Northeast Ohio girl scouts have a new top scout; the organization hiring Jane Christyson to fill the voice left by the now-retired Daisy Alford-Smith.

- - -

(Girls Scouts of Northeast Ohio) A new Chief Executive Officer with over 30 years of nonprofit management experience will lead Girl Scouts of North East Ohio (GSNEO) into the next century of Girl Scouting.  After a national search, the GSNEO board unanimously approved Jane Christyson at its meeting on March 6. She will begin her new role on Monday, March 18, 2013.

 “I believe my background in Girl Scouts and my professional experiences have prepared me well for this position,” said Christyson.    “I have seen firsthand in my troop what girls can accomplish in Girl Scouting, and it is inspiring.  I am eager to work with our volunteers, staff, board and community partners throughout Northeast Ohio to further the mission and provide even more girls with leadership experiences.”

Christyson served as Cleveland Metroparks Director of Marketing for 24 years, establishing the department and overseeing four divisions: Marketing, Research and Program Evaluation, Visitor Services, and Visual Communications.  She also had responsibility for the Golf Clubhouse division for ten years. Christyson began her career at United Way Services of Cleveland in 1980 and served in several fund-raising capacities.  She then became executive director of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in 1984, before joining Cleveland Metroparks in 1989.

She is a member of many professional groups, a board member of the Press Club of Cleveland, and active with the Marketing Committee for the Ohio & Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor.  She has spoken at many national conferences in the United States and internationally in Australia and Panama.

Christyson is a resident of Strongsville, Ohio, where she lives with her husband Bob Mahoney and daughter Bridget, a Girl Scout.  Christyson, too, was a Girl Scout for 10 years and earned the First Class Award (now known as the Gold Award).  She has been a Girl Scout leader for seven years of Troop 71410 and has enjoyed working with the girls and watching them develop into leaders.

“Without a doubt, Jane is the best leader for our council at this time,” said Joan Villarreal, board chair of Girl Scouts of North East Ohio.  “She is a strong role model for the 40,000 girls and 14,000 adults she will lead, and it helps that she already has a presence in Northeast Ohio.”