Liz Ortenburger, CEO of Girl Scouts of Southern Nevada, recently organized the Desserts Before Dinner fundraiser, which included entertainment , a silent auction and nine desserts inspired by Girl Scout cookies. The cookies, while perhaps the most recognizable aspect of the organization, are just a small part of what the Girl Scouts does. Ortenburger, among other things, is overseeing a new model — Super Troops — to help expand the brand and provide membership access to more children in Southern Nevada.
What is the best business advice you’ve received, and from whom did it come?
Do something every day that makes someone else feel good. This came from a Brownie Girl Scout.
Also, “Don’t get cooked in the squat,” advice from Zig Ziglar that came to me by way of my former boss. In a nutshell, it means you should take action when you’ve decided what you want to do, rather than becoming paralyzed by indecision.
If you could change one thing about Southern Nevada, what would it be?
Better, faster, cleaner rapid transit. It may not seem like that affects Girl Scouts, but we have lots of girls who commute to troop meetings or events on rapid transit, and I personally would like to see it as a viable form of commuting. I think it is right for Southern Nevada, Girl Scouts and our planet.
What’s the biggest issue facing Southern Nevada and its residents?
Water. We spend a lot of time exploring the world of water with our Girl Scouts. We look at conservation, pollution and recycling programs to help them take action on projects they find important. I am always amazed at how much even our Daisy Girl Scouts are aware of our water situation as a community.
What has been your most exciting professional project to date?
Dealing with a delivery model that is more than 100 years old. And working to make it functional in our unique local environment and be a platform to provide a solution nationally is exciting.
Girl Scouts are known for their community activities and cookies, but what else do you want people to know about the organization?
Girl Scouts is on the forefront of creating the next generation of amazing female leaders. Through alumni research, we know girls who participated are more likely to be engaged in civic issues, more likely to vote, more likely to give back to their communities in time and dollars, and most importantly, are more likely to have a feeling of fulfillment in their lives than their non-Girl Scout peers.
Today, Girl Scouts is more relevant than ever with badges and programs promoting healthy lifestyles, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), financial literacy, advocacy and the outdoors, along with softer skills about being a friend, giving back and taking action.
What do you do after work?
Is there an after work? The great thing about being passionate about what you do is it becomes a lifestyle choice. I have a very supportive family, and we often drive up to Girl Scout resident camp or head out to a camporee in the evenings to see what great things our troops are doing. I love anything outdoors with my family.
Describe your management style.
I like to think of my management style as fluid to fit the situation I am in. In Girl Scouting, if you aren’t collaborating with our volunteers, you aren’t doing it right. It is a constant conversation to ensure we as an organization are supporting our girls and our volunteers first. .
What is your dream job, outside of your current field?
If I had to choose, I probably would pick professional athlete. I ran cross country and track in college and miss that competitive outlet from time to time.
Whom do you admire and why?
All of our amazing Girl Scout volunteers. They have their hearts in the right place and want to work hard to improve the movement.
Where do you like to go for business lunches?
Triple George has great food and private booths.
What is something people might not know about you?
I was not a Girl Scout growing up. I was lucky to be surrounded by supportive role models in formal and informal roles, but I never had the opportunity to be a Girl Scout.