Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) hired one of their own for the open chief executive officer position, selecting Bonnie Barczykowski who ran the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri council.
Her appointment follows the resignation of CEO Sofia Chang. They will transition leadership responsibilities through the month of February, according to an announcement from the organization. She had been with the organization barely one year, joining in January 2022. Chang and Sylvia Acevedo, CEO prior to Chang, had no prior involvement with the GSUSA.
“Like all leaders across our Movement, Bonnie is dedicated to ensuring that girls have the opportunity to develop the skills they need to lead today and into the future,” said GSUSA National Board Chair Karen P. Layng via a statement. “Bonnie is ready to build on her decade of experience at Girl Scouts and continue to elevate Girl Scouting across this country and around the world.”
Barczykowski is a decade-long veteran of the Girl Scouts, having served since 2012 as CEO of the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri council. During her tenure, Barczykowski and her board built a strategic vision that expanded access for girls across the region, transformed program experiences and engaged community partners. As part of her strategic vision, she led a $50 million “Her Future is Our Future” campaign to fund capital projects, scholarships, programs, and the organization’s endowment.
“Girl Scouts prepares girls to lead – in their communities, workplaces, and homes,” said Barczykowski via a statement. “I witnessed firsthand our six-year-old Daisies become seniors in high school. I watched them grow, develop skills and become the courageous and confident leaders they want, and the world needs them to be. I am honored to lead the organization nationally, in partnership with Girl Scout volunteers and staff, to help girls thrive. Working together, we will ensure Girl Scouts remains the force our founder always intended it to be.”
She was president of SAO (dba Curves), a chain of fitness centers for women with 4,000 locations in 70 countries prior to joining the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and MBA from Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri and a Business Management For Non-Profit Leaders certification from Washington University in St. Louis – Olin Business School.
The most recent available federal Form 990 for GUSA is from 2020 and showed the CEO compensation as a combined $732,132 ($687,756 in pay and $44,376 in other compensation).
