Frances Hesselbein, who rose by way of the Girl Scout ranks and ultimately grew to become the group’s first CEO, has died on the age of 107, the University of Pittsburgh introduced Sunday. Following her time with the Girl Scouts, she based a career-focused nonprofit and was a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient.
Hesselbein, born in 1915, began her profession within the Girl Scouts within the Forties, when she helped out a neighbor by turning into the chief of a 30-girl troop, the Girl Scouts mentioned in a weblog publish Sunday. Eventually, what was meant as only a favor, grew to become practically a decade of service earlier than she took on extra duty throughout the group, the Girl Scouts mentioned.
Her motto, based on the University of Pittsburgh, was “to serve is to live.”
“We are forever grateful for Ms. Hesselbein’s service to our movement, her community, and her country,” the Girl Scouts mentioned in a press release. “Through her exemplary life’s work, she served as a source of inspiration and truly embodied what it means to be a Girl Scout.”
She was named CEO in 1976, the very first to carry that title throughout the group, the Girl Scouts mentioned, noting that she created a planning and administration system meant to unite troops across the globe, and edited the group’s handbook in an effort to push women to pursue STEM careers.
Hesselbein additionally grew the attain of the Girl Scouts with the creation of Daisies — that are troops meant for youthful youngsters. That effort created “a more inclusive organization” and tripled the group’s BIPOC membership, the Girl Scouts mentioned.
She remained CEO by way of 1990. In 1998, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by then President Bill Clinton for her work in each the Girl Scouts and the nonprofit Peter F. Drucker Foundation.
The University of Pittsburgh, which Hesselbein attended, awarded her with an honorary doctorate in 2001, and in 2009, created the Hesselbein Global Academy for Student Leadership and Civic Engagement in honor of her work, the varsity mentioned.
In 2017, it additionally created the Frances Hesselbein Leadership Forum, which researches management and public service expertise. In addition, she was the co-editor of over 35 books printed in over 20 completely different languages, the college mentioned.
“Frances Hesselbein inspired all of us with her ‘to serve is to live’ philosophy. She demonstrated this approach throughout her career — through her words, through her engagement with others and truly in all aspects of her life,” mentioned Carissa Slotterback, the dean of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, in a press release.