board of directors profiles

Girl Scout Board of Directors & Board Development Committee – 2012 Profiles
HelenRuth Burch (Chair)  A lifetime Girl Scout member, HelenRuth volunteers with the Archives Committee, is a Council Delegate and worked as Program Director for Dark Hollow Day Camp for four summers. She is currently retired from 33 years on Girl Scout council staffs. Her other community involvement includes being the co-president of the AAUW Roanoke Valley Branch and a member of the AAUW State Board and being on the Board of Habitat for Humanity in the Roanoke Valley, to name a few. Strengths she possesses lie in Children’s Education, Risk Management, and Strategic Planning. She is a Girl Scout for life — and it shows.
Kelly Ashby (1st Vice Chair)  After working on the Board Development Committee for the past four years and as the Chair of the Finance Committee for the past year, Kelly is up for the challenges of Vice Chair. As a child, she had a chance to experience Girl Scouting as a Brownie, but has returned to learn that it builds girls of courage, confidence and character at any age! Her skills are in Public Relations, Marketing, Technology, and Construction. She works as Office Manager at Altus Group, Inc., in Roanoke and has a degree in Marketing from Virginia Tech.
Also Board Development Committee
Holli Gardner Drewry (2nd Vice Chair)  Holli is a ‘tech’ person: she is embedded in Virginia Tech and technology. She dons the latest gadgets and often shows them off in board meetings. Her degree in Art & Art History from Virginia Tech and current work at the college as Assistant Director, Division of Student Affairs Communications & Marketing furthers the point. Skills she possesses include Technology, Fund Development, Marketing and Public Relations/Communications. She is also a part-time graduate student working on her Masters Degree in Sociology with a concentration in Women and Gender Studies. Her Girl Scout board work began as an At-Large member on the Fund Development committee and she is a Girl Scout for life!
Joe Schaben (Treasurer)  Joe comes to us from his desire to involve himself more in the community. The background he possesses in Finance, Accounting and Business Management — as well as holding a Partner position at Boitnott & Schaben, a CPA firm with one of many specialties in non-profit organization audits — fits well with the Treasurer responsibilities. Although not a Girl Scout as a child, we won’t hold that against him! His past board experience includes the Jaycees and the Roanoke Chapter of VSCPA. This avid Virginia Tech Hokie fan lives in Roanoke.
Christine Cutright Knight (Secretary)  This Roanoke native sought us out after we posted a board opening with the Center for Non-Profit Excellence — and we are glad she did. Christine has shown her love of the organization over and over: having been a Girl Scout, raising one currently, and now giving back to us in taking on a board position as well as attending the National Conference in
2011! While her skills are numerous, a few to point out include Fund Development, Marketing, and Strategic Planning. Her current role as Senior Director Campaign and Development Operations, Darden School Foundation, at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville brings a wealth of knowledge that we have seen in our quarterly meetings. She earned a B.A. in Psychology and Religious studies at UVA and shortly thereafter, an MALS degree from Hollins in Humanities; and more recently an MBA from the University of Richmond, concentrating in strategic leadership.
Amanda Spain (At-Large)  Kroger has been a great supporter of Girl Scouts and we are glad to welcome their staff member to our board! Her title — Expense, Sanitation and Sustainability Manager — includes several words that are important topics in our council today. She also brings her strengths of Business Management, Strategic Planning, and Finance and Accounting to the board table. Amanda’s experience as a Girl Scout Brownie and Junior, as well as having a sister who is a troop leader in Rural Retreat, will help her keep focus on the outcomes of our decisions. This energetic Wytheville resident has served on YWCA of the Roanoke Valley and Clean Valley Council.
Ashley Reynolds (At-Large) Ashley is passionate about fostering confidence and leadership in girls, and possesses a firm conviction that Girl Scouting provides a place for girls to be themselves. Ashley, a Roanoke native, was introduced to Girl Scouting when she became a Brownie and remained active in scouting through her first few years in college. Ashley holds a BA in Psychology from Hollins University, a J.D. from William and Mary School of Law, an M.P.A with Local Government Management Graduate Certificate from Virginia Tech, and is currently working on a Ph.D in Public Administration and Policy. She has experience working for National College, the Supreme Court of Virginia, the Legal Aid Society of the Roanoke Valley, the United States Attorney’s Office, and Roanoke City Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office. Ashley is active in the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, The Square Society, The Urban Professional League and is a Zumba Instructor!
Audrey Hawkins (At-Large) Audrey is a UVA alumna who is a former leader, service unit manager, Board member, and Board Vice Chair in the council — a reflection of her commitment to the organization. She is currently co-chair of the Rockbridge Christmas Baskets effort, which serves approximately 1,100 families in the area, and has extensive experience in education, libraries, nonprofits, fundraising, and even the financial sector. She lives with her husband, David, in Lexington.
