girl scouts of southwest texas for san antonio woman

Negative words like these discourage girls from taking thereins of leadership and holding tight. Especially for younggirls, these words can have a huge impact and might explainwhy by the time a girl reaches middle school she is 25% lesslikely than her male peers to seek a leadership role. That’swhy Girl Scouts of the USA and the Lean In Foundationteamed up to launch the Ban Bossy campaign. Ban Bossyaims to end the use of words like bossy by encouraging girlsto lead at home and school. We want to Ban Bossy � to teachgirls to be strong leaders and show girls that leading is astrength, not a flaw. We spoke with three San Antonio lead-ers and asked them to share their path to leadership andvision for the next generation of leaders.

Bossy. Pushy. Domineering.

By the time a girlreaches middleschool she is 25%less likely than hermale peers to seeka leadership role.

A SPECIAL SECTION FOR SAN ANTONIO WOMAN

Sheryl Sculley has served as the San Antonio City Manager since No-vember 2005. She is the Chief Executive Officer of the municipal cor-poration of 12,000 employees, an annual operating and capital budgetof $2.4 billion and a city population of 1.4 million. Sculley has worked incity management for more than 40 years, standing out in a field thathas only a handful of women executives nationally. She has ledfundraising efforts for the education of single mothers, victims of do-mestic violence and research for the cure of autism. Sculley is a formerGirl Scout.

What is your impression of the word bossy?The word “bossy” has such a negative connotation. When was the lasttime you heard a man called bossy? It’s only used for women. I thinkstrong, competent women are a threat to many men, not every man,but many men. It shouldn’t be that way but it still is. I’ve been in thisbusiness for 40 years. I’ve seen some progress but there is still a lot ofwork to do. Educating women about the positive ways they can handlethemselves is the best approach. What the Girl Scouts do in terms ofhelping women in constructive activities and helping them build theirself-esteem does that.

What is your advice to the next generation of leaders?There are no entitlements in life. You have to work very hard. You haveto be focused. You have to earn your education. Continue learning andhoning your skills. You have to be strategic and focus on what you wantto do this year, the next three years and beyond. Plans can change andneed to be updated but you have to know where you’re going.

Were you ever called bossy?Yes, I’ve been called bossy - but I’ve always been in a leadership role, inmy family, in school, in Girl Scouts and in my professional career. I’ve al-ways been the first woman in each of the professional positions I’veheld, except for here. So there are a lot of eyes watching you to see ifyou stumble. You have to exert extra effort because there are so manywomen coming up behind you, and if something goes wrong you knowthey’ll say “it’s because we hired a woman.”

Who were your role models when you were a girl?My dad worked two jobs to support our family of nine. My mom man-aged the household and kept us very active in constructive activities.I’d describe her a little bit as a drill sergeant. I guess you have to be whenyou have seven kids. I was left in charge often and told, “Don’t mess upbecause you have six brothers and sisters following you in school.”There were high expectations of me. My parents expected us to be thebest in everything we did. They instilled self-esteem and let me know Icould be anything I wanted to be.

Sheryl Sculley

for the next generation of leaders.

SAN ANTONIO

sharetheir path to leadership

and vision

LEADERS

THREE

Jackie Gorman is the immediate past Chair of the Board of Direc-tors for Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas. Gorman served on theboard for 12 years including four years as board chair. She is alsothe Executive Director of SAGE, a nonprofit that serves as thegrowth engine for San Antonio’s East Side. Gorman is a U.S. Armyveteran and a lifelong Girl Scout.

What is your impression of the word bossy?The word bossy and how it affects you depends on how you seeyourself. I am in no way offended by the word bossy. I probablyeven own it. On the other hand I can imagine that a young womanwho is not comfortable with herself and is trying to find her placewould be very offended by that.

What is your leadership philosophy? The first thing is you never ask anyone to do something youwouldn’t do yourself. You have to respect the people you areleading and know that everyone brings a different skill set. I be-lieve in teams but don’t believe in leaderless teams. Someonehas to be held accountable. If no one is accountable, nothinggets done.

Girls are often deterred from leadership roles because theywant to be liked, what advice would you have for them?You have to like yourself and not depend on someone else to tellyou that you’re wonderful. You have to know you are wonderful inyourself. When you do that you’ll be surprised at how many peo-ple like you. But you have to have the confidence to be true toyourself.

