Girl Scouts CEO Anna Maria Chavez and National Board Member Sylvia Acevedo Among 100 Women Leaders in STEM

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Jun 28, 2012, 02:01 ET

NEW YORK, June 28, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Girl Scouts of the USA Chief Executive Officer Anna Maria Chavez and National Board of Directors member Sylvia Acevedo have been selected among the 100 Women Leaders in STEM by STEMconnector, an organization that tracks STEM education programs and initiatives around the country.

The list, which was released in a bound volume and distributed at the U.S. News STEM Solutions Conference that began June 27, features women from across the corporate, nonprofit and government sectors. STEMconnector's goal in compiling the list and detailing the biographies of the honorees is "to provide aspiring young women and young female professionals with tangible examples of successful women in STEM fields."

"It's an honor to be included among such a distinguished group of women," Chavez said. "Science, technology, engineering and math are fields that are vital to our nation's future and we at Girl Scouts are committed to exposing our girls to everything from robotics to environmental science. In fact, it's part of our history as some of our earliest badges focused on aviation and electricity."

The selection of Chavez and Acevedo, who is founder and chief executive officer of CommuniCard LLC, comes as Girl Scouts celebrates its 100th anniversary. As part of the celebration, the iconic organization has launched a cause campaign known as ToGetHerThere (www.togetherthere.org), which is designed to bring about balanced leadership across all sectors in a single generation by supporting girls and their leadership development. Among the focus areas of ToGetHerThere is finding ways to ensure that girls don't opt out of opportunities and careers in STEM fields.

"Technology and innovation have always been so important to me and I hope this list of 100 outstanding women will serve as an inspiration to a new generation of girls who aspire to careers in STEM fields," Acevedo said.

The organization provides girls, from the youngest Girl Scout Daisies to the eldest Ambassador Girl Scouts, a number of opportunities to explore STEM fields. Through each grade level, girls delve into science and technology from exploring the world of nature and the water cycle to conducting energy audits and assessing air quality.

In addition, there are a number of activities linked to the organization's digital arts badges that help girls build technology skills. These badges include Computer Expert, Digital Photographer, Digital Movie Maker, and Website Designer. Girl Scouts can also earn innovation badges for which they solve problems by using methods from many fields, such as anthropology, engineering and business. These badges include Inventor, Product Designer, Entrepreneur, and Social Innovator.

The organization has also conducted research on girls and STEM. In February, the Girl Scout Research Institute released a study that found that 74 percent of high school girls across the country are interested in the STEM fields. The research, however, revealed a gap between STEM interest and career choices. While interest in STEM is high, few girls consider it their top career choice.

About STEMconnector™
STEMconnector™ is a STEM information aggregator that supports corporations with integrating STEM best practices to develop their STEM workforce pipeline. Our mission is to provide information and resources that increase communication, encourages collaboration and promotes sustainable and replicable approaches to STEM education interventions. By pursuing this mission we aim to realize efficiency gains through eliminating duplication and quality improvement by sharing best practices. Accomplishing these ambitious goals requires that we leverage our collective experience and that of our partners to develop innovative communications and products that reach diverse audiences in impactful and meaningful ways. Visit us at www.STEMconnector.org.

About Girl Scouts of the USA
Founded in 1912, Girl Scouts of the USA is the preeminent leadership development organization for girls, with 3.2 million girl and adult members worldwide. Girl Scouts is the leading authority on girls' healthy development, and builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. The organization serves girls from every corner of the United States and its territories. Girl Scouts of the USA also serves American girls and their classmates attending American or international schools overseas in 90 countries. For more information on how to join, volunteer or reconnect with, or donate to Girl Scouts, call 800-GSUSA-4-U (212-852-8000) or visit www.girlscouts.org.

SOURCE Girl Scouts of the USA