[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 15405-15406]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  IN RECOGNITION OF KATHY CLONINGER, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF GIRL 
                           SCOUTS OF THE USA

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 12, 2011

  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Kathy Cloninger 
for her outstanding service as the Chief Executive Officer of Girl 
Scouts of the USA for the past 8 years, and for her 28 years of service 
to the Girl Scouts Movement.
  Kathy Cloninger epitomizes the American spirit of community service. 
She has devoted her life to girls and to an institution that itself is 
a shining example of America at her best. We honor her today for a 
career that has been dedicated to building girls of courage, confidence 
and character who make the world a better place.
  Ms. Cloninger's journey with Girl Scouts began in 1983, and spanned 
more than two decades of service as CEO of Girl Scout councils in 
Tennessee, Texas and Colorado.
  After taking the reins at Girl Scouts of the USA in 2004, Kathy 
initiated a truly transformative strategy that led to a national 
realignment of the Girl Scout Movement. Under

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her guidance, Girl Scouts accomplished a nearly impossible task by 
successfully merging 315 councils down to 112 high-performance 
councils. Thanks to Kathy's compelling leadership, the Girl Scout 
Movement has unified around a common mission and business strategy that 
has set the organization on a path to success for its upcoming 100th 
anniversary and beyond.
  Kathy has also been instrumental in developing the Girl Scout 
Leadership Experience where girls discover themselves and their values, 
connect with others and take action to make the world a better place. 
She oversaw the launch of the first-ever national program evaluation 
system that measures girls' development of 15 leadership outcomes and 
ensures that all Girl Scouts grow into strong leaders in their lives 
today and into the next generation of female leaders in our country and 
the world.
  Ms. Cloninger should also be commended for heightening Girl Scouts' 
focus on research and advocacy activities. During her tenure, the Girl 
Scout Movement amended its Constitution to be the ``voice for girls and 
an expert on their growth and development.'' The Girl Scout Research 
Institute has published many groundbreaking studies on issues that 
affect girls and leadership, such as research on body image, social 
media and girls' participation in science, technology, engineering, and 
math, as well as research on African American and Hispanic girls' 
leadership aspirations. Thanks to her vision, Congress and decision 
makers across our nation have an incredible resource in the Girl Scout 
organization, so all of us can better understand the issues girls face 
today and advocate for the solutions important to their success.
  Ms. Cloninger has received numerous awards for her work, including 
``Nonprofit CEO of the Year 2000'' from the Center for Nonprofit 
Management, and ``CEO of the Year 2008'' from the National Assembly of 
Human Services. In 2010, Ms. Cloninger was named one of the ``21 
Leaders for the 21st Century'' by Women's eNews.
  Kathy's service as a leader expanded beyond the Girl Scouts. As a 
champion for youth empowerment and the non-profit community, Kathy 
served as chair of the National Collaboration for Youth, she was the 
secretary of the board of directors of the National Assembly of Human 
Services (2008-2011), was on the national boards of the Nonprofit 
Leadership Alliance and the National Council for Research on Women, and 
she is a member of the Women's Leadership Board of Harvard's Kennedy 
School of Government.
  Ms. Cloninger is also the author of the forthcoming book Tough 
Cookies, which chronicles the recent transformation of Girl Scouting 
and issues a call to arms on behalf of all girls today. Johnnetta Cole, 
President Emerita of Spelman College and Bennett College for Women, 
explained, ``Tough Cookies shows what vision, courage, and an 
unflinching dedication to mission can accomplish. Kathy Cloninger makes 
it clear that the Girl Scouts--and girls--rank high among our nation's 
treasures.''
  It is obvious why Kathy has received such wide praise for her 
leadership. I would have to agree with Willie Pietersen, leadership 
guru and author of Reinventing Strategy, who noted that, ``Guided by a 
transcendent mission and Kathy Cloninger's courageous leadership, the 
Girl Scouts have transformed themselves for a new century.''
  Kathy leaves Girl Scouts on the eve of its 100th anniversary, which 
they will celebrate throughout 2012. Kathy led the Girl Scout Movement 
to this exceptional point in history with a mission and program that is 
as critically important today as it was 100 years ago, and I know she 
leaves it a stronger, more vibrant part of our culture.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in thanking Kathy 
Cloninger for nearly 30 years of service to the Girl Scouts and to our 
country. We wish her the best in all of her continuing work for girls 
nationwide.

                          ____________________