ScoutingJanuary - February 2003


A Chance to Make a Difference

By Suzanne Wilson
Illustrations By Joel Snyder

A growing number of women are choosing a challenging and rewarding career in professional Scouting.

In addition to nearly 1.3 million adult volunteer leaders, about 3,000 professional Scouters at the national, regional, and local council levels play a vital role in bringing Scouting's quality program to the nation's youth.

For these important responsibilities, the BSA seeks individuals—male and female—with strong values, commitment, and vision who are interested in a career that is both rewarding and challenging.

And women are increasingly choosing professional Scouting as a career. As of July 2002, they made up 16 percent of professional Scouters nationwide.

Women say they enjoy professional Scouting because it offers a challenging career in which they can be creative, make decisions, and measure their progress. And they agree that, to be successful, they have to be energetic, organized, and self-driven.

We talked with several highly successful individuals who are thriving in a variety of job responsibilities at the district, council, and national levels. They offer additional insight into the role of women in professional Scouting today.


Valerie Mendoza

District Executive
Alamo Area Council
San Antonio, Tex.

District executive Valerie Mendoza is one of the more than 2,500 unit-serving executives whose work with volunteers and chartered organizations in more than 300 local councils is vital to Scouting's success.

"I have a lot of windshield time," says Mendoza, a DE since June 2001. She is often on the road by 7 a.m., en route to one of 22 towns—with names like Poteet, Pleasanton, and Devine—in her rural Four Rivers District.

The job requires her to be a "master of all trades," recruiting volunteers, organizing them to produce the best possible program, and raising funds. "I like my towns, I can tell you that," she says. "I've had some really good experiences. The people are just great."

What does this job require? "People skills," she answers. "You have to be organized, schedule yourself, realize it's a no-frills job, and don't worry about breaking a fingernail. I admit the hours can be crazy, and sometimes I come home at 11 at night. But for me, it always goes back to the kids. They're getting a good program because of the hours I put in."

Her career goals? "I think I'd be a terrific Scout executive some day."


Janice Payne

Director of Field Service
Del-Mar-Va Council
Wilmington, Del.

"As a director of field service, I have the opportunity to get involved in so many aspects of Scouting," says Janice Payne, laughing. "I'm responsible for overall membership operations, making sure we have more young people and units for them to join." And she supervises the council's annual giving, strategic and long-range planning, and the professional and clerical staff.

Del-Mar-Va includes urban and rural locations throughout the entire Chesapeake Bay peninsula—all of Delaware, counties belonging to Maryland and Virginia, and islands in the bay.

Payne has been with Del-Mar-Va 19 years, as district executive, Exploring executive, field director, and finance director. Because of the many opportunities for promotion in this large council, she has been able to "bloom where I'm planted" rather than having to relocate in order to be promoted. She is married, with two sons in Scouting, so she feels fortunate to have stayed in one place.

Her advice: "Do a good job, and it will be recognized. And because you're a woman, [it] may even be recognized a little bit more. When you visit a business or talk to community professionals, they'll remember you because you're Ôthat woman who works for the Boy Scouts.'"


Lisa Young

Director of Compensation and Benefits
BSA National Council
Irving, Tex.

Lisa Young was working in the corporate world when a job recruiter told her, "I have something you might think is fun."

"And he was right," says Young. She joined the BSA national office in 1990. By 1994, her financial background, people skills, and accomplishments led to her present position in the Human Resources Group. As director of the Compensation and Benefits Division, she manages a major responsibility for the organization.

She and her staff work with all BSA national and council employees, anyone with access to benefits through programs such as medical insurance and retirement plans. And that's the short description of her job. Away from the office, she has also been director of housing for national jamborees.

"Ultimately, I love working for an organization where what I do every day benefits kids rather than just producing a bottom line for some corporation," she says.

Her job often requires long hours but also has flexibility that allows her to participate in her 12-year-old son's activities. "I can go meet with a teacher and come back and get my job done."


Meredith Dwyer

Director, Learning for Life
San Francisco Bay Area Council
San Leandro, Calif.

"I like the fact I've created something new that didn't exist before," says Meredith Dwyer. She and her staff use BSA's national Learning for Life curriculum but also adapt it for use in 54 urban schools in the San Francisco Bay area, where 86 percent of elementary students are below grade level in reading.

