Anna Maria Chávez, the new chief executive officer of Girl Scouts of the USA, will be the keynote speaker on Friday, June 15, at a Latino Community Breakfast hosted by SeaWorld.
Chávez, an attorney, is visiting San Diego to help celebrate Girl Scouts’ 100th Anniversary. She is the first Latina to head the 3.2 million members of America’s premier leadership development organization for women. MANA de San Diego is partnering with Girl Scouts San Diego to present the breakfast.
Hispanic girl membership in Girl Scouts has increased 55% in the past decade. During the breakfast, Chávez will describe Girl Scouts’ Hispanic Initiative, and explore how the Girl Scout Promise and Law reflect fundamentals that Latinos identify as important: family, education, self respect, culture and morals. The event will be held from 8–9:30 a.m. in SeaWorld’s Nautilus Pavilion. Tickets may be purchased for $15 at www.sdgirlscouts.org. For details, contact Adina Veen at (619) 610-0789 or aveen@sdgirlscouts.org.
Chávez was a Girl Scout while growing up in a Mexican-American family in Arizona. She graduated from Yale University and the University of Arizona Law School, was deputy chief of staff for Urban Relations and Community Development under Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano (now U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security). Chávez headed Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas before becoming CEO of GSUSA last November.
The Latino Community Breakfast planning committee includes Deputy Attorney General Marissa Bejarano, president of MANA de San Diego; Lidia S. Martinez of Southwest Airlines, immediate past chair of MANA’s national board of directors; Girl Scouts San Diego Board of Directors member Rosa Robles, immediate past president of MANA de San Diego; Danitza Villanueva of Giving Back magazine; Susana Villegas of Casa Familiar; and Berenice Zamaro of Union Bank, a former Girl Scouts San Diego board member.
Chávez will also speak on June 15 at a noon luncheon sponsored by Girl Scouts San Diego and Lawyer’s Club San Diego. She will discuss gender equality in the workplace. The event will be held at the Westgate Hotel, 1055 Second Ave., in downtown San Diego. Tickets may be purchased for $30 at www.sdgirlscouts.org. For additional details, contact Cindy Polger at (619) 610-0724 or cpolger@sdgirlscouts.org.
During a ceremony on June 16, Chávez will present the Girl Scout Gold Award to 60 local young women who have earned Girl Scouting’s highest honor.