Council of Advisors

Council of Advisors

Amanda Chehrezad has lived and worked overseas for the last 15 years. Most recently she served as USAGSO’s Regional Director in Tokyo, Japan, where she was also a Girl Scout parent. Amanda supported staff and volunteers through the adoption of volunteer systems, online registration, and the strategic planning process. She is a Lifetime Member of Girl Scouts and has been an active volunteer for USAGSO in Tokyo and Mexico.

Prior to her work with USAGSO, Amanda has been the Women’s Leadership Program Manager at US Japan Council – TOMODACHI initiative in Japan, a U.S. Department of State Senior Program Manager Contractor in Mexico City, and started her own business while living in Bogota Colombia. Amanda has a BA from the University of California in Davis, an MBA from Temple University, and she expects to complete her Doctorate in Business Administration in 2022.  Amanda currently lives in Mexico City with her husband and three children.

Christine Dal Bello has lived abroad since college, first in Singapore and Hong Kong in the legal sector and since 2001 as a Foreign Service Officer. She has worked in Jakarta, Vienna, Kabul, Mumbai, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Brussels. Her last assignment was a fellowship that took her to 85 National Park Service sites with her two oldest children , together with whom she launched a podcast, Expedition National Parks. Her four children have been active with the Scouting movement in the UAE and Belgium. She was a Brownie and Cub Scout leader in the UAE.

Pulkit Gupta lives in Guangzhou, China where he is a Project Manager for BASIS International and Bilingual Schools China. He has been working in Education since 2016, teaching Grades 5-12 as a Mathematics Expert. Prior, to joining BASIS, Pulkit spent 6 years at Ideal Concepts in various leadership positions across strategy, merchandising/planning and supply chain.

Pulkit’s enthusiasm for working with Girl Scouts started with The Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute. Learning from Frances’ journey and passion for education, life-long learning, Pulkit wishes to support and do the same for USAGSO. He joined the USAGSO Council of Advisors in 2023. He is member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and a Charter Member for The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE).

Pulkit holds an MBA from Quantic School of Business and Technology, Washington DC, USA and has a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of Akron, Ohio, USA.

Pulkit has two daughters, Amaya and Maron who are based in Tacoma, WA, USA.

Judy Johnson has spent almost half of her life living overseas, as a child and as an adult working in the consulting industry and for the U.S. government.  Growing up she moved frequently internationally and in the U.S., but Judy always found a welcoming group of friends and a familiar home in each Girl Scout troop, from Brownies through First Class scout.  

Judy has worked in many countries in Africa and Europe, Eastern Asia, and South-Central Asia in the areas of information technology and in management of government operations.  She has a B.A from The George Washington University, a M.A. from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and an MBA from the University of Manchester.

Judy moves every few years with her husband who works in a similar field.  She has two children who also grew up as third-culture kids, but to Judy’s regret, her daughter never got the chance to be part of the Girl Scout community based on where the family was deployed.  Judy is looking forward to being involved with the Council of Advisors so that other girls will not miss out on what Girl Scouting brings to enrich their lives and build a sense of service and community.  

Kelley Kagele is a proud mother to four children and wife to a retired Air Force airman. Over the past 29 years she has lived in eight different cities in five different countries during her husband’s military career. She currently lives in Bydgoszcz, Poland where her husband works at a NATO base. She currently owns an English Language school and is an English textbook consultant. Kelley’s previous work & volunteer experience includes YMCA Director, YMCA national trainer, Red Cross trainer, Rotary, United Way, USO and many other military base organizations. She has BA in Business Management and a MBA certificate in Nonprofit leadership from Park University, Missouri. Her previous Girl Scout experience includes lifelong membership since 1st grade, International Wide Opportunity participate, Gold Award recipient, troop leader, Camp director, Overseas Committee Chair, and Trainer to name a few.
Deb Kemper is an active angel investor and mentor to early stage start-up companies. Deb led deal flow for the Boston Chapter of Golden Seeds since 2014 and was the Chair of the Boston Chapter from 2015 through 2017.   She is also a member of Clean Energy Venture Group and on the Advisory Board of Red Bear Angels. Her investment focus is high growth companies in the clean tech, health care, and technology sectors.  She is a Board Member at Day One Response, and a Board Observer at DayZero Diagnostics and 99DegreesCustom.   Deb serves on several non-profit boards including the Council of Advisors of USA Girl Scouts Overseas.   Deb was a consultant with McKinsey & Company where she served clients in the energy, electronics, and healthcare sectors. Her functional experience spans manufacturing, product development, operations, strategy, and leadership development.  She has provided leadership support to organizations in China, Peru and the United States.  Deb earned her MBA from The Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College where she was named an Edward Tuck Scholar.  She holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Cornell, where she graduated With Distinction and was a member of the Varsity Women’s Crew.  As an alumna, she is serving on the advisory boards of Entrepreneurship@Cornell and the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future.

