Page 12 - tribute2015

Betsy Nosse

Betsy Nosse was “the right person at the right time.” This
thought was shared by Sunny Baddour and echoed by
others contributing recollections of Betsy for this tribute.
From June Seech, who served on the Board during Betsy’s
presidency, “Sometimes fate is kind and the right person
for the job lands right where she is supposed to be - thanks
for all the hours you gave and for your friendship.” Another
recurring theme was Betsy’s calmness and grace.

Her tenure as a troop leader, then in service unit positions, as
a council trainer and member of the Training Support Team
all demonstrated her solid commitment to Girl Scouts. Ann
Hunter described her as an outstanding trainer, especially
for Brownie and Junior level troop leaders. As Pat Koch
remembers, “She always kept in mind what was best for the
girls. It was always about the girls.” Paula Conrad remembers
her as “kind, considerate, and a sister to every Girl Scout.”

She willingly accepted when asked to join the GSLEC
Board of Directors. Once on the Board, it took a little more
persuading to convince her to run for Board President,
but her true Girl Scout spirit and strong leadership instinct
caused her to accept the challenge. Little did she know just
how great the challenge would be! Just a few months into
her presidency in 2003, she learned abruptly that GSUSA
had mandated the merger of the fve Girl Scout councils
in Northeast Ohio. Linda Kelp, who had been the strongest
advocate for Betsy’s presidency, recalls Betsy joking later
“You did this to me!”

Betsy served as president during one of the council’s
most diffcult periods, the merger and realignment of
multiple councils. “Her clarity, grace and openness during
a stressful time made the process as smooth as possible
for the membership.” Pat Koch remembers that Betsy
sought the counsel of past GSLEC presidents to discuss
the merger and ways to help the realigned council carry on
with governance and leadership. She worked very hard on
governance procedures for the new council, ensuring that
they were of the highest standard.

12