What are your thoughts on the Ban Bossy campaign?Ban Bossy is a good thing because people use the word as a pejo-rative. If we can stop making young girls feel bad about being nat-ural leaders, about being that person that people push to theforefront, then we’ve done something great. Then we won’t loseour girl leaders when they become 12 or 13 and go to middleschool and are called bossy. The reason I stayed involved withGirl Scouts no matter where I moved is because it was immedi-ately a safe place for me. We have to be that place where girlscan go and no one will call them bossy. Where leadership is re-warded and leadership is encouraged and they are trained to beleaders.

What do you say to people who disagree with banning theword bossy?I don’t think it’s about the word as much as about what the wordrepresents. It’s about the meaning behind the word. It’s aboutthe feelings the word engenders. This is about instilling confi-dence in women. Bossy is not the problem. Bossy is a picture ofthe problem. Bossy is belittling women from being strong womenand strong leaders. You can call me bossy though, I don’t care.

Jackie GormanJanie Barrera is the founding President and CEO of LiftFund, anonprofit agency that provides small loans and managementtraining to microenterprises. She has served on the Federal Re-serve Board’s National Consumer Advisory Council and in 2011was appointed to the President’s Advisory Council on FinancialCapability. In January she began her second three year-term onthe board of directors for the Federal Reserve of Dallas’ San An-tonio Branch.

Were you ever called bossy?I don’t know that I was ever called bossy but I was put in my place.There’s a saying “You should only speak when spoken to.” I wasreminded of that a lot, but always questioned it. Growing up I hadvery strong women role models. My grandmothers were sostrong. I grew up in a Catholic environment and all of my teacherswere sisters (nuns). I saw that they lived by themselves and tookcare of themselves. So when I was told “don’t speak unless you’retold to speak,” but then I saw these strong women and I just knewthose things didn’t connect. That’s what we need to teach youngwomen. Being strong and being silent don’t go together.

What is your leadership philosophy? Part of my philosophy is that you surround yourself with smarterpeople, passionate people and people that have big hearts whowant to help. I used to think when I was younger that I had toplease folks or do things that I didn’t want to do but I thought Ihad to do. As you get older you figure out, no I don’t.

What is your impression of the word bossy?We need more awareness of that word and what it does. As wehelp young women mature we have to be cognizant of the factthat words do matter. To replace the word “bossy” with the word“leader” is a super idea. If we don’t take this on it’s not going tohappen.

San Antonio is unique and has a high number of women inleadership positions in both the public and private sectors.How do you think we’ve made these strides?It’s because women have brought up their sons to think aboutwomen as leaders. A generation ago young boys were not beingtold this. In my generation guys didn’t iron or wash the dishes.But now my great-niece’s husband is a stay-at-home dad andshe’s the breadwinner. That would have never happened a gener-ation ago. It’s not even questioned now. It’s not a big deal. There ischange happening now.

What is your advice to the next generation of leaders? I think girls need to remember that the world hasn’t always beenthis way. Struggle is good. Challenge is good. You have to remem-ber that or we’ll go back to it. It’s scary when people forget history. Those of us who have been blessed with strong mothers knowthat strong role models are so important and not everyone hasthat. That’s why it’s so important for Girl Scouts to offer thosestrong female role models. We need that voice in our communitythat tells our girls they can be leaders and repeat it and repeat it!

Janie Barrera


Ban Bossy is a public service campaign with the mission to en-courage leadership in girls and raise awareness of the power ofwords. Did you know that elementary and middle school boys re-ceive eight times more classroom attention than girls? Whenstudents do not volunteer responses, teachers are more likely toencourage boys over the girls to give an answer or an opinion. It’sno wonder that between elementary and high school, girls’ self-esteem drops 3.5 times more than boys.

BUT THERE IS GOOD NEWS.We can reverse the trends that hold girls back. The Ban Bossycampaign is working to raise awareness. As parents, friends andeducators we can make small changes that have big impact on agirl’s ambitions, whether that girl seeks to be the CEO of theworld’s largest company or the CEO of her family at home.

START BY MAKING SIMPLE CHANGES. Parents are children’s first role models and their words and ac-tions shape a girl’s leadership potential. Unfortunately, as early asmiddle school, parents place a higher value on leadership forboys than for girls. Parents can encourage a girl’s most ambitious

dreams with acknowledgment and encouragement. Ask yourdaughter how she would change the world. Invite her to tell youwhat leadership means to her. Does she see herself as a leader?What are the ways she leads now, and in what ways would she liketo lead more in the future?

