[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 148 (Wednesday, September 13, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1215-E1216]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CELEBRATING THE RETIREMENT OF DEBORAH HEARN SMITH AFTER 47 YEARS OF 
             SERVICE TO THE GIRL SCOUTS OF CENTRAL INDIANA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SUSAN W. BROOKS

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 13, 2017

  Mrs. BROOKS of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Deborah 
Hearn Smith of the Girl Scouts of Central Indiana. For over four 
decades Smith facilitated the opportunity for our daughters in Central 
Indiana to become confident young leaders through engaging the world 
around them and building positive relationships with their peers and 
themselves. Smith's exemplary leadership and dedication to the Girl 
Scouts of Central Indiana has enriched the lives of over one million 
young women in our community, building generations of confident, 
courageous, and principled Hoosiers. The people of Indiana's Fifth 
Congressional District are forever grateful for Deborah Hearn Smith's 
commitment to making Central Indiana, a welcoming place of opportunity 
for our young women.
  A life-long Hoosier from Indianapolis, Smith attended IPS 60, then 
went on to Shortridge High School. She graduated in the class of 1966. 
And she was later inducted into the IPS Alumni Hall of Fame in 2015 for 
her outstanding leadership. Following graduation from high school she 
attended Kentucky State University to study English, History, and 
Political Science. There she met her husband Ebenezer Smith. She went 
on to later earn her

[[Page E1216]]

MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University and a Nonprofit Management 
Certificate from Harvard University. She has been a part of Girl Scouts 
on a professional level since the early 1970's; but, became involved in 
Girl Scouts much earlier in life. She became a Brownie at age 5 and 
then a Girl Scout at age 7. As a young adult, she served as a day camp 
counselor and director. At 17, she earned the Curved Bar (now known as 
the Gold Award) which is the highest achievement a Girl Scout can earn.
  Smith's professional career with the Girl Scouts began after 
graduation from Kentucky. Initially only intending to help out that 
summer for camping trips, the opportunity arose to be a permanent 
member of the organization as a field executive. She soon became the 
director of camping services after two short years later, a position 
she held until 1991. In 1991 she was promoted to Director of Facilities 
and Technology. Smith was named CEO of the Girl Scouts of Hoosier 
Capital Council in 2001 and became CEO of Girl Scouts of Central 
Indiana in 2007, the first African American in the Indianapolis region 
to be named to this position, after the reorganization and merger of 
five local Girl Scouts councils into one. The merger, overseen by 
Smith, saves over $1 million dollars annually in administrative costs 
and has made possible more program opportunities, greater community 
outreach, as well as maintaining the tools necessary for adult 
volunteers to ensure the girls continue to grow and develop within the 
Girl Scouts. She leads an organization that employs 200 permanent and 
seasonal staff and operates on a $10 million budget. In September of 
2016, Smith moved the headquarters to a permanent home on the west side 
of Indianapolis. The 7-million-dollar Leadership and Learning Center 
boasts over 30,000 square feet and is located on the Camp Dellwood 
campus. It provides space for permanent staff and administrative 
offices as well as room for leadership training events and a dedicated 
annual cookie distribution location. This new facility will serve 
nearly 40,000 Girl Scouts and 18,000 adult volunteers and staff, 
annually.
  During her time as CEO of the largest girl serving non-profit in the 
state, Smith has focused on prioritizing diversity and inclusion. 
Through initiatives such as Latinas Taking the Lead, Smith sought to 
foster a culture of inclusion and to further the Girl Scouts' mission 
to build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the 
world a better place. Her work has taken the Girls Scouts to create 
dedicated relationships with local housing projects and often offers 
the only outlet for the young women who live there. She has been 
dedicated to providing any interested girl the chance to experience the 
benefits of Girl Scouts, regardless of their circumstances by adhering 
to her philosophy that all girls, regardless of ability or background, 
should have a chance to succeed. As of 2011, in Indiana thanks to her 
leadership, one in six Hispanic girls and one in eight African American 
girls are involved in Girls Scouts.
  In 2014, Smith earned the Women of Influence Award from the 
Indianapolis Business Journal for her work in removing barriers and 
reaching out to poor and underserved communities. This award was given 
to only 20 women to recognize them for their outstanding contributions 
to business, the arts and community and public service in central 
Indiana. Other awards include the Indiana Commission for Women 
Torchbearer Award, Kiwanis Club of Indianapolis Civic Award, Martin 
University's President's Award, Black Police Association's Community 
Service Award, and Women's Empowerment Leadership Award.
  Deborah Hearn Smith has impacted the lives of nearly one million 
girls through the Girl Scouts. Smith has dedicated her life to 
fostering courage, confidence and character in the young women of our 
community. Thanks to Smith, many generations of Hoosier girls are 
prepared for their future as well-educated, civically engaged, and 
philanthropic women. On behalf of all Hoosiers, I wish to extend a 
heartfelt thank you to Deborah Hearn Smith for her 47 years of service. 
I wish the very best to Smith, her husband, two children Lawrence and 
Jason, and her four grandchildren in her well-deserved retirement as 
well as in the next exciting chapter of her life.

                          ____________________