National Council Delegates

Victoria Nelson Calisch

Tori is a mother, military spouse, nonprofit professional, and Girl Scout troop leader. Her connection to Girl Scouts goes back generations, and like her mother and grandmother before her, it is Tori’s great privilege to volunteer for Girl Scouts. As the lead membership recruiter for the Coronado Service Unit, Tori is committed to growing new troops and creating opportunities for new Girl Scouts to join. This year, Tori planned an out-of-this-world STEM Space Science Rocket Launch Party for over 100 girls of all ages, with an emphasis on mentorship between older and younger girls. An alumna of Wellesley College and former college athlete, Tori is deeply passionate about developing girls' confidence and leadership potential. With her Master’s in Nonprofit Administration from University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza School of Business, she has worked on issues impacting girls, women, military families, and wounded warrior caregivers.  This world-traveler is proud to call San Diego home with her husband, Tra, and their two children, Erica Jayne (age eight) and Luke (age five).

Stefanie Campos

Stefanie Campos is proud to be a lifetime member of Girl Scouts. After falling in love with Girl Scouting as a Brownie in Virginia, and progressing though her Senior level in Northern California, she began her first troop in El Centro after graduating college. She has since started a second troop, this time as a mother and leader to a daughter now in her fourth year of Girl Scouts. Stefanie earned her Silver, Rose, and Gold Award and traveled as a girl delegate to the National Convention in Fort Worth, Texas. She also traveled with her troop to La Cabaña in Cuernavaca, Mexico, and Pax Lodge in London. Having just finished her term as service unit manager, she is learning her new role as treasurer. She is a freelance writer in Imperial Valley and also works full time at the Imperial Valley Food Bank. This mother of two sons and one daughter loves to dance, travel, and spend time with cherished friends.

Sheila Cavanaugh

Sheila resides in North Park and is a lifetime Girl Scout member. She fondly remembers going to Camp Winacka as a Junior Girl Scout in Oceanside. Today, she leads all three of her daughters’ troops and enjoys planning activities and taking trips. She served on the Park Hills Service Unit team as the service unit manager (2016-19), activities consultant (2015-17), encampment co-chair (2017-19), and event planning team, and currently serves as treasurer. One of her proudest accomplishments as service unit manager was leading her service unit as they earned the President’s Award for the first time. Sheila enjoys crafting on her Cricut, all things Harry Potter, and spending time with her husband, Chad, and their three daughters and two dogs.

Kristen Mignone Crane

Kristen's Girl Scout journey began as a Brownie growing up in Tierrasanta. As an adult, she's been a troop leader since 2009, currently leading a Cadette troop and a Senior troop. She has also served as a council delegate, membership organizer, and encampment director. Professionally, Kristen has worked in local government management for 25 years in five different cities in California. She is currently the assistant city manager of the city of Del Mar. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from Santa Clara University and a Master's in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. Kristen resides in Rancho Bernardo with her husband, Bill, and their two daughters.

Michelle P. Fischer

Michelle has been involved with Girl Scouts for more than 13 years. She is the co-leader of Troop 8833 and has served in various roles on the board of Mountain Shadow Service Unit. She is an avid supporter of the product programs and currently serves as the regional manager for Canyon Trails.  Michelle and her husband, Keith, have two sons and two daughters, all of whom participated in scouting. All four kids started their scouting experiences in kindergarten, and three of them continued on through high school. Aside from volunteering and raising her family in Rancho Penasquitos, Michelle is the Business Manager at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church.

Jennifer Garza

Jennifer was a Girl Scout herself, and is currently a co-leader for her daughter's Brownie troop. She received her bachelor’s degree from The University of Michigan, her Master’s in International Education from The George Washington University, and her Ph.D. in Education from the Joint Doctoral Program in Education from San Diego State University and Claremont Graduate University. Her dissertation research focused on understanding the impact of validation agents on young women and girls in STEM in K-12, and further understanding the impact that validation has on young women and girls’ self-efficacy, self-concept, and self-appraisal to continue in STEM while in K-12 and beyond. She's a two-time recipient of UCSD’s Chancellor’s Diversity Award, and has also received NASPA’s Region VI Sandra Kuchler Excellence in Mentoring Award and the American College Personnel Association’s Global Dimensions on Student Development’s Outstanding Service to the International Community Award. In addition to being recognized for her advocacy work, Dr. Garza currently serves as an independent educational consultant and is the chairman of the board for Soul Charter School.

