has helped to raise more than $10 million in corporate and foundation grants; trained hundreds of staff and volunteers worldwide; and volunteered as an expert advisor to numerous nonprofits and federal agencies in the design of community engagement initiatives including: Action for Healthy Kids’ Every Kid Healthy Campaign, Safe Routes to School National Partnership, SAMHSA’s Talk. They Hear You. Campaign, SAMHSA’s National Wellness Week, Ad Council’s StopBullying.Gov campaign, WETA’s (PBS) Well Beings initiative, the White House Convening on Marketing to Youth, and the Jed Foundation’s Set to Go Program.
Mary Pat serves on the Hillsborough Commission on the Status of Women, is a Certified Association Executive (CAE), and is a John Maxwell Certified Leadership Trainer. She is a frequent leadership speaker to community groups, and she is a member of the Florida Society of Association Executives and Girl Scout Staff Association. She has a Master of Science degree in public relations from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse (NY) University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Le Moyne College, Syracuse, NY. Mary Pat and her husband, Eric, live in Palm Harbor, FL with their two children, Mason and Jenna Bea. She is a parent volunteer for her daughter’s Girl Scout Troop.