Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois (GSEIWI) Chief Executive Officer Diane T. Nelson has announced her retirement from the organization, effective this July.
The group’s board of directors soon will be launching a national search for her successor.
Ms. Nelson has been a transformative leader, guiding the organization through significant milestones that have shaped the Girl Scout experience for thousands of girls across the region, according to the local Girl Scouts’ organization, which announced her retirement Tuesday, Jan. 20.
Ms. Nelson began her Girl Scout journey in 2002 as executive director of Girl Scouts of the Mississippi Valley. In 2008, she guided five councils through successful realignment and became the CEO of Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois. Her steady leadership, vision, and commitment to girls have shaped our council in lasting ways.
“Diane’s passion for empowering girls and her ability to lead with vision and heart have left an indelible mark on our organization,” said Tracy Schwind, chair of the GSEIWI Board of Directors. “Her legacy will continue to inspire future generations of Girl Scouts.”
Throughout her career, Ms. Nelson has been recognized locally and nationally for her leadership and community impact, earning accolades such as the Athena Business Women’s Award, a 2024 Woman of Influence by the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal, and inclusion in the Corridor Business Journal’s IOWA 500 list of influential business leaders.
“The Girl Scout mission is to build girls of courage, confidence and character to make the world a better place,” Ms. Nelson, a Delmar, Iowa, native (and former Girl Scout), said in an interview for the QCBJ. “I really think that’s what I do on a daily basis.”
Breaking glass ceilings
“I am a big fan of them trying things, and when they fail, it’s almost like a reward because they can learn a new skill set, try something new, start to build their confidence.”
Ms. Nelson’s entrance into Scouting leadership came not through the Girl Scouts, but the Boy Scouts of America, Davenport. She was the first female recruiter for the Illowa Council, Boy Scouts of America.
She also was the first woman to join the Moline Kiwanis Club and its first female president. The job with Boy Scouts took her and her husband, Doug, to Rochester, New York, where their now adult son Logan was born, and then to Philadelphia, where their now adult daughter Lea was born.
The regional Girl Scout council she leads has offices in Bettendorf, Dubuque, Cedar Rapids, Waterloo and Burlington.
