Luckenbill became the CEO in 2012 after serving on the Great Rivers Girl Scout Council and the GSWO Council. In her previous role as chief operating officer, she guided the four area councils— Appleseed Ridge (Lima), Buckeye Trails (Dayton), Great Rivers (Cincinnati) and Maumee Valley (Toledo) — through a merger to form the GSWO in 2007.
Luckenbill has had the honor of “pinning” awards on thousands of Girl Scouts after they complete projects within their communities and earn the Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards, she said.
She also co-chairs the National Cookie Steering Committee, helping the Cookie Program to grow within the Girl Scouts organization.
“I am grateful that I was trusted with the opportunity to lead this great council as CEO and feel honored to have served,” Luckenbill said.
With over 30,000 members, GSWO is the sixth-largest Girl Scout council in the country; more than 7,200 scouts and 3,000 adult members are from the Dayton area, which is home to 500 troops.
Luckenbill said Girl Scouts “remains strong” and is exploring a variety of new programming “to evolve to serve the needs of today’s girls and the ways they will lead in the future.” This includes new badges that build girls’ skills and interests in STEM and business.
The council launched a fundraising campaign called Empower Her to bring in $8 million needed to update campgrounds used for Girl Scout programming in western Ohio. Planned improvements to Camp Butterworth, Camp Whip Poor Will, Camp Libbey and Camp Stonybrook will help strengthen Girl Scouts as a whole, according to Luckenbill.
“We’re making significant enhancements at our camp properties in Warren County,” Luckenbill said. “Studies show that outdoor experiences are essential to leadership development in girls, and we want our facilities to provide state-of-the-art experiences that prepare them for today — and tomorrow.”
As CEO, Luckenbill led the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic. Two challenging years only reaffirmed the council’s commitment to strengthen and support its troops through “unique experiences and opportunities that families want for their girls,” according to Luckenbill.
The search for a new CEO will be led by the chair of the GSWO board, Victoria Nilles. She commended the decades of service Luckenbill dedicated to the organization.
“She has built a strong leadership team with a strategic vision for the future, and we’re grateful for her service to Girl Scouts, her dedication to excellence, and her commitment to making the world a better place,” Nilles said.
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