Meet the Champions
Spotlight on Our Own: Sherri Weidman

CEO of the Girl Scouts of Limberlost Council in Indiana

“When you think about it, we are living the Girl Scout purpose,” says Sherri Weidman, CEO of the Girl Scouts of Limberlost Council in Indiana and member of the Core Business Strategy Fund Development Gap Team.

Sherri sees the Core Business Strategy as an effort to design the future of Girl Scouts proactively and ensure a successful transition by combining bold and courageous action with a culture of inclusion and democracy.

The Limberlost Council has taken several steps to support and participate in the Core Business Strategy. First and foremost, Sherri ensures that information is current and decisions are transparent, and she says that her council members are very responsive to the information they receive. “I see a lot of nods around the room, which tells me that most everyone is able to relate to the need for change, regardless of their unique perspective.”

Sherri and her fellow council leaders have also introduced the concept of “cultural champion” to council staff and top volunteers, and she and her staff are in the midst of internal restructuring to better align with the strategy. On a larger scale, with the 2008 National Convention scheduled to take place in Indiana, Girl Scout councils throughout the state are talking about ways to become a pilot state for realignment.

As a member of the Fund Development Gap Team, Sherri has been working on identifying best practices in fund development. She has looked at staffing structures and CEO practices in high-capacity councils that foster external relations and fund development throughout the council jurisdiction.

Accelerated funding is a critical part of the strategy’s success, and Sherri is excited to play a role in redesigning systems and setting new standards by which to measure progress. “There is so much untapped potential, and once we are tooled to better tell our story and prove the change that Girl Scouts makes in the lives of girls and in our world, the sky is the limit!”

Sherri is a positive example of the kind of attitude that will ensure the Core Business Strategy’s success, and she embraces her role as a champion. “To me, being a champion means doing my part in my corner of influence to help people see the benefits of expanded capacity and all that our transformation with make possible for girls, and I am really looking forward to being engaged in the next steps of the transformation.”

THANK YOU SHERRI FOR BEING A LEADER AND INSPIRATION TO THE REST OF US!

For more information on Sherri Weidman and the Girl Scouts of Limberlost Council, visit www.gslimberlost.org.

Are you a champion? Do you have a story to tell?
Write to strategyfeedback@girlscouts.org.