Learning for Life provides school-based ethics and life skills programs for kindergarten through 12th grade, with career Exploring for young men and women ages 14 and who have completed the eighth grade, or who are 15 and not yet 21. Dwyer leads a staff of 26, including 20 full-time domestic Peace Corps members with the AmeriCorps national service program.

She and her staff developed a new "Girl Forward" program for middle-school girls to build self-esteem. "That's one of the exciting things about my job; we work with the schools to meet their needs."


Irene Szinavel

Scout Executive
Des Plaines Valley Council
La Grange, Ill.

When Irene Szinavel first talked with a friend employed by BSA, she says, "I could not believe it was possible to earn a living doing something so interesting and positive."

Szinavel fulfills one of the most important positions in the organization—Scout executive. She progressed in her career track in Northeast Illinois Council, then in 1995 moved into the top spot at Des Plaines Valley, which serves 42 cities in Chicago's western suburbs. (When a professional Scouter is promoted to Scout executive, he or she must change councils.)

Under Szinavel's guidance, the council has seen a phenomenal 41.2 percent growth in youth membership, exceeded fund-raising goals, and received BSA's Quality Council Award every year. Her own reward is "the privilege of working with dedicated and talented volunteers."

Szinavel says: "Scout executives expect others to have a deep belief in the value of the Scouting program in the lives of youth, and its importance in the life of our nation. Together, we must believe Scouting is not just a program of tying knots and building fires, but one that truly makes a difference in the types of citizens our youth are going to become."


For More Information

You can learn more about various aspects of professional Scouting in the following BSA brochures and fact sheets. Ask for them at local council service centers.

  • Scouting...a Profession With a Purpose, general recruiting brochure, BSA Bin No. 30-144A.
  • A Profession With a Purpose, fact sheet on the appeal of professional Scouting to Eagle Scouts and senior college students, No. 30-050A.
  • Professional Scouting: Characteristics and Qualifications, brochure aimed at junior and senior college students, No. 30-381.
  • What Professional Scouters Say, career testimonials from entry-level professionals, No. 30-387.
  • Scouting Is the Place for You, diversity fact sheet focusing on minorities and women, No. 30-382.
  • Scouting: Making a Difference, fact sheet for professionals in other fields seeking a second career, No. 30-383.
  • Compensation and Benefits, fact sheet overview of BSA benefits package, No. 30-386.


Professional Scouting as a Career

The need for professional Scouters is greater than ever. As part of Scouting's commitment to reach more youth than ever, the National Strategic Plan 2002-2005 calls for an increase in the number of unit-serving executives in the BSA's more than 300 local councils. (Evidence shows that the impact of each new unit-serving executive can result in 50 new units, 350 volunteers, and 1,100 youth.)

Call or visit your local Scout council service center to learn about opportunities in professional Scouting and Learning for Life in your council as well as in other councils.

Entry-level positions can include district executive, Exploring executive, and Learning for Life executive. It's also possible for people with the right experience to move directly into a specialized job, such as a public relations position.

Opportunities for promotion may occur within one council or require relocation. In metropolitan areas that include several councils, a professional Scouter may be able to switch councils without having to move.

You need these qualifications to apply for professional Scouting:

  • Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.
  • U.S. citizenship or declared intention to become a citizen.
  • Adult (must have attained age 21, subject to any applicable law prohibiting this age requirement).
  • Willingness to work varied and sometimes long hours.
  • Dedication to helping make a difference in the lives of young people.
  • Belief in the Scout Oath and Law.
  • Adherence to BSA membership standards.
  • Belief in BSA principles and purposes.

Qualifications for a Learning for Life executive include:

  • Adult (at least 21 years old, unless prohibited by any applicable law).
  • Hold the minimum of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.
  • Be a U.S. citizen or declare your intention to become one.
  • Be of good character and have a strong desire for success and goal achievement.
  • Be willing and able to devote long and irregular hours to achieve positive objectives.
  • Be people-oriented and want to do something worthwhile for the future.

Professional Scouters need to have good communication skills. They enjoy getting to know people who may become Scout leaders or supporters of the Scouting program.

They work well with business leaders, community leaders, and parents of Scouts, and they are active in fund-raising.

The community sees professional Scouters as good role models for young people.

Scouting magazine contributing editor Suzanne Wilson lives in Joplin, Mo.

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