In the work place, managers can ensure women get the creditthey deserve and look for opportunities to celebrate their suc-cess. Women get less credit than their male counterparts fortheir role on a team. Women often deflect praise with self-depre-cating comments. Help women identify their own success on aregular basis with questions like “What progress have you madesince we last spoke?” or “What are you most proud of thismonth?”

Teachers and friends can start by changing their language. Avoidwords that hold girls back. Calling a girl “bossy” sends the mes-sage that she should not speak up. These words can silence a girlduring her most formative years. Constructive criticism is vital tolearning but take care to avoid references to gender in your feed-back. Encourage girls to avoid using words that reinforce stereo-types such as “Girls aren’t good at math.” Use this as a teachablemoment to explain stereotypes and ask girls to find examplesthat defy these labels.

Together we can encourage girls to become the leaders theyare meant to be. Go to girlscouts.org/BanBossy orBanBossy.com for more leadership tips.

Do Your Part to Ban Bossy

Girls who do not want to be leaders attribute theirlack of motivation to fear of being laughed at, mak-ing people mad at them, not being liked or comingacross as bossy.

In partnership with the City of San Antonio, Edgewood ISD andthe Westside Development Corporation, Girl Scouts of South-west Texas expanded its footprint on San Antonio’s west side inOctober 2012 by signing a three-year lease to use 39,000 sq. ft.of the former Coronado-Escobar Elementary School, includingthe gym, cafeteria, green space and playground.

The organization’s vision was to establish a West Side Girl ScoutLeadership Center that would provide an array of holistic serv-ices for girls and their families. The center contributes to the eco-nomic development of the west side of San Antonio whiledelivering Girl Scout program to girls and adult leadership devel-opment opportunities for their families. The West Side Girl ScoutLeadership Center represents a major expansion and a $2 millioninvestment in the west side community.

The center hosts troop meetings and houses a STEM (science,

technology, engineering and math) and robotics lab, art studio,Girl Genius tutoring center, a volunteer resource center androoms for each membership level from Girl Scout Daisies toGamma Sigma Pearls and Gamma Sigma Girls®.

The center also hosts Camp Metro, eight weeks of summer daycamp that provide girls the opportunity to spend time bondingwith others their age while focusing on the arts, healthy eating,positive self-esteem and being active.

The West Side Girl Scout Leadership Center is unique in its focuson comprehensive family services, strengthening parents andguardians so they can support their daughters’ leadership devel-opment, largely through partnerships with area agencies. Parentsand guardians also benefit from a wide array of adult develop-ment courses in financial literacy, parenting styles, communica-tion, computer skills and adult GED preparation.

Widening Our Reach: West Side Girl Scout Leadership Center


Cyndi Taylor Krier-1988Irene S. Wischer-1989Edith S. McAllister-1990Mary Nan West-1991Elizabeth H. Maddux-1992Josephine Musselman-1993Sally Cheever-1994Aaronetta H. Pierce-1995Amy Freeman Lee-1996Suzy Finesilver-1997Janey Briscoe-1998Charline McCombs-1999Veronica Salazar Escobedo-2000Jocelyn L. Straus-2001Vikki Carr-2002Rosemary Kowalski-2003Lila Cockrell-2004Nancy Zachry-2005Nancy Loeffler-2006Jimmie Ruth Evans-2007Dela W. White-2008Linda Whitacre-2009Harriet Marmon Helmle-2010Suzanne Goudge-2011Esperanza “Hope” Andrade-2012Carri Baker Wells-2013Suzanne Wade-2014

We all have a role to play inhelping girls obtain a success-ful future. What is yours?

As a Girl Scout volunteer, youbelong to a network of adultswho share an important com-mitment: preparing girls to leadsuccessful lives. You'll serve asa partner and role model togirls, discover your own skillsand abilities, meet new people,and "learn by doing" alongsidegirls at every step.

You'll be their cheerleader,guide and mentor, helpingthem develop the skills andconfidence that will last longafter the meeting is over.Imagine the smiles, the excite-ment, the memories made--those are the moments you'llshare at Girl Scouts.

