Girl Scout CEO Anna Maria Chavez To Participate On Women's Leadership Panel On Inaugural Weekend In Washington

Panel Will Focus on How Society Can Increase Women in Public Leadership Positions

NEW YORK, Jan. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Anna Maria Chavez, National CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA), today announced that she will be joining several other national female thought leaders on a Women's Leadership Roundtable on Friday, January 18^th, in Washington D.C.  The panel discussion, hosted by the United States Office of Personnel Management, will address the question: "How Might We Increase Women in Public Leadership Positions?"

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Ms. Chavez brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in public service and the Girl Scout Movement to bear on the panel, having served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Urban Relations and Community Development for the Former Governor of Arizona and current U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, in addition to having worked previously in the Clinton administration.

"Women make up more than 50% of the American electorate, meaning we are the entire margin of victory," said Ms. Chavez.  "Though the 113^th Congress features more women than any time in American history, the fact is women still account for less than 20% of Congress and an even smaller percentage of government leadership positions nationwide.  Addressing the gender gap in public leadership is not simply about creating a more inclusive workplace; it is a major public policy issue affecting everything from tax policy and education, to healthcare and national security.  Only by bringing more voices to the table and leveraging the full intellectual capacity of American women can we hope to meet the many challenges we face in the 21^st century."

Her fellow panelists include: Tina Tchen, Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the First lady of the United States; Hon. Kyrsten Sinema, Congresswoman from Arizona's 9^th Congressional District; Rhea Suh, Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget at the U.S. Department of the Interior; and moderator Eleanor Clift, writer and contributor to Newsweek and the Daily Beast web site.

The panel is the marquee event of the open-house Women's Leadership Roundtable, and will begin at 11 a.m. in the Campbell Auditorium of the Theodore Roosevelt Building, located at 1900 E Street, NW, Washington D.C.

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