Deborah Seals (At-Large)  Deborah hails from the southern region of our council, Martinsville, where she works at Piedmont Community Services teaching programs such as Too Good for Drugs, RELATE, and Strengthening Families, to name a few. Her background of 33 years as a Girl Scout staff member includes past work as Field Executive, Program Director, Public Relations Director, and Vice President of Membership Services at Girl Scouts Tarheel Triad Council in Colfax, North Carolina, and councils in Florida and Virginia. She is a former board member of our own council, so she knows what work there is to do! She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Roanoke College, and some of her expertise includes Public Relations/Communications, Marketing and Fund Development. Most of her work has been geared to the improvement of children’s lives — which is exactly up our alley.
Laura Neff-Henderson, APR (At-Large)  A Girl Scout for more than 14 years, Laura, APR, participated in a Wider Op and earned her Silver and Gold awards. She is currently the president of the Blue Ridge Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America and has served as an executive board member of the Chesapeake Chapter of the National School Public Relations Association. As Communications Project Coordinator at Virginia Tech, she teaches Advanced Media Writing in the Communication Department. Additionally, she provides freelance consulting services to her clients across the state through her agency, Tipping Point Communication. Her degrees include a bachelor’s in journalism from Radford University and a master’s in English from Virginia Commonwealth University. Less than 20 percent of public relations practitioners across the country hold the distinguished accreditation she has earned in public relations (APR). She and her husband live in Blacksburg with their four children.
Karen Ford (At-Large)  This will be Karen’s second time around with the Skyline Council. She served as Treasurer back in the 1980s and returns to us after being referred by Trish McMahon. Her work as a professor at JMU in Social Work and Nonprofit Studies aligns perfectly with a board position, as well as skills in Strategic Planning, Lobbying/Advocacy/Legislative Relations and Adult Education. She has extensive experience in the communities where she’s lived — Habitat for Humanity, Office on Children & Youth, Mid-Atlantic Policy Practice Forum, and others — as well as in Girl Scouts as a Leader, and advisor for both Gold Award and Adventurers; she is also a Lifetime Member. Currently she lives in Bridgewater.
Joanna Coleman (At-Large)  Joanna has enveloped herself in education; whether as Major Gifts Officer at Ferrum College, teaching K-1 Sunday School, or on the New Vista Montessori School Board. Having been a Girl Scout in the past, she also understands the importance of our organization. She continued her leadership growth as an adult by recently graduating from the Roanoke Chamber’s Leadership Roanoke Valley program. This Roanoker has skills in Fund Development, Public Relations/Communications and Marketing.
Gay Price (At-Large)(Board Development Committee)  Gay was a Girl Scout as a child and has spent 31 years as an elementary school teacher, primarily kindergarten, where she earned Teacher of the Year 07-08 in Washington County. Recently retired and working part-time at the family business, Sanico in Christiansburg, she looks forward to using her experience as chairman of many education committees as well as skills in Strategic Planning and Lobbying/Advocacy/Legislative Relations. She is also a Reading Specialist and holds a Master’s Degree in Education.
Kathy Claytor (At-Large)  As a Human Resource Executive, she sees great alignment between Girl Scouts and her employer, Delta Dental, in providing information to improve the overall health and wellness of young people. As a Gold Award recipient, Kathy also holds our organization dear to her heart and desires to give back to her community by providing a leadership role in her second board position; she served as a Senior Girl Scout on the Commonwealth of Virginia Council board. Her additional expertise is in Human Resource Management, Strategic Planning and Business Management.
Angela Campbell – Roanoke Times (At-Large) This former Membership Marketing Manager of Michigan Metro Girl Scout Council joins our ranks after being referred by a colleague at her current workplace, The Roanoke Times, where she is Audience Development & Circulation Director. Angela feels that the current priorities between our council and Times overlap greatly; therefore, it is a perfect fit to serve as a board member who can provide options to benefit both. Her top strengths include Strategic Planning, Fund Development and Business Management — all vital skills needed for GSVSC to keep moving forward and thriving! We welcome this native of Michigan who now calls Roanoke home with her husband and three children.
Megan Dunlap (Girl At-Large) Megan is a rising junior at Rockbridge County High in Lexington, VA. She joined Girl Scouts as a Daisy, and has been hooked ever since! Megan has served in a number of leadership roles, including as President of the Children of the American Revolution and as a Civil Air Cadet Commander. Megan looks forward to advocating for diversity and representing her fellow Girl Scouts.