Laurie Menzel is a Girl Scout Lifetime member, beginning as a Brownie in Honolulu and has found memories of “Camp Menehune”. She has served in a variety of volunteer roles from Girl Scout Troop Leader to USAGSO-NA Board Chair, 2010-2014. Laurie credits Girl Scouts with providing critical life skills to not only herself but her daughter through all their moves as a military family. She was on staff with Girl Scouts Nation’s Capital as an Individual Giving Officer and Membership Specialist. While on staff, she worked closely with volunteers to identify and cultivate potential gifts from their peer members; created major donor recognition events and training for their board members on fundraising.

Currently, Laurie is a Major Gifts Officer for The Rotary Foundation. She has over 15 years’ experience in the Nonprofit sector working for a variety of nonprofits. She earned a Master’s degree in Non-Profit Management from Regis University and the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) certification.

Through challenging nonprofit leadership positions and business ownership, she gained a solid background in financial oversight, strategic planning, volunteer management, and fund development. She has led successful large scale fundraising events and trained boards in the importance of a culture of philanthropy.

Her other love is for fitness, especially teaching youth the benefits of exercise and healthy eating. She was a Jazzercise Franchise owner for over 13 years, operating multiple locations both in the US and abroad.

She and her husband, Ralph, live in Alexandria, VA, after spending almost 18 years in various overseas locations. They have one daughter, Meredith, who also resides in the greater Washington area.

Melinda started Girl Scouts in her small Texas town as a Brownie and went all the way through earning her First Class Award, the earlier version of a Gold. A busy career as an EMMY-award winning television journalist took her away from Girl Scouting for many years. Primarily a feature reporter, Melinda also did breaking news including covering 9/11 which earned her an EMMY nod. Melinda left television after a stint as a network television correspondent working for CBS News.

After moving to Singapore in 2012, Melinda got involved with Girl Scouting again, leading her daughter’s troop ever since while working as a print journalist in Singapore. In 2018, she was named Singapore’s Journalist of the Year. The recipient of the Thanks Badge, Melinda has held many roles in Singapore: OCC, Secretary and Trainer. A natural-born events manager, she’s also overseen the Father Daughter Dance, Day Camp, the Singapore Scurry (an Amazing Race event for older girls), Adventure Day, Cadette Journey-in-a-Day, Closing Ceremonies and much more. This year, she organized Scouts & Guides Care, a letter writing campaign which united all 18,000 Scouts and Guides in Singapore from eight international groups and more than 30 nationalities to thank health care workers on the front line of the COVID-19 virus. She’s been a Master Global Facilitator for four years as well as a National Volunteer Partner.

Sjoukje Neil lives in Bottmingen, Switzerland, where she is a Managing Consultant for ChangeFocus GmbH, Switzerland.  She also serves as a Non-Executive Director for MeeTwo Ltd., an award-winning mental health app for teens.  Sjoukje has extensive experience in Human Resources, including at a senior level with Eli Lilly and Company in regional and country roles across Europe. Her work is focused on change management, organizational effectiveness, and cross-cultural leadership.  Sjoukje holds a BA in English Language from Sheffield University, an MBA from Manchester University, and an MA from the Open University. 

Sjoukje has been involved in Scouting since she was 14, and she served as a Troop Leader for Basel International Girl Scouts, Switzerland from 2010-2013, and then as Chair from 2013-2016.  In her time as Chair, she put considerable effort into recruiting and developing leaders, and by the time she stepped down, they had over 100 girls.  She has drawn extensively on her business experience to develop long-term strategies for success for Girl Scouts, as well as other movements serving youth.  Sjoukje is enthusiastic about making Girl Scouts more accessible internationally.   