Whether you have one week-end a year or several nightsper week to contribute to thecause of furthering girl leader-

ship, Girl Scouts of SouthwestTexas has a place for you.

There is no Girl Scouting with-out Girl Scout volunteers. Bethe role model she'll alwaysremember. Volunteer today!

For more information and toregister as an adult member,visit girlscouts-swtx.org/join.

Be the Role Model She’ll Always Remember

Other women who makea difference: Trefoil HonoreesFor 27 years, Girl Scouts ofSouthwest Texas has selectedan outstanding woman anddedicated community leaderwho embodies the beliefs andprinciples of the Girl ScoutMovement. This exceptionalwoman is presented with thecelebrated Trefoil Award.

Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas invites you to Fiesta®with this year’s cookie—the Tagalong!

The third medal in this five-cookie series, the Tagalong is a crispy cookie layered withpeanut butter and covered with a chocolaty coating.

Which cookie will next year’s medal depict? Celebrate the Girl Scout Cookie Pro-gram, a $790 million girl-led business, by collecting them all!

Girl Scout cookie Fiesta® medals are available at the Fiesta® Store and the GirlScout Shop at the Sally Cheever Girl Scout Leadership Center (811 N. Coker Loop,San Antonio, Texas 78216) and the West Side Girl Scout Leadership Center (5622W. César E. Chávez Blvd, San Antonio, Texas 78237).

Calling all cookie lovers!


What could the future workforce accomplish if all businesses—large and small—took a vested interest in advancing female lead-ership today? By investing in a girl’s success at an early age, eachof us plays a vital role in ensuring the future of the communityand the country is in good hands.

With a combined contribution of $120,000 to GSSWT, CPS En-ergy, H-E-B, Valero Energy Corporation and Wells Fargo have alltaken the lead in supporting innovative patch programs for eachcompany’s area of expertise.

Making All the Difference: Leading Businesses Invest In Girls

CPS Energy and Environmental Awareness

Through CPS Energy’s Environmental AwarenessInitiative, girls learn that reversing environmental

threats and improving qualityof life is the work of their

generation.

*Did you know: For girls ages 11-12, 73% re-ported improving the worldaround them as their favoriteactivity (e.g. activities relatedto the environment or helping

others.)

H-E-B and Healthy Living

Girl Scouts recognizesthat physical health, emotional health and

self-esteem are connected. H-E-B’s Healthy Living Initiative educates girls about keeping bodies healthy, minds engaged

and spirits alive.

*Did you know: Over the past 25 years, the

percentage of overweight girlshas more than doubled.Thirty-one percent of girlsadmit to starving themselvesor refusing to eat as a strategy

to lose weight.

Valero Energy Corporationand STEM

(science, technology, engineering and math)

Women continue to have agreater impact in the fields ofscience, technology, engineer-ing and math than ever before.Whether they’re building

robots, learning the mechanicsof a car’s engine or creating achemical reaction, girls are

unlocking unexpected talentsthrough Valero Energy

Corporation’s STEM Initiative.

*Did you know:When today’s girls graduatefrom college, America will

need 3 million more scientistsand engineers. However, girlstend to leave science to boysas early as the 5th grade.

Wells Fargo andFinancial Literacy

Wells Fargo’s Financial LiteracyInitiative provides girls the resources and knowledge toset fiscal goals and become financially accountable when earning and managing money.

*Did you know: Women-owned funds significantly outperform

funds in general, even duringtough economic times. Yet women managed only 3% of hedge funds and 10% of mutual fundsin the year leading to the 2008 recession.


Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) is dedicatedsolely to girls in grades K-12. For 103 years wehave enabled girls to build character and skillsfor success.

• Founded in 1912 by Juliette Gordon Low

• More than 2.8 million members throughout the United States* (*including U.S. territories, and in more than 90 countries through USA Girl Scouts Overseas)

• GSUSA is a member of the World Associationof Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS)

• WAGGGS is a family of 10 million girls and adultsin 145 countries

HOW TO BECOMEA GIRL SCOUTCall 210-349-2404/1-800-580-7247 or visitgirlscouts-swtx.org to find out about Girl Scouts in your neighborhood!

• Be a girl in grades K-12 • Accept the Girl Scout Promise and Law • Pay national membership dues of $15 (financial assistance is available)

PARTICIPATE IN GIRL SCOUTSTHROUGH ONE OR MORE PATHWAYS: CAMP. By day or overnight, she can explore nature on twowheels, by the light of the moon or through the lens of acamera.

