Girl Scouts of the USA Chief Executive Officer Anna Maria Chavez will receive the Women of Excellence Award from the Women of ALPFA program at the organization’s annual convention in Las Vegas on August 13.
“It is an honor to receive the award from such a prestigious organization as ALPFA,” said Chavez, who is the first Latina to head the iconic organization. “I applaud the Women of ALPFA, who are celebrating 10 remarkable years of helping Latinas become leaders in the corporate world. The values of both our organizations are so closely aligned as we both are committed to building the courage and confidence young women need to succeed.”
Established in 1972, ALPFA is the first national Latino professional association created in the United States. ALPFA provides members the foundation to advance Latino leadership through access to opportunities and the individuals who can impact them throughout their careers. It has more than 20,000 members. The Women of ALPFA program was started in 2002 to creating opportunities for professional Latinas and empowering them through leadership skills, training, mentoring and career advancement.
Chavez’s award comes as the Girl Scouts of the USA celebrates its 100th anniversary and continues to increase Hispanic girl membership, which has skyrocketed from 175,170 in 2000 to 273,277 in 2011.
Girl Scouts has also launched a cause campaign, known as ToGetHerThere.org, during its centennial celebration. The campaign is designed to bring about balanced leadership across all sectors in a single generation by supporting girls and their leadership development. As part of the campaign, the organization has developed Spanish public service announcements, which are airing on Spanish-language networks, and a Spanish version of the cause Web site, juntosporella.org.