Page 12 - Jo Dee C Jacob Girl Scouts CEO

Jo Dee C. Jacob

by Carol LeBeau

They say a moving target is hard to hit
and no one is more on the move these
days than Jo Dee C. Jacob, chief
executive officer of Girl Scouts San
Diego.

Girl Scouts just concluded its 100th
Anniversary year. Jacob led San Diego’s
high-octane birthday celebration,
re-igniting excitement in the iconic
organization that’s helped mold the lives
of millions of women and girls.
Now in her 11th year at the helm of Girl
Scouts San Diego, Jacob’s passion for
girls to grow in courage, confidence and
character has not waned. She believes
the organization is as relevant as ever.
for her unparalleled leader-
ship skills. Highly regarded
by her staff and volunteers,
Jacob leads with a
servant’s heart. And like all
Girl Scouts, she’s friendly,
courteous and loves to have
fun. But the charismatic J
12 acob also brings a unique
set of skills and life experi-
ences to her role as Girl
Scouts San Diego’s CEO.

Before taking the helm at
Girl Scouts, Jacob spent
most of her career in the
Navy as a woman alone…
literally in a “sea” of men.
At nearly every station
where she was assigned,
she was the first or only
woman. Jacob retired in
2001 with
experience in politico-mili-
tary affairs, logistics,
education and training.

Her career path wasn’t
“Our bedrock values have not changed,” says Jacob. “The Girl exactly typical for a Stanford graduate during the early ’70s. “I was
Scout Promise and Law are timeless in their relevance.” a Navy kid,” Jacob recalls, “and I often felt out of place during that
politically tumultuous time.”
When first-grader Jo Dee Catlin joined her Brownie troop in New
London, CT, she pledged to be honest, fair, and responsible. Those An art history major, Jacob didn’t intend to make the military her
tenets of the Girl Scout Law still guide Jacob as she leads 31,000 career. After graduating, she fell into an economy that looked much
girls, 13,000 adults and 115 professional staff members in San like today’s…finding work at a variety of jobs from retail clerk to
Diego and Imperial counties. church organist. In 1974, Jacob joined the Navy to, as she says,
“make money, meet men, and travel!” She adapted well to the
Under Jacob’s tenure, the first successful Girl Scout capital adventure and variety offered in the military. Her initial two-year
campaign raised nearly $6 million to improve properties, and, re- commitment became a stellar 27-year career, culminating as
branding efforts have positioned Girl Scouts San Diego as one of commanding officer of the naval station in Guam, where she
the leading charities in the region. provided fuel, weapons and logistics support for the 7th Fleet.
Jacob believes her military experience set the stage for her position
Jacob, 61, is an accomplished, hard-working professional known with Girl Scouts.