January 2, 2023
Girl Scouts River Valleys Announces New CEO Marisa C. Williams
Girl Scouts River Valleys is pleased to announce Marisa C. Williams as the next Chief Executive Officer.
Williams will assume the role in January 2023, succeeding Tish Bolger, who will retire after 23 years of service at the end of the year, according to a press release.
The search committee— including community volunteers, committee leaders, and select Board members and led by Former Board Chair and current Director-at-Large Gayle Hayhurst—organized an intensive national search to find the right new leader for Girl Scouts River Valleys. Marisa was selected out of a large pool of candidates, and her appointment was unanimous.
“I am excited to become the new CEO of Girl Scouts River Valleys,” says Marisa C. Williams. “The Girls Scouts mission to build girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place uniquely fills the intersection of my passion and purpose. This role puts me on the preventive side of services to support health and wellness, education, entrepreneurship, life skills and self-love of girls.”
Marisa comes to Girl Scouts from North Hills Affordable Housing (HEARTH) in Pittsburgh, PA. During her tenure at HEARTH as the CEO, she built organizational systems and infrastructure, created new meaningful partnerships, and led collaboration efforts to improve financial operations. She successfully launched a strategic plan, updated the HR infrastructure, and led a critical realignment of staff, diversification of the Board, and an organizational rebrand. Prior to that, Marisa spent five years at YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh as the Regional Executive Director.
“We are thrilled to have Marisa C. Williams as our next CEO,” said Jane Canney, Girl Scouts River Valleys’ Board Chair. ”She is a forward-thinking, creative, strategic, and results-driven leader with years of leadership experience in non-profit and corporate sectors. Her tenure will build on the foundation of empowerment that Tish Bolger leaves and propel Girl Scouts River Valleys toward a new era of innovation and continued growth.”
Bolger announced her retirement in February 2022, after leading Girl Scouts River Valleys through the racial reckoning after George Floyd’s murder, Covid-19, and other challenges over the last two years and into a new strategic plan that has put the council in an excellent position for prolonged success. During her tenure, Girl Scouts River Valleys received the largest gift in its history of $4.2 million from philanthropist and novelist MacKenzie Scott.
Williams is committed to social impact through service, building entrepreneurial mindsets, and implementing continuous improvement through organizational leadership. Her skills and experience align with the goals and objectives of the Girl Scouts new strategic plan, and she has a proven record of driving organizational awareness, growth, and profitability.
Marisa will start as CEO of Girl Scouts River Valleys on January 17, 2023.