Council Governance | Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania

Board of Directors toggle arrow

Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania is governed by a board of directors, which provides strategic leadership, advocacy, decision-making, partnerships, and policy development/oversight. It also includes three non-voting girl members, who are part of the Girl Advisory Committee. View the Board of Directors position description.

Interested in joining our Board of Directors (3-year term)?
To apply, please complete the online Board of Directors application or the paper application.

Name (Residency, Term Ending)

Officers
Mary Lou Vargo, Board Chair (Pittsburgh, 2029)
Vaughn Cook, Vice Chair (Pittsburgh, 2027)
Danielle Ramaley, Treasurer (Sarver, 2028)
Coralyn Benhart, Secretary (Pittsburgh, 2028)

Members-at-Large
Jennifer Farrar (Erie, 2027)
Jennifer Fulmer Vinson (Clarion, 2028)
Kathryn Gioia (Bethel Park, 2027)
Deanna Harman (Murrysville, 2027)
Ginger Jakubowski (Johnstown, 2027)
Camille Kovach (Harrison City, 2027)
Julie Kresge (Fairview, 2028)
Lois Kuttesch (Cranberry Township, 2027)
Rachel Lenyk (Renfrew, 2028)
Tabatha Mill (Harmony, 2029)
Donna Oberlander (New Bethlehem, 2028)
Stewart Putnam (Pittsburgh, 2029)
Lori Rankin (Imperial, 2028)
Elizabeth Rhodes (Pittsburgh, 2027)
Sarah Schauble (Pittsburgh, 2029)
Piper Treece-Angert (Gibsonia, 2026)

Board Development Committee toggle arrow

The Board Development Committee is responsible for soliciting and recruiting candidates for the Board of Directors, Girl Advisory Committee, National Delegates, and the Board Development Committee. View the Board Development Committee position description.

Interested in joining our Board Development Committee (3-year term)?
To apply, please complete the online Board Development Committee application or the paper application.

Name (Residency, Term Ending)

Board Development Committee
Denise Cerilli Martz (Greensburg, 2028)
Randie Cosby (Coraopolis, 2028)
Mary Kohler (Wexford, 2028)
Michelle Maccagnan (Allison Park, 2028)
Cindy Pezze (Murrysville, 2027)
Roxanne Plater (Pittsburgh, 2027)
Piper Treece-Angert (Gibsonia, 2028)
Mary Lou Vargo (Pittsburgh, 2029)

Girl Advisory Committee toggle arrow

The Girl Advisory Committee is responsible for bringing a girl-member voice to business meeting topics. These girl members serve on the Board of Directors as non-voting members. They attend quarterly meetings and trainings of the Board of Directors and the Annual Meeting held each spring. View the Girl Advisory Committee Member position description.

Interested in joining our Girl Advisory Committee (2-year term)?
To apply, please complete the online Girl Advisory Committee application or the paper application. Girls members ages 14 and up can apply.

Name (Residency, Term Ending)

Girl Advisory Committee
Madison Hawthorne (Smithfield, 2028)
Halle Myers (Sewickley, 2027)
Rue Watson (Johnstown, 2028)

Council Delegates toggle arrow

Members 14 years and older may serve as council delegates and participate in the council democratic process. Council delegates participate in Town Hall meetings, engage in discussions on major issues, interact with service unit members and gather input that affects policy influencing. Delegates also attend the Annual Meeting to review financial reports, vote on Board of Director candidates, and give broad, general direction to the Board of Directors as it strives to make the most appropriate policy decisions.

Learn more about choosing council delegates including eligibility, qualities, and instructions for choosing your council delegate.

Potential or current council delegates can find background information on the overall roles and responsibilities of council governance and management and a brief explanation of the council policy structure and what role council delegates have in that structure. To help council selegates participate fully in Annual Meeting, view some basic rules of parliamentary procedure.

View the Blue Book of Basic Documents.
View current bylaws (updated 6/6/2024).

For more information about becoming a board delegate, please contact delegateinfo@gswpa.org.

Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania Delegates toggle arrow

SU1601-Wilmington	Gail Barrett
SU1601-Wilmington	Kathy Hoye
SU1602-Neshannock	Jennifer Dayton
SU1603-Scrimshaw	Jean Briscar-Smith
SU1603-Scrimshaw	Alexandra Dietz
SU1603-Scrimshaw	Debra Ridgway
SU1603-Scrimshaw	Kaitlyn Smith
SU1605-Laurel	Kristin Green
SU1605-Laurel	Valerie Hauser
SU1640-989 Freedom	Melanie Risinger
SU1640-989 Freedom	Hailey Stinar
SU1642-Cascade United	Hailey Gierlach
SU1642-Cascade United	Kimberly Hockman
SU1642-Cascade United	Amula Johnson
SU2606-Norwin	Madison Budd
SU2606-Norwin	Rebekah Franolich
SU2606-Norwin	Paula Youngbauer
SU2611-Bushy Run	Heather Ambrose
SU2611-Bushy Run	Rachel Ambrose
SU2611-Bushy Run	Amelia Renwick
SU2611-Bushy Run	Melissa Renwick
SU2612-Franklin Regional	Aashi Bhatt
SU2612-Franklin Regional	Avani Bhatt
SU2621-Franklin	Amber Morgan
SU2623-Keystone ACValley	Abygail Griebel
SU2623-Keystone ACValley	Natasha Griebel
SU2624-Clarion	Regina Taylor
SU2624-Clarion	Jennifer Vinson
SU2625-Brookville	Diana Brush
SU2625-Brookville	Rebecca Carrier
SU2626-Brockway	Kaitlyn Knox
SU2626-Brockway	Patricia Knox
SU2626-Brockway	Kassi Tucker
SU2626-Brockway	Colleen Tucker
SU2627-DuBois	Angela Deemer
SU2627-DuBois	Carrie Tobin
SU2628-Reynoldsville Sykesville	Chloe Sawyer
SU2628-Reynoldsville Sykesville	Beth Sawyer
SU2629-Punxsutawney	Kira Elbel
SU2629-Punxsutawney	Leslie Geist
SU2630-Glacier's End	Rebecca Compton
SU2630-Glacier's End	Danielle Henry
SU2631-Moniteau	Amanda Potsubay
SU2632-Petroleum Valley	Lori Nagle
SU2632-Petroleum Valley	Brandy Waldroup
SU2635-Greater Butler	Caitlin Jo Painter
SU2637-Trefoil	Rebecca Baker
SU2637-Trefoil	Anastacia Nelson
SU2639-Rambling Roads	Glenda Cook
SU2643-Valley Hills	Claramarie Dentu
SU2643-Valley Hills	Hosea Nabors
SU2644-Seneca	Carrie Harris
SU2644-Seneca	Brenda McAllister
SU2647-Morning Star	Tatiana Brower
SU2647-Morning Star	Sydney Brower
SU2647-Morning Star	Abigail Marcotte
SU2647-Morning Star	Jamie Marcotte
SU2647-Morning Star	Tabatha Mill
SU2647-Morning Star	Jennifer Richart
SU2647-Morning Star	Alena Richart
SU2651-Bradford	Rebecca Papinchak
SU2655-Kane	Myrin Mallery
SU2655-Kane	Emily Parana
SU2657-Northern Star	Savanna Carpenter
SU2657-Northern Star	Kate Hildebrandt
SU2657-Northern Star	Emily Parana
SU2659-Johnsonburg Area	Rachel Kilhoffer
SU2659-Johnsonburg Area	Melinda Lewis
SU2660-Cameron County	Maria Hayes
SU2662-St. Marys	Ellie Babcock
SU2662-St. Marys	Denise Cuneo
SU2662-St. Marys	Amber Hathorn
SU2664-Central Westmoreland	Jennifer Bell
SU2664-Central Westmoreland	Ashley Bensur
SU2664-Central Westmoreland	Kim Haley
SU2664-Central Westmoreland	Chrisy Kline
SU2664-Central Westmoreland	Denise Cerilli Martz
SU2664-Central Westmoreland	Hannah Whipple
SU2750-Redbank Valley	Jodi Renwick
SU2750-Redbank Valley	Ashley Welsh
SU3601-H.I.S	Heather Karickhoff-Bahm
SU3601-H.I.S	Amanda Work
SU3603-North East	Lisa Mason
SU3605-Wattsburg	Kayla Gabbard
SU3605-Wattsburg	Alicia Staaf
SU3607-Corry Union City	Donna Faraone
SU3607-Corry Union City	Elizabeth Hulings
SU3613-Greater Erie	Linda Koket
SU3613-Greater Erie	Stephanie Morris
SU3613-Greater Erie	Darlene Seath
SU3613-Greater Erie	Deborah Wilczynski
SU3614-Edinboro McKean	Sharon Evans
SU3614-Edinboro McKean	Amanda Zindel
SU3616-Millcreek	Cassandra Aho
SU3616-Millcreek	Kristen Eliason
SU3616-Millcreek	Jennifer Laurin
SU3616-Millcreek	Kerry Roward
SU3619-FLB	Cathy Wise
SU3620-Crawford County	Patricia DeWalt
SU3620-Crawford county	Autumn Doughty
SU3621-Girard Lake City	Michelle Mong
SU3621-Girard Lake City	Jeanette Settelmaier
SU3622-Fairview	Melanie D'Silva
SU3622-Fairview	Janet Kovacs
SU3622-Fairview	Amy Miehl
SU3623-Albion Springfield	Faith Giannamore
SU3623-Albion Springfield	Tina Giannamore
