The Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore has named Eileen M. Higgins as its new chief executive officer. The council’s previous CEO, Susan H. McClure, retired on Sept. 30 after 18 years in the role with that Girl Scouts council and with the Monmouth Council of Girl Scouts, which merged with the Girl Scouts of Ocean County in 2007.
Since 2008, Higgins has served as executive director of the Monmouth County Workforce Development Board. The board is operated under the guidance of the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders and is responsible for distributing all state and federal money received to support workforce activities in Monmouth County, according to a press release.
“I am honored that the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore’s board of directors selected me to lead this life-changing organization for girls,” said Higgins, who is a Fair Haven resident. “For almost a decade, I have helped young adults enter the workforce and I have seen the difficulties they face and the obstacles they must overcome. I look forward to leading an organization that makes an impact at a younger age and prepares girls for a lifetime of success and leadership, in all its forms.”
“Stepping away is a bittersweet moment for me,” McClure said. “For almost two decades, I have been dedicated to the Girl Scout mission to help young girls become women of courage, confidence and character. Looking back on my time with Girl Scouts, my memory is filled with images of young girls who grew to become strong, successful women.”
The Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore serves more than 10,000 girls between the ages of 5 and 18 in Monmouth and Ocean counties, according to the press release.
Higgins began her service as CEO on Oct. 1. Her first official act will be to lead the council’s delegation to G.I.R.L. 2017, the largest gathering of girls and women in the world.
In addition to coming together to learn, network and be inspired, the council’s representatives will join more than 10,000 other go-getters, innovators, risk-takers and leaders at the Oct. 6-8 event in Columbus, Ohio, according to the press release.