August 21, 2019 – LOS ANGELES, Calif.
Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles (GSGLA), the largest girl-serving nonprofit in Southern California, has appointed Theresa Edy-Kiene as the organization’s next Chief Executive Officer. Edy-Kiene, who comes to Girl Scouts from Fuller Seminary as the Vice President of Strategic Planning and Change Management in the President’s Office, will join the organization on Sept. 16.
The selection of Edy-Kiene caps a search process facilitated by Morris & Berger, an executive search firm with a specialty practice that reaches across the nonprofit sector.
“Our search committee took a thoughtful and thorough approach to assure the successful recruitment of the right candidate for our organization,” said Shelley Thompson, GSGLA Board Chair. “Theresa’s strength in leadership, communication, and community-building come at an important time in the life of our organization as we enter the last year of our three-year strategic plan to reach more girls in all areas of LA, deliver high-impact programs, and invest in girls through philanthropic partnerships.”
Edy-Kiene, who comes from a family of Girl Scouting, succeeds current GSGLA CEO Lise Luttgens, who will retire on Sept. 6. Luttgens served as CEO of the organization since its inception in 2008 after six Los Angeles-area legacy Girl Scout councils merged. Bringing a renewed sense of strength and stability to the Girl Scout Movement, Luttgens championed outreach in under-resourced communities and grew GSGLA into the fifth largest of 112 regional Girl Scout councils with nearly 72,000 members, solid retention rates, the most successful Girl Scout Cookie Program in the nation, and innovative leadership programs for girls in LA and beyond.
“As a lifelong Angeleno, who was shaped by the core values of Girl Scouts throughout adolescence, I’m thrilled to lead the next chapter of Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles,” said Edy-Kiene. “Thanks to the great vision of Lise Luttgens and her team, Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles is now positioned to reach even more girls, especially those living in underserved and underrepresented communities.”
In her role as Vice President of Strategic Planning and Change Management at Fuller, Edy-Kiene was responsible for the development of a new institution-wide strategic plan, developing a new education business model to position the institution for greater financial sustainability and the management of the planning and design for Fuller’s new Pomona campus. Simultaneously, she continued to serve as the Executive Director for the Thrive Center for Human Development, a role that brought her to the seminary in 2017 to leverage applied research in the area of positive youth development in order to inspire young people for social change. Prior, Edy-Kiene was an entrepreneur who co-founded and led two consumer food brands, raising capital financing and growing both into national brands. Before that, she had a successful career as a television executive at Lifetime Television, Warner Bros., and Fox, and developed the hit shows, The X-Files and Six Feet Under. She also sits on the board of the Human Trafficking Legal Network and chaired the Water Committee for the California Small Business Association. “Women must play an increasingly significant role in leadership positions across industries and government,” Edy-Kiene said. “Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles will continue to focus on connecting to a new generation of girls and volunteers to develop those future leaders.”
About Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles (GSGLA), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, serves nearly 47,000 girls in partnership with 25,000 adult members and volunteers throughout the communities of Los Angeles County and parts of Kern, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties. GSGLA is the largest girl-serving nonprofit agency in Los Angeles, with programs in entrepreneurship, life skills, outdoor, and STE(A)M. To join, volunteer, or support, visit GirlScoutsLA.org or call 213-213-0123.