EVENTS. Most girls have more than one passion—maybestorytelling and acting or dancing. Choose events centeredon your daughter’s favorites.

SERIES. Everything’s more fun when you’re sharing it withothers who love the same things. Our series let girls exploreinterests together in a way that fits their schedules.

TRAVEL. Want your daughter to go places? Girl Scouts do.When they see and experience new things, it’s always anadventure they’ll never forget.

TROOP. Meeting regularly, girls can share amazing expe-riences, learn to make a difference in their communityand have lots of fun!

GIRL SCOUT GRADE LEVELS:GSUSA program at all levels emphasizes development ofpersonal values, appreciation of others, decision-making,leadership and service. Program is adapted for each gradelevel and for the needs and interests of individual girls.

• Girl Scout Daisy—grades Kindergarten-1 • Girl Scout Brownie—grades 2-3 • Girl Scout Junior—grades 4-5 • Girl Scout Cadette—grades 6-8 • Girl Scout Senior—grades 9-10 • Girl Scout Ambassador—grades 11-12

GIRL SCOUTS OFFERS MORE CHOICES AND MORE REASONS THAN EVER TO JOIN. GET STARTED TODAY!

Q: What happens after a girl becomes a Girl Scout? A:When a girl joins the organization, she becomes a Girl Scout member. Allmembers may choose any one, all, or some of the flexible pathways to par-ticipate in during a single year.

Q: How can I support my daughter’s Girl Scout journey? A: Parents/guardians should be familiar with the flexible pathways your daugh-ter can experience. Help her identify her interests and encourage her to partic-ipate in various activities. All of the information a parent needs to support theirdaughter’s Girl Scout journey may be found at girlscouts-swtx.org.

Q: Where do funds come from to pay for books, pins and awards? A: Through participation in product sales, such as the annual Girl ScoutCookie Program, which provides troops or individual girls with proceeds tohelp pay for books, earned awards or uniform pieces. Proceeds may also beused to pay for attendance at camp or to travel, as well as various activitiesoffered by the council. Parents/guardians of girls will often pay some of thecosts. If a troop is newly formed, a troop leader may request a small amountfrom the parents to begin the program year. Limited financial assistance forbooks, membership pins and uniform components is available.

Q: Are uniforms required in Girl Scouting? A: Uniforms are not required, but are encouraged for visibility and Girl Scoutspirit. A girl is always welcome to participate in Girl Scouting whether or notshe chooses to have a uniform. The Girl Scout Membership Pin can be wornwith or without the uniform. Girls are encouraged to purchase a sash or veston which to display earned awards and other official insignia. Limited financialassistance is available.

Q: Is financial assistance available? A: Yes. GSSWT believes no girl should ever be denied the opportunity to partic-ipate in Girl Scouts because of financial need. Funds are available to assist girlswith council activities, membership dues, books, etc.

Q: Who can be a Girl Scout volunteer? A: Anyone over the age of 18 and willing to accept the Girl Scout Promise andLaw is welcome to volunteer for the organization. Adults go through the fol-lowing steps when applying to become Girl Scout volunteers: application withcriminal background check, appointment for one year, placement and re-quired training. GSSWT offers adult learning opportunities online and in a liveclass format to provide volunteers with a solid foundation for guiding the lead-ership development of girls.

Q: Whom do I contact for information or help?A: Much information may be found online at girlscouts-swtx.org, or call yourGirl Scout staff liaison at 210-349-2404/1-800-580-7247.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who We AreGirl Scouts of Southwest Texas (GSSWT) is chartered by GirlScouts of the USA to provide program in 21 counties. We areheadquartered at the Sally Cheever Girl Scout Leadership Cen-ter in north central San Antonio.

TO VISIT OR CONTACT GSSWT Sally Cheever Girl Scout Leadership Center 811 N Coker Loop | San Antonio, TX 78216 Phone 210-349-2404 | 1-800-580-7247 Fax 210-349-2666

West Side Girl Scout Leadership Center5622 W. César E. Chávez Blvd. | San Antonio, TX 78237 Phone 210-319-5775 | 1-800-580-7247Fax 210-349-2666


girl scouts of southwest texas for san antonio woman

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