Meet Board Member Ellen DeSanctis
GSSJC Gains New Advocate for Girls

    GSSJC Board Member Ellen DeSanctis is a woman with a mission: to bring the message of Girl Scouting to the corporate world. As the Vice President of Investor Relations and Corporate Communications for Burlington Resources, Ellen is ideally positioned to spread awareness of how Girl Scouting meets the needs of girls today.
    “I work in the oil and gas sector, which in Houston is full of men who were Boy Scouts, so I feel very close to Scouting being in this industry,” said Ellen. “I think Scouting pays tremendous dividends to the business community through its development of many of the leaders of our city. Down the road, I’d like to think there will be many former Girl Scouts sitting at the table beside their Boy Scout colleagues as leaders of our great region.”
   Ellen grew up in Boston as part of a family of all girls. Her mother was a troop leader, and all the children were involved in Girl Scouting. Some of Ellen’s finest memories are of summers as a camp counselor in Thetford, Vermont. Ellen wants to pass the tradition of Girl Scouting on to her own girls. While her oldest daughter Anna is not a Girl Scout, Ellen is currently organizing a troop at Holy Spirit Episcopal School for six-year-old Mia.
   In addition to her work with GSSJC, Ellen sits on the board of Houston Habitat for Humanity and is a trustee of Holy Spirit Episcopal School. She is also a past board member of Los Niños International, a Woodlands-based adoption agency. This is Ellen’s first term on GSSJC’s Board of Directors.
   When asked why she joined the board, Ellen said, “As I did more homework, I realized that Girl Scouting had grown and evolved like the rest of society, and that in fact it is quite responsive to the needs of girls today. From top to bottom, GSSJC is a first-rate organization. It’s a very relevant organization, it’s a very contemporary, progressive organization, and it’s very well run.
   “The day that I decided to jump aboard is the day I visited Camp Agnes Arnold, and I had a flashback to my own camping days years ago in Vermont. That was the moment I knew that although Scouting had come into this century, some very important elements hadn’t changed, and girls all over the world deserve to have a chance to share in that wonderment.”

More About Ellen:
What is your favorite Girl Scout Cookie? Shortbread.

What did you want to be when you grew up? An astronaut, and a mother of five boys.

What makes you laugh? My daughters’ laughter. And good satire about the Red Sox, but that’s seasonal.

What is your favorite quote or saying? Every day I tell my daughters, “You are good, you are safe, you are loved.”

Operating Committee Report –
Volunteer Development

Volunteer development has been a priority at GSUSA; Girl Scout councils are encouraged to develop effective volunteer development systems that meet the needs of current and future volunteers. The purpose of a Council’s volunteer development system is to ensure that the council achieves its organizational goals through meaningful and satisfying volunteer involvement. “Volunteers who are developed to their full potential are volunteers retained, and developed volunteers retain girl members and a positive image of Girl Scouting overall!”*

Volunteer development has been an ongoing project of the Operating Committee.

*      In April 2001 the F-2000 Volunteer Development Form was introduced. It allows volunteers to document their skills, experience and interests. The Operating Committee keeps these on file and Council volunteers and staff use them as a resource when making appointments and forming committees. If you haven’t filled one out, pick one up in the forms file and submit to the Operating Committee.

*      In 2002 a task force was formed to study volunteer accountability and make recommendations for revisions to Volunteer Position Descriptions. As a result a new format for Volunteer Position Descriptions was approved and put into use in February 2003.

*      At this time, the Operating Committee would like to introduce the NEW Form F-497, the Volunteer Self Appraisal Form. This form was designed to be used, in conjunction with position descriptions, as a tool for communication between volunteers and their volunteer supervisors. It provides ongoing feedback on volunteer performance based on mutually developed expectations. So how does it work? Accountabilities and expectations as outlined in position descriptions are reviewed at the beginning of a volunteer’s term. Continuing communication, coaching and mentoring promote a mutually productive respect and success in carrying out position assignments. At the end of the term every appointed volunteer must complete the Volunteer Self Appraisal Form (F-497). The volunteer should complete the form for each appointed position she/he holds. GSSJC encourages the use of this form for use in conjunction with an individual end-of-year conference and it may also be used mid-term or at another time. Conferences may be in person, by phone, or by e-mail.

This new form is in the forms file and on the March CIN. Guidelines for its use are on the back of the form. GSSJC hopes that it will value the contributions of each individual volunteer while creating an environment for volunteers to realize the full extent of their skills, knowledge and abilities. The secret of Juliette Low’s success is that “she offered women the chance to use their special talents and skills and to become involved in issues that were important to them.”* GSSJC hopes that F-497 will provide opportunities for volunteers to move in and out of positions in Girl Scouting depending upon their skills, interests, and availability.

* Volunteer Development in Girl Scouting- GSUSA