There's a new girl scout in town.
Effective July 29, Jennifer Sedbrook is the new CEO for Girl Scouts of Central Illinois. Sedbrook joins the organization after several years leading fundraising for Illinois State's Mennonite College of Nursing and a 12 year career at OSF St. Joseph Medical Center. She now represents 38 counties, spanning LaSalle-Peru to Litchfield and from Danville to Quincy.
Sedbrook wasn’t looking for a new job, but when this one came across her desk, she saw personal and professional reasons to apply.
“I never was a girl scout and I always wanted to be,” she said. “I’ve always been a champion of girls and women’s issues. That inspired me to look at this position. I’m also someone who really cares about my community.”
Sedbrook served on the District 87 school board and has a long history of volunteerism in Bloomington-Normal. She said the Girl Scouts were a perfect fit for her passions and talents.
“I’ve led a couple nonprofits before and I kind of wanted to get back to that,” she said. “It’s hard work, as anybody in that sector will tell you, but it’s extremely rewarding.”
Sedbrook has a track record for growth, a need she immediately identified at Girl Scouts of Central Illinois.
“In every position I’ve had, we’ve grown,” she said. “I was with Habitat for Humanity; we built more houses. I was with the College of Nursing; we were raising more money for a new building.”
Sedbrook secured over $3 million in planned gifts for Mennonite College of Nursing and raised over $1 million annually for student scholarships. The new nursing simulation lab on the north edge of ISU’s campus is due to open soon.
Sedbrook said growth at the Girl Scouts means more members, more volunteers and more philanthropy.
Addressing participation gaps
Scouting suffered sharp declines in membership during the pandemic, with both Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts still struggling to retain enrollment — an acceleration of a downward trend in numbers.
Sedbrook said the need for volunteer troop leaders has had a big impact on their numbers — far bigger than the Boy Scouts’ decision to accept girls.
“We have more girls who want to be a Girl Scout than we have leaders who can help,” she said.
Imperative to recruiting more leaders is thinking outside the box. Troop leaders have evolved beyond stay-at-home moms in two-parent households.
“Anybody can be a troop leader,” Sedbrook said. “We have ISU students who are troop leaders. Young professionals can be a troop leader. Dads can be troop leaders. Retirees can be troop leaders.”
Despite inclusive marketing and an accepting culture, Girl Scouts also remains predominantly white. Getting the membership to match the Girl Scouts’ aspirations is something Sedbrook said still needs some work.
“Here in Central Illinois we’re doing a good job, but we can do a better job,” she said. “Every girl scout who wants to be a Girl Scout deserves to be. That means we might need to strengthen our community partnerships and to go where girls are.”
Girls only spaces still matter
While girls’ participation in Boy Scouts is rising exponentially, Sedbrook said girls-only spaces still have relevance and value.
“There are more opportunities for girls, but Girl Scouts is unique,” she said. “We’ve been doing this for over 100 years, and we know girls.”
Girl Scouts focuses heavily on exposing girls to STEM and the outdoors. The Gold Award is a similarly rigorous program to the Eagle Scout, in which Girl Scouts develop projects and programs tackling issues they are passionate about to drive lasting change in their communities. The signature cookie program isn’t just about [wonderful, delicious] treats, it’s about building confidence, customer service entrepreneurship — and raising money.
“Women who were Girl Scouts have positive life outcomes,” Sedbrook said. “Taylor Swift was a Girl Scout. Nancy Reagan was a Girl Scout. Vanessa Williams was a Girl Scout. …When people think of the Girl Scouts, we don’t just want them to think of Thin Mints. We want them to think of the girls and everything that they’re doing.”
Bloomington-Normal has more than two dozen Girl Scout troops. To explore troops, activities and volunteer opportunities, visit getyourgirlpower.org.