Danielle Pierson, a Licensed Customs Broker, has 15 years of international experience, including work with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Department of Commerce.  Currently, she is a freelance Management and Process Improvement Consultant, facilitating leadership training for 11,000 U.S. personnel in Japan and liaising between military senior management and stakeholders to align interests and communicate solutions.  Danielle holds a BA in International Business, Economics, and German from Georgetown College and an MBA from the University of Oxford.

Danielle and her daughter, who is a Brownie, are both registered Girl Scouts at Yokota Air Base, Japan.

Franny Puente-Bonilla was a Girl Scout as a child and has been heavily involved in volunteering roles in troop, service unit, and council levels.  Her main focus has been on serving and supporting the children of Military families, including her own.  She is presently the OCC for USAGSO-Bogotá, Colombia.

Franny is the Foreign Service Office Management Specialist for the US Embassy, Bogotá, Colombia.  She has also worked for USAG Wiesbaden RSO, Fort Bliss Officer & Civilian Spouses’ Association, USAG Ansbach Army Community Service, USAG Darmstadt Army Community Services, and III Corps, Army Community service.  Franny holds a Bachelor of Science in Math from the University of Puerto Rico as well as a Certificate in Adult and Youth Ministry from the Institute for Pastoral Initiatives.

Kelly Roy has lived mostly overseas since 1999. She studied in Paris, worked for a digital media company in London, volunteered with the Peace Corps in Fiji, and has been posted with the State Department in Jeddah, Moscow, Shanghai, and now Nairobi with a move planned to Jerusalem later 2022. Kelly graduated from Baylor University and is currently getting her master’s in human resources from Tarleton University.

Kelly’s time with Girl Scouts began with her daughter, Malosi, as a Daisy in Moscow, then a Brownie in Shanghai, and now a Junior in Nairobi. Kelly started the troop in Nairobi as Overseas Community Chair with nine girls in 2020 and as of today the community has grown ten-fold with no evidence of stopping. Her home-base is Texas, so Malosi always attends summer events at the STEM Center of Excellence in Dallas with the GSNETX community. 

Valerie Russell is a life-long Girl Scout who has directly benefited from the amazing outcomes the Girl Scout program delivers.  She experienced the program as a girl from Daisies through Seniors with the Virginia Skyline Council, earning her Gold Award in 2001.  She credits the Girl Scouts for helping her identify her career path as a chemical engineer and helping her build the confidence to take on new challenges.

The impact of her girl experience led Valerie to become a lifetime member, and she actively engages with the Girl Scout family everywhere she goes.  She has been in many troop, service unit, and council-level volunteering roles across multiple councils as well as most recently serving the Amsterdam, Netherlands community of USAGSO as the Overseas Committee Chair and a troop leader from 2015-2018.  She joined the USAGSO Council of Advisors in 2018.

Valerie is the Director of Sales & Operations Planning for the Acetyl Chain of Celanese Corporation based in Irving, Texas.   She previously was the Business Director for the Sweeteners business of Celanese in Amsterdam, Netherlands.  She held prior roles in business management and manufacturing with Celanese across multiple US locations.  Valerie has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University.

Valerie and her husband Lance have two daughters and the first is finally old enough to be a Daisy!

Marissa Scott is the French Language Spokesperson for the Department of State and the Director of the Department’s Africa Regional Media Hub, a media platform that amplifies U.S. policy messages to the Francophone world and develops media training programs for U.S. government professionals. The Africa Hub also works to cultivate relationships with media outlets and journalists through conference calls and virtual briefings with U.S. policymakers. Marissa is a career American diplomat and has spent most of her career working in Africa on public diplomacy and media relations. Her previous assignments were Djibouti, the Dominican Republic, Algeria, Niger, and Cabo Verde.  In her next assignment, Marissa will lead the U.S. Consulate in Casablanca, Morocco from 2023-2026 as the Consul General. Marissa has a BA in English and Spanish language and an MA in International Relations from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University. She also holds an Advanced Certificate in Conflict Resolution from Syracuse and a Certificate in Strategic Communications and Public Relations from Portland State University.  She speaks French, Spanish, Portuguese, and just enough Arabic to stay out of trouble.  

