Krystal Crawford is the newest CEO of the Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia (GSHG), following in the footsteps of Sue Else who has just capped an 11-year career with the organization.
Crawford stepped into the role officially on May 29 and since has been on the move, currently taking what she called a “listening and learning and understanding tour” around all of GSHG’s six regions.
These include Athens and Gainesville in Region 1, Augusta and Camp Tanglewood in Region 2, Savannah and Camp Low in Region 3, Albany in Region 4, Columbus and Camp Robert Lewis in Region 5, and finally, Macon and Camp Martha Johnston in Region 6.
“I just really want to get a better understanding of our footprint and what inspires each of the people in those reasons,” Crawford said.
“It’s been such a whirlwind and it’s been magical…it’s been unbelievable. It’s better than I even imagined it could be,” she said about her first week on the job. “My passions have always been about youth development, development for girls and helping them to become more confident and self insured in who they were.”
Crawford has over 26 years of experience in nonprofit leadership, youth development, and community engagement. Most recently, she served as chief operating officer of YMCA Coastal Georgia, overseeing operations of 11 branches across eight counties. She was the first woman to hold this position.
She has served as a subject matter expert on childcare issues, was a member of the Governor’s Gang Prevention Task Force, held several leadership positions with U.S. Army Family Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR), where she served military families, soldiers, and civilians and partnered with the WNBA to host Her Time to Play, a basketball skills and leadership development program for girls.
“She’s suited for this job and she knows exactly what we need to do…it’s super exciting,” said Jeff Wilson, Chair of the GSHG Board of Directors.
Girl Scouts in Augusta
Big things are coming to Augusta’s region of the GSHG with Crawford leading the charge.
She said a top priority for the Augusta region is to make Camp Tanglewood, a Columbia County Girl Scout campground devastated by Hurricane Helene, accessible again. This summer is the first summer that it hasn’t been available for Girl Scout use.
“We are already working with volunteer groups for the rebuilding phase, but we do need some capital investments too to be able to do the rebuilding of Camp Tanglewood,” she said.
Crawford also said that Augusta can expect the establishment of a Girl Scout DreamLab in the future. Girl Scout DreamLabs are innovative program-based experience centers.
“It’s a place for them to just connect and explore and grow through their confidence and leadership skills through the different programs that we have,” she said.
The timeline for this project has not yet been determined.
There are two other DreamLabs in Georgia, one in Albany and one in Columbus.
‘More than cookies’
Crawford spoke about the influence of the girl scouts.
“Girl scouts is more than cookies. I do believe that many people think that that’s all we do…I want them to know the why behind the cookies,” she said.
“It’s a business incubator that teaches our girls how to run a business, goal setting, marketing, customer service,” she continued. She added that the cookie sales additionally help Girl Scouts fund their own local ventures, programs and community initiatives.
With 69% of sitting female senators having been former Girl Scouts , Crawford says that the impact of Girl Scouts is undeniable.
“We are growing our future leaders,” she said.