Sadie Yates (Girl At-Large) Beginning her Girl Scout journey in kindergarten, this now-junior at The Covenant School in Charlottesville is currently an Ambassador. She has earned her Bronze Award as well as her Gold, which involved educating children about nutrition. At the National Convention in November 2012, she attended the Girl Scout Leadership Institute. She also led a project to raise funds for the Rajo Women’s Literacy School, which educates 75 Somali women living as refugees in Nairobi, Kenya. Her efforts were very successful, and she was able to raise $8,500! She is involved in several other community service projects and doesn’t show any sign of slowing this fantastic habit. Sadie = a true leader in Girl Scouting.
Kris Terry (Board Development Committee)  This Radford University graduate received her Bachelors degree in Social Work and is now employed at the Rocky Mount location of Piedmont Community Services Board/Horizons as a Psychosocial Rehabilitation Specialist. Her experience on the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority board, her work at Virginia Tech’s Big Event and Project Linus, NRV Women’s Shelter, and the fact that she is coming back to be an adult member of Girl Scouts proves she has dedication to women’s issues and a willingness to serve her community! Kris has top strengths in Public Relations / Communications, Education for Adults, and Religious Activities. Her energy and upbeat attitude will provide great benefit to the organization on this committee.
Zanetta Ford (Board Development Committee)  Zanetta is Development Director at Children, Youth & Family Services (City of Promise) in Charlottesville — so it is easy to see a correlation between her current work and Girl Scouts. Zanetta also worked as Grant Specialist at James Madison University and some of her skills entail Marketing, Fund Development and Business Management. This childhood Girl Scout (returned!) lives with her family in Harrisonburg, where her daughter is a Brownie in Troop 506.
Mark Ayles (Board Development Committee) With three children who have all been in scouting — one currently active in Girl Scouts and one in Boy Scouts — he has that personal commitment to ensuring the success of our organization! Mark’s work as VP at Hughes Associates Architects & Engineers uses his knowledge to develop structures as opposed to boards and their members, but he is up for the challenge and looks forward to giving back to the community. Skills he possesses include Engineering, Construction/Building Repair and Maintenance, and Strategic Planning (currently involved with this at Hughes Associates).
Yolunda Armstrong (Board Development Committee) A board member referral, Yolunda brings experience — from her involvement on the Community Outreach Action Team for the development of the City Promise Neighborhood initiative, and the Charlottesville Agency Budget Review Team for the Arts and Culture — to our committee. She’s now pursuing her degree at Averett University. Her skills also include Business Management, Strategic Planning and Human Resource Management. She is also the eight-year General Manager at Red Roof Inn in Charlottesville.
Carolyn Rainey (Board Development Committee)  What is there to say about Carolyn? Her actions speak louder than words! Carolyn has served as the Past President of the Junior League of Charlottesville, Chair of the Salvation Army Advisory Board and on various nonprofit board such as Monticello Community Action Agency, Boys and Girls Club and Senior Center. She served 10 years as the Northeast Cookie Coordinator for GSVSC, six years on the GSVSC Board and two years as Board Chair. Her eight-year history of service with our board is irrefutable. The consistency and leadership she has brought will be present for years after she steps down from Chair of our board. She is a Senior Vice President with Bank of America and is responsible for Regulatory Relations.
Shelley Murphy (Board Development Committee) A Girl Scout alumna, Shelley is back after a year off the board to serve on the committee and continue to offer her expertise. She works at Piedmont Housing Alliance as Director of Program Services in Charlottesville. At the Park University, she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Social Psychology and at the University of Phoenix, a Master’s in Organizational Management. She is an Adjunct Professor at Averett University as well as a Disaster Services Instructor with Red Cross. She lives in Palmyra.
Heidi Dearstyne (Board Development Committee) Finding Heidi just goes to show that you never know who you’ll meet simply by stating on your resume what you’re involved with. Currently working on her MBA, she has degrees in Criminal Justice and Psychology, and expertise in Fund Development, Strategic Planning, and Finance and Accounting. Her experience as an Adult Volunteer Trainer and Troop Leader at the Junior and Cadette levels in Council of Colonial Coast makes her an ideal choice for the Board Development Committee. She lives in Roanoke with her daughter.
samantha-litchford Samantha Litchford (Board Development Committee) One of our most recent Girl Board members, this Girl Scout is now attending the University of Mary Washington. While her studies keep her busy, she looks forward to learning more about the board and staying involved. She was a recipient of the Thelma Loyd Conservation Award and also spoke at the 2009 Annual Meeting in addition to being a Girl Scout representative at the United Nations Global Warming Conference. A Silver and Gold Award are also in her list of accomplishments. Samantha went to Rustburg High School.