Jacelyn Splichal, a United States Air Force Officer, has over 10 years of international experience, including work with militaries, government and non-government agencies from around the globe. Currently, she is a Joint Future Operations Planner for United States Forces Japan, developing plans, leading contingency operations, facilitating exercises, and training in concert with our alliance partners to support readiness in the Pacific. Jacelyn holds a BFA in Fine Art Photography from Eastern Michigan University, a BS in Organizational Management from Central Michigan University and an MBA from the University of Nebraska.

Jacelyn was a Girl Scout starting as a first grade Brownie and was active all the way through high school, earning her Silver and Gold Awards. She has lead troops both stateside and overseas, while keeping her focus on supporting girls of military families, long before she had children of her own. Jacelyn and her eldest daughter, who is a newly-bridged Brownie, are both registered Girl Scouts at Yokota Air Base, Japan, where she is also the currently-sitting Overseas Community Chair.

Deepa Srikanta has lived overseas for the last two years. Most recently she is serving as the Registrar for her local unit and is also a troop leader. Prior to this she was a troop leader in Michigan.
Deepa has a BS from the University of Missouri – Columbia, an MS from George Mason University, and PhD from Louisiana State University. She has 8+ years’ experience as a Corporate and Foundation Relations professional and is currently an External Engagement Specialist for Michigan State University’s Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering.

She currently lives in Saudi Arabia with her husband, daughter, and dogs. Deepa speaks English and Kannada fluently and is learning Arabic.
 

I have been a passionate and active member of Girl Guides and Girl Scouting for 39 years. I grew up as a girl member in Arkansas and spent summers in college and my twenties working in GS Camp wilderness programs. I believe in our movement and the difference it makes for all of our members.

I am an experienced non-formal educator and grassroots community developer. I hold a deep love and appreciation for wild spaces and have spent the equivalent of three years of my life camping. I hold a bachelor degree in Outdoor Adventure Education and Environmental Education. Additionally, I am a certified secondary teacher specializing in Environmental Science. I love canoeing, reading, and exploring.

I currently live in Cambodia with my Khmer partner of 8 years. Before moving to Cambodia, I worked professionally for Girl Scouts of Alaska for 12 years where I built the rural program serving girls throughout western & SE Alaska villages. Working as the Rural Program Director gave me the opportunity to bring my love of Girl Scouting to girls and women living in rural communities throughout Alaska.

In 2012 my life pivoted following life changing experiences at Sangam world Center. Volunteering as a 3-month Tare opened my eyes to the global WAGGGS community and peaked my curiosity. Following my experience in India I spent a few years transitioning from Alaska to eventually landing in SE Asia. Choosing to leave such a gorgeous place as Alaska was hard and so it took a 3-year journey of self-discovery to do so. During this time, I kayaked 700 miles of the Yukon River, returned to Sangam twice, spent 6 months car camping throughout the western US, and spent a year traveling throughout SE Asia before deciding to build a life in Cambodia.

My life in Cambodia is full of the beauty and complexities I expected. Unlike many people who move oversees, I moved here without a clear plan, giving time and space for my life unfold within this context. As you can imagine, this has been a true adventure!


I am an entrepreneur and started a socially minded thrift shop called Clothesline Resale Boutique in Phnom Penh which my partner and I have built over the last 8 years. We are focused on reducing local waste and creating positive community impact around things we believe in like environmental sustainability, literacy, elder care, and mental health. I am part of a Khmer family and am raising my Khmer niece who is eager to be a lifelong Girl Scout.

During my time in Cambodia thus far I have supported the local Guiding program as a volunteer and serve both regionally and globally as part of the WAGGGs volunteer pool. Recently I have served as a mentor and facilitator for the Juliette Low Seminar twice and as an Asia Pacific Regional Volunteer. I just completed a two year term as a digital capacity building volunteer for the AP region and I served on the AP regional conference program team.

In my work with WAGGGS my identity as an American has strengthened and I have been looking for a way to stay connected to my roots and give back to Girl Scouting. I am looking forward to learning and leading through service as a member of the USGSO Advisory Board, it feels great to be involved!

two adult volunteers
56th National Council Session

Girl Scouts around the world are counting down the hours until our 56th National Council Session (NCS), this July in Orlando, Florida. 

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