Perette Godwin

Passionate about volunteerism and giving back to the community, Perette is co-leader of her daughter’s Girl Scout troop and volunteers with council and the Clairemont Service Unit. She also served on the board for the San Diego Unified Council of PTAs, the SDSU Alumni Engagement Board, and other nonprofits. She is a highly skilled communications professional with more than 20 years of experience in public relations, social media, and marketing. She spent years helping clients navigate the challenges of live television and print interviews, and working in front of the camera, herself, as an award-winning anchor and reporter. She has also worked for several San Diego nonprofits in development and fundraising. Currently she works as a supervising public information officer for the City of San Diego. Perette was honored with the 2016 SDSU Ambassador Legacy of Leadership Award and the 2014 Alumni Diversity Award.

Molly Higley

Molly grew up in Long Beach, California, where she was a Girl Scout. In 2018, she rejoined the organization to lead her daughter’s Daisy troop. She served the Sunrise Valley Service Unit as their 2019 delegate and currently as recognitions chair. She stays busy volunteering with Girl Scouts and as executive vice-president of Mount Woodson Elementary PTA. Molly has a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and a Master's of Social Work, both from the University of Southern California. She lives in Ramona with her husband, son, and daughter.

Grace Koumaras

A student at Mission Vista High School in the hills of Vista, California, Grace has been in Girl Scouts since kindergarten. She earned her Bronze Award, and for her Silver Award, she created a stress management workshop for the youth of Vista. She also plans youth events with the City of Vista’s Youth Commission. She has a passion for the performing arts and is an avid member in her high school’s theatre department and her community theatre. In 8th grade, she won the Gary Prather Outstanding Student Scholarship and the Student of the Year Award. She is researching the best university to help her fulfill dreams of performing on Broadway. To quote her role model, Sierra Boggess, “You are enough. You are so enough, it is unbelievable how enough you are!” 

Denise Montgomery

Denise is part of the Girl Scouts USA Expert Leaders Pool and a Tips for Troop Leaders blog contributor, including  Seven Tips for Creating a Space for Girls to Speak Up. She has been a troop leader since 2014 and currently co-leads her daughter’s Cadette troop. In 2017 Denise participated in the Girl Scouts San Diego strategic alignment process. Denise is the founder and principal of CultureThrive, a consulting practice which focuses on arts and culture and youth development. Her research has been covered by National Public Radio, The Washington Post, and Youth Today, among others. She has held leadership positions in the public, private, and social sectors, and serves on the Education Planning Committee for the Smithsonian Latino Center in Washington, D.C. She is an avid skier, and her family loves exploring, playing sports, and cooking together.

Kristin Newman

Kris was the leader of her daughter’s Girl Scout troop from Daisies through Juniors, then guided her as a Juliette through high school when her family moved from Minnesota to San Marcos, California. She is a lifetime member of Girl Scouts. She has served as a service unit fall program coordinator, cookie coordinator, service unit delegate, and registrar. She also helps as the troop fall manager and troop cookie manager for ten college-student-led troops. Kris has been happily married for 24 years, and has three gown children and two grandchildren. She recently became the legal guardian of her 13-year-old niece, so is once again a troop leader. She works as a dental hygienist and enjoys crafts, gardening, and reading in her free time.

Rhodalene "Dolly" G. Purificacion

As a child, Dolly was a Girl Scout in the Philippines. For the past 16 years, she has served in various Girl Scout volunteer roles including troop leader for both her daughters' troops, troop treasurer, troop cookie manager, camp mom, archery instructor, council trainer, and service unit roles such as troop organizer, membership organizer, co-cookie chair, and currently, new troop support. She is a proud lifetime member. Dolly also teaches group exercise classes. She has been married for 22 years to her high school sweetheart, Don. Together they have six children. In her rare free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, arts and crafts, scrapbooking, essential oils, and reading.

