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An Interview with Girl Scouts Chair Patricia Diaz Dennis |
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| Published on August 21, 2006 |
After participating in Girl Scouts during her childhood and then serving the organization for roughly 6 years, Patricia Diaz Dennis was elected chair of the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A.’s Board of Directors on October 10, 2005.Diaz Dennis is the first Latina to serve in this capacity and is also senior vice president and assistant general counsel for AT&T in San Antonio.
Diaz Dennis recently took a few minutes out of her busy schedule as a businesswoman and mother of three to discuss why Hispanic inclusion is so important to the Girl Scouts.
As a Latina, what unique experiences and perspectives do you bring to the Girl Scouts Board of Directors?
“I care a lot.I was fortunate to have had a Girl Scouts experience growing up and living abroad … so I learned things I never otherwise would have learned.”
“I’m very sensitive to the fact that you are the product of all the choices you’ve made in your life and many girls haven’t had a variety of choices from which to choose and enriching experiences.Girl Scouting brings a world of possibilities to the girls who join.A lot of us don’t know about the benefits the Girl Scouts can bring.I want to introduce families to our Girl Scouts leadership development program, the best leadership program in the world for girls and young women.”
Why is diversity and Hispanic inclusion important to the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A.?
“It gives you special insights and it gives you a window into the Hispanic communities.The people who come from there can give you better insight and people are invaluable in reaching out. It [also] strengthens decision making.”
“When you have different people with different points of view coming together and discussing issues, it’s a better decision at the end of the day.”
Why is Girl Scouts important for young Latinas?
“What you learn is how important and how valuable you are as a person and then you get strong enough to make the right choices for your life.You don’t need to do some of these other risky things, life endangering things, to have value.You realize you have choices, you can go on to school you can do what you want and make your life better and the lives of those around you better.”
“It’s about knowing yourself and empowering yourself … to make the right choices in your life.”
What are your future plans to ensure the Girl Scouts continues to be a diversity leader?
“We need to bring in girls from all these underserved populations.We don’t have anywhere near the numbers of girls that you would think [we’d] have, given their numbers in the general population.”
“We need to continue to seek out and embrace diversity and points of view of diverse people so that our organization can attract girls from all backgrounds, all cultures and all socioeconomic backgrounds.”
Hispanics on the Girl Scouts Board of Directors
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Patricia Diaz Dennis, AT&T
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Raquel “Rocky” Egusquiza, Ford Motor Company Fund
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Linda Mazon-Gutierrez, Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System
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Sandra E. Madrid, University of Washington School of Law
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Angel Rodriguez, Frito-Lay North America
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Marisa Tabizon-Thompson, University of Oregon
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