SU3628-Kinzua Country	Abby McMichael
SU3640-Lakeview	Glayna Reynolds
SU3641-Mercer	Viki Berger
SU3641-Mercer	Christine Preston
SU3642-Grove City	Rebecca Wille
SU3644-Reynolds	Daphne Succheralli
SU3655-James Green	Heather Balas
SU4601-Armagh	Janet Campbell
SU4601-Armagh	Sharon Lowther
SU4602-Conemaugh Township	Rebecca Parker
SU4605-Bedford	Alexis Diehl
SU4605-Bedford	Lauren McVicker
SU4613-Somerset	Ricki Rider
SU4630-Richland Valley	Cathy Dayton
SU4630-Richland Valley	Crystal Nagy
SU4638-Glendale	Darla Burket
SU4638-Glendale	Brenda Yingling
SU4640-Blairsville Homer City	Melissa Fink
SU4640-Blairsville Homer City	Jennifer Ponnish
SU4641-Indiana	Darlene Brown
SU4642-Penns Manor	Kelly Keith
SU4644-Sleepy Hollow	Meg Oldman
SU4644-Sleepy Hollow	Heather Ramsey
SU4647-Purchase Line	Tally McIntosh
SU4647-Purchase Line	Casey Osterberg
SU4651-Westmont Johnstown	Michele Boback
SU4651-Westmont Johnstown	Misty Stephens
SU4651-Westmont Johnstown	Elena Tuinstra
SU4651-Westmont Johnstown	Roxanne Tuinstra
SU4656-GHBA	Lillian Marquez
SU4674-Forest Hills Portage	Kara Kobal
SU4683-Philipsburg	Dawn Reams
SU5100-Greater Pittsburgh	Christy Ehrlich
SU5100-Greater Pittsburgh	Dana Schwarz
SU5104-NA East	Rachel McLaughlin
SU5104-NA East	Lynn Sekeres sosovicka
SU5104-NA East	Theresa Smith
SU5104-NA East	Devyn Ubinger
SU5106-Bethel Central	Kristen Mary
SU5106-Bethel Central	Lisa O'Malley
SU5107-Bethel South	Michelle Kramer
SU5107-Bethel South	Molly McCullough
SU5202-Ringgold Charleroi	Amanda Britt
SU5205-National Trails	Jamie Pond
SU5207-Tingoocqua	Elizabeth Fulton
SU5207-Tingoocqua	Katharine Svidro
SU5208-Firefly	Lorry Jankowski
SU5208-Firefly	Dana Mejia
SU5301-Laurel Crawford	Joan Emannuel
SU5301-Laurel Crawford	Colleen Peary
SU5306-National Pike	Bethany Hughes
SU5401-North Rolling Hills	Mary Ann Miller
SU5401-North Rolling Hills	Kris Nastal
SU5401-North Rolling Hills	Jill White
SU5404-Shaler	Judith Becki
SU5404-Shaler	Jennifer Heyl
SU5404-Shaler	Marjorie Vinski
SU5408-NA West	Anna Zahorchak
SU5502-Pittsburgh East	Michelle Aippersbach
SU5502-Pittsburgh East	Elizabeth Glowczewski
SU5502-Pittsburgh East	Natajah Jones
SU5502-Pittsburgh East	Linda May
SU5502-Pittsburgh East	Curtis Stratman
SU5507-Penn Wood Hills	Cheyenne Rhone
SU5507-Penn-Wood Hills	Bernadette Buchholz
SU5602-GlenOaks	Christina Echement
SU5602-GlenOaks	Cindy Muders
SU5604-West Hills	Lisa Shaughnessy
SU5606-West Montour	Erika Caley
SU5606-West Montour	Madeline Caley
SU5606-West Montour	Sarah Fowler
SU5606-West Montour	Vanessa Fowler
SU5606-West Montour	Sarah Shaffer
SU5701-Upper St. Clair	Jeanette Benedetto
SU5701-Upper St. Clair	Eve Friday
SU5701-Upper St. Clair	Beth Meyer
SU5703-Mt. Lebanon	Susan Finizio
SU5703-Mt. Lebanon	Susan E Gold
SU5802-Brentwood	Maryann McSwigan
SU5802-Brentwood	Holly Peters
SU5804-West Jefferson Hills	Laura Raderman
SU5807-South Allegheny McKeesport East Allegheny	Jennifer Castiglia
SU5807-South Allegheny McKeesport East Allegheny	Riley Sheposh
SU5809-Steel Valley Lincoln Place	Taylor Tate
SU5902-Deer Lakes Allegheny Valley	Linda Smith
SU5904-Gateway	Elizabeth Kistler
SU5904-Gateway	Kathleen Williams
SU5908-Plum	Melanie Hansen
SU5908-Plum	Shauna Newmaster
SU5909-Oil Valley Area	Ashley Eichhorn
SU5909-Oil Valley Area	Cammie Stalko
SU5910-Northern Blair County	Robin Hall
SU5910-Northern Blair County	Camille Krug
SU5911-Central Cambria County	Victoria Knobloch
SU5912-Northern Cambria Area	Carrie Lute
SU5912-Northern Cambria Area	Jodi Nealen
SU5913-Mon Valley	Charlene Filsaime
SU5913-Mon Valley	Joyce Johnson
SU5913-Mon Valley	Sara White
SU5914-Rivers Edge	Amanda Bradley
SU5914-Rivers Edge	Danielle List
SU5914-Rivers Edge	Stacey Scholl
SU6001-TYP	Sandra Coffee
SU6001-TYP	Erika Ferree
SU6001-TYP	Kacie Gongas

