Executive Office

Jo Dee Catlin Jacob

Chief Executive Officer

When first-grader Jo Dee Jacob joined her Brownie troop, she pledged to be honest, fair and responsible. Those tenets of the Girl Scout Law still guide her as she leads nearly 44,000 Girl Scout members and 110 professional staff in San Diego and Imperial counties.

During her tenure, the council has been named Nonprofit Organization of the Year by San Diego Magazine; received a Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics, the University of San Diego's 2012 Kaleidoscope Award for Exceptional Governance, and the Friends of Balboa Park Millennium Award; and was designated by AARP as a "National Best Employer for Workers Over 50." Ms. Jacob was named as San Diego Business Journal's Most Admired Chief Executive Officer, and she received a Nonprofit Leadership Fellowship to Harvard Business School.

Ms. Jacob is committed to ensuring that every local girl has the opportunity to participate in Girl Scouting. She has strengthened the council's outreach to the Hispanic community, increasing Latina membership to 37%.

Ms. Jacob joined Girl Scouts San Diego in 2001, following a distinguished 27-year career in the U.S. Navy, where she attained the rank of Captain. Her last tour of duty was commanding officer of the naval station in Guam.

She used her military savvy to originate Operation Thin Mint® in 2002. Since then, local Girl Scouts have teamed up with the community to send over two million boxes of Girl Scout cookies and countless notes of support to deployed U.S. military troops. In 2003, Operation Thin Mint® won a national Silver Anvil Award for excellence from the Public Relations Society of America.

Ms. Jacob holds degrees from Stanford University and Pepperdine University. She is active in 500-member Rotary Club of San Diego, serving as its president this year.

 
 

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Board of Directors

The Board of Directors of Girl Scouts, San Diego-Imperial Council is comprised of a diverse group of 26 volunteers who are community leaders and professionals. They ensure that the Girl Scout mission is carried out in San Diego and Imperial counties. Board members are selected for their commitment to improving the lives of girls as well as their leadership, volunteer and nonprofit experience, ability to make financial contributions to Girl Scouts, professional and educational background, and knowledge of the community. They are chosen by the Board Development Committee and elected by the voting members of the Council. Board members can serve up to two three-year terms.

The role of the Board of Directors is one of governance. Their responsibilities include strategic planning, fund development, appointment of the Executive Director, financial oversight, and interaction with the community. Questions, comments, or referrals for Board of Directors or Board Development Committee can be directed to the Office of the Chief Executive Officer.
 
 

Executive Board

Chair Katie Sullivan Community Volunteer	Vice Chair Debbie Rider Community Volunteer
Treasurer Beth Fischer Division President Pardee Homes	Secretary Ben Hamson Vice President, Staffing QUALCOMM

Directors at Large

Rick Brooks Vice President, Investment Manager Blankinship & Foster, LLC - Family Wealth Advisers	Chris Carstens Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Sharon Cohen Assistant General Counsel FERC Regulatory - Sempra Energy	Tracey DeBello Community Volunteer
Etet Deguia Managing Director Marsh	Julie Dubick Former Chief of Staff San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders
Shannon Franzen Nurse Imperial County Office of Education	Marcia Gill Math Professor San Diego City College
Chris Guglielmo VP Human Resources Jenny Craig, Inc.	Karen Hewitt Partner Jones Day
Dale Jekov Director Deloitte	Keith McKenzie Partner Delphi Private Advisors
Pamela Payton Assistant Vice President, Office of Public Affairs University of San Diego	Hollyce Phillips Community Volunteer
Bobbie Quick Community Volunteer	Lori Rappaport Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Rosa Robles Auditor Department of Resources, Recycling & Recovery	Sylvia Vecchione Registered Nurse Vecchione Plastic Surgery
Lori Walton Community Volunteer	Shelley Zimmerman Assistant Chief of Police The City of San Diego