Kaiolena Tacazon

Kaiolena is a sophomore at Guajome Park Academy where she has served as class president for two years and is on the cabinet as winter formal chair. During her 10 years in Girl Scouts, she has had the opportunity to participate in various activities. In Empowerment Theatre, she learned how to make a positive impact in her community through the art of theatre. In the Technovation Challenge, she developed an app that promoted teen physical fitness. Her last trip to Ohio for the National Girl Scout Convention motivated her to do more for her Girl Scout community. Outside of school, she sings in the Star Theatre Glee Club which serves the community at senior care homes, city events, and at the Ronald McDonald House.

Esha Walia

Esha is a 16-year-old junior at Scripps Ranch High School, and has been a Girl Scout since kindergarten. She has been an Emerging Leader, Camp Exec mentee, and a speaker at RealTalk and Urban Campout. She won the IDT911 Privacy essay scholarship and Southwest Airlines Aviation essay contest through Girl Scouts. Esha completed her Bronze and Silver Awards and is currently pursuing her Gold Award by creating an outreach program for ALS patients. She volunteers at the ALS Association Greater San Diego Chapter and is an intern for Assemblymember Brian Maienschein. Esha currently serves on Girl Scouts San Diego’s Girl Advisory Board. At school, she serves as ASB Secretary and as a Student Equity Ambassador for San Diego Unified School District to advocate for student rights. Esha plans to attend a four-year college in the future and pursue a career in business.

Sophie White

Sophie is 15 years old and attends Francis Parker School. She started Girl Scouts in kindergarten, with her mother as the troop leader, and has grown up with her troop. She has led multiple Daisy Days and other activities with younger Girl Scouts and has volunteered over 160 hours with numerous organizations (including Girl Scout day camps) to educate younger kids about the arts. She earned her Silver Award and is currently pursuing her Gold Award. Sophie is currently on her school's ASB and is participating in her third year of the National History Day competition. She is a member of the California Scholarship Federation, Female Athlete Volunteers, and leads her service unit's youth leadership team. She also enjoys playing lacrosse.

Nicole Curristan (Alternate)

Nicole is a sophomore at Ramona High School and has been a Girl Scout for over ten years, starting as a Daisy in kindergarten. She completed both her Bronze and Silver Awards, and is currently working toward her Gold Award. She is a member of Global Arms of Advocacy, a frequent volunteer within the Sunrise Valley Service Unit, and a DCA/CIT during summer camp. She recently completed her Harvest Award by creating a healthy eating guide for her area. listing local farms, food certifications, and produce available during various times of the year. She is a class officer for the National Honors Society chapter at her high school, helping plan events and projects to serve her community. She is also a member of the Femineers club at her school, an all-female engineering group sponsored by San Diego State University and Cal Poly Pomona University. In addition, she is a member of the tennis and diving teams at her high school. In the future, she wants to travel the world to help those in need.

Kaitlin Ecija (Alternate)

Kaitlin is a 14-year-old freshman at High Tech High in Chula Vista. She joined Girl Scouts in 2nd grade as a Brownie, beginning her journey of developing leadership skills through Girl Scouts. She has served as a Day Camp Aide (DCA) at Girl Scouts summer camp, and earned both her Bronze and Silver Awards. She will soon begin work on her Gold Award. Last year, she was appointed as one of three Secretary Generals for a year-long Model United Nations project where she oversaw the entire delegation. She is also a competitive figure skater. As a member of the San Diego Figure Skating Club, representing San Diego Ice Arena as a member of the Production Team, she helps bring theater to the ice by competing and performing in an annual holiday show.

Melinda Mulkey (Alternate)

Melinda was a Girl Scout Brownie and Junior in Boston as a child, then rejoined the organization when she became her daughter's troop co-leader. She has also served as a co-leader of her grandaughter's Daisy Troop, Urban Campout event volunteer, camp work weekend volunteer, and service unit manager. She loves the way Girl Scouting has allowed her to watch her daughter and granddaughters grow into independent young women, and has also given her personal growth opportunities.

Becky Thomas (Alternate)

Becky was a Girl Scout in Orange County as a girl. In 1997, she completed her Bachelor's in Sociology at University of California San Diego. She later became a correctional officer at a maximum security prison. In 2019, she received recognition on the state level as Correctional Officer of the Year. Becky volunteers with the Imperial Valley Service Unit as an archery instructor, wilderness first aid provider, and leader of the service unit color guard.