Bylaws

Our bylaws outline the rules of Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania, established by the Board of Directors. The bylaws define our organization's purpose, members, board, officers, committees, and meetings.

Changes to the bylaws are proposed and voted upon at the Annual Meeting held in April each year.

View current bylaws (updated 1/14/2025).

Annual Meeting toggle arrow

The 2027 Annual Meeting will be held on Saturday, April 17, at The Atrium in Prospect, PA.

Held each spring, the Annual Meeting is for all Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania members who are ages 14 and older. The objectives of the Annual Meeting include:

Updates on council business and governance decisions made by the board of directors.
Voting by delegates on the board of directors and slate.
Presentation of awards to outstanding Girl Scout volunteers.

2026 Annual Meeting Minutes

2024-2025 Annual Report

2026 Annual Meeting Agenda

2026 Board Slate

2025 Annual Meeting Minutes

2023-2024 Annual Report

2024 Annual Meeting Minutes

2022-2023 Annual Report

2024 Annual Meeting Agenda

2024 Proposed Bylaw Changes

2023 Annual Meeting Minutes

IRS Form 990

Fall Town Hall Meetings toggle arrow

The purpose of the Fall Town Hall Meetings is to provide members (adults and girls 14 years and older) with the opportunity to

receive updates and provide input into council policy and governance decisions made by the Board of Directors;
help set and support the strategic goals of the council;
and provide feedback and participate in discussions and forums necessary to ensure consistent, quality service delivery of the Girl Scout program to members of Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania.

Representation by members in every service unit encourages informed decision-making and improved two-way communication.

National Convention and National Delegates toggle arrow

National Delegates
Every three years, Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) holds a National Council Session—also known as NCS at the National Convention. During NCS, elected National Council delegates representing all 111 councils across the nation and USA Girl Scouts Overseas, and the National Board, gather to discuss, debate, and vote on issues important to the Girl Scout Movement as well as elect national leaders for the next triennium.

Throughout their three-year term, delegates gather feedback from their council’s membership, learn about proposals, and act as their council’s voice by serving as voting members on the National Council. Delegates then share insights and report on actions taken by the National Council with their council’s membership at Annual Meetings and other council events. View the National Delegate position description.

Interested in becoming a National Delegate (3-year term)?
We will not be accepting applications for National Delegates until fall 2027. Our current national delegates are serving from 2025-2028. At the Annual Meeting in 2028, we will choose our next round of delegates to serve from 2028-2031.

Girl Scout Western Pennsylvania National Delegates

Adult
Jeannette Benedetto
Denise Cerili Martz
Sharon Enslen
Amy Miehl
Megan Myers
Nicole Scott
Mary Lou Vargo

Adult Alternates
Janet Kovacs
Jaclyn Lockhart
Claudia Reed

Girl
Aashi Bhatt
Nadia Knestrick

Girl Alternate
Sophia Lang

58th National Council Session toggle arrow

The 58^th National Council Session took place in Washington, D.C., from July 20to July 22, 2026

58th National Council Session Delegates Report to Members

59th National Council Session toggle arrow

The 59^th National Council Session will be held in 2029 in Indianapolis, Indiana. We will update as more information becomes available!