Q&A with Danielle Shockey, First Chief Experience Officer at Girl Scouts USA

Girl Scouts of Central Indiana CEO Danielle Shockey has been appointed as the first Chief Experience Officer for Girl Scouts USA.

We had the pleasure of chatting with Shockey about her new gig, the legacy she hopes to leave behind, and what she wishes you knew about The Girl Scouts.

Congrats on the new role! Tell us everything. 

I will be the Chief Experience Officer for Girl Scouts of the USA. This role encompasses everything that a girl, adult, or community experiences within Girl Scouts.

Why did you decide to take on this new role now? 

After seven years in my previous position, I realized that every step I’ve taken in my career has been aimed at positively influencing the greater good. I believe there is a unique magic in the Girl Scout experience, and I want to help others create that same magic in their communities.

And what does that entail? 

I will oversee three major areas within the organization, which we are calling the Experience Community. That includes:

1. Council Support: Assisting the 111 councils across the country, big or small, with whatever they need.
2. Programs: This includes all adult and girl programs, such as Girl Scout badges and the cookie program, and the volunteer space.
3. Membership: Focusing on how to enhance the membership experience.

So just three small things.

::Laughing::  Small things. But that’s something I’m excited for. I think some of the greatest opportunities in this new experience community is to break down silos to create the utmost quality and magic for every girl or every community that engages with Girl Scouts.

What do you hope your legacy with the Girl Scouts of Central Indiana will be? 

There’s a quote by Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts: “The work of today is the history of tomorrow, and we are its makers.” The Girl Scout model is based on the Boy Scout Model. We’ve never been the same organization, but she looked over there and saw what the Boy Scouts were doing and said, ‘We need this. Women need this. Girls need this.’ She knew they were making history 114 years ago, and I know the same of this council. We are making history. We’re doing things right—we’re doing things beyond right. We’re being innovative. We’re meeting girls where they are. We’re bringing programs to places that will create greater opportunities for girls in Central Indiana. I hope that this council’s example is the work of today and will influence across the country, and we’ll look back on this time and live Juliette Gordon Low’s quote.

Will you stay in Indiana? 

Yes, but I will travel to New York pretty frequently, that’s where our headquarters are.

Any word on your replacement? 

Our interim CEO is Chief Operating Officer Deana Potterf. She’s been here for 27 years, and she’s outstanding. But they’re getting ready to conduct a search, so yes, if readers want to know, the job is available. 

What is something that you wish people knew about the Girl Scouts? 

“I can tell you this—as a parent, as a teacher, as a mom, as an educator—there is no other organization where you can give your child experiences that just aren’t happening in the K-12 space if you want to give your daughter the opportunity to see role models and have amazing experiences. We open the doors for anything your child might wish to learn, explore, or do, whether it’s solo, with a family, in a troop, or with peers. I wish people thought of us as more than cookies, camps, and crafts.”

What do you hope to accomplish in your new role? 

“There’s a quote by the Boy Scout founder which I love and we use often in Girl Scouts, ‘Leave something better than you found it’. I hope that I’ve left this council better than I found it. And I hope to take with me the lessons learned and the things that we’ve created and crafted for families and girls, and do that for all 110 councils or all 50 states or all 2.1 million Girl Scouts across the country, and those that aren’t Girl Scouts. So that’s my hope. That’s what I’m most excited for—going out there and changing the world, which is our mission, and it sounds like I’m being cliche, but it’s right, I hope to make the world a better place.” 

Any other final words? 

“Doing this job in Indianapolis and the 45 surrounding counties was such a joyful job. I use that word a lot because we’re such a caring community. I probably would not have felt as easily successful stepping into a nonprofit leadership role—something I’d never done before—without the community that we have in Central Indiana. Our community just cares, and it’s evident, and it makes living and working here a joy.”