Executive Suite: Yvonne Grant

One major project on Yvonne Grant's plate: working on plans for the 100th anniversary of the forming of the first Girl Scout troop in Savannah, Ga., back in March 1912.

And guess what? Long Islanders were "on the cutting edge even then," she says, as by 1915 there was a troop in Huntington and by 1917 another in Lynbrook.

National festivities are expected to be launched at the organization's convention this November, she says, and among the ideas in the discussion or planning stage locally are: a tri-council event for those in Suffolk County, Nassau County and New York City; tiny signs to put on Scouts' front lawns, and the possibility of renaming the section of Moreland Road in front of Suffolk headquarters to "Girl Scout Way."

Those early leaders would be blown away by what the program has become, says Grant, 61, who started out in 1980 leading her daughter's Brownie troop, went on to work for Girl Scouts and then rose up the ranks. 

What is your biggest headache?
"The economic situation is the biggest hurdle for all of us on Long Island. . . . The challenge is to keep giving the same level of service while the pot [of money] gets smaller. . . . We spend $100,000 or more on financial aid for those who can't afford uniforms or camp. We have to look for other ways to fund those things." (Another element, she says: the rising cost of gas, which affects volunteers getting to events and parents transporting kids.) 

Who's your competition?
"School programs, dance programs, music programs, youth servicing agencies. . . . Parents have to help their children pick and choose activities. We tend to overschedule our children. As a mother, I can say we overschedule ourselves, too." 

How do you keep up with the latest trends?
"I do have a fairly young staff. I love their energy and drive and creativity."

What makes for a successful day?

"If my staff and I meet and throw around ideas and come up with a 'let's do that, let's go forward with that.' And when I get calls from parents or maybe a troop leader," who may be experiencing problems, "and we have a conversation and I work out these issues along with them. That's a great day. I accomplished something. I'm going home with a happy heart." 

What would you like to say to those early founders of Girl Scouts?
"Thank you." They "opened the doors for girls and for women" so they could participate more fully in this country.

If there were a fire drill, what's the first thing you'd grab from your desk?

"I have a 5-month-old grandson, so his picture is probably the first thing." Grant says people tell her, "We never thought you'd do baby talk." But, "Yeah, I do baby talk. And I laugh a lot more." 

Corporate snapshot 

NAME: Yvonne Grant

TITLE: President, chief executive

ORGANIZATION: Girl Scouts of Suffolk County, in Commack

WHAT THEY DO: "What girls get is the opportunity to learn leadership. A very shy child at 5 or 6 . . . is given the opportunity to run something, to lead something. And we're the safety net. You flub a line in a play? In Girl Scouts it's OK."

ANNUAL BUDGET: $5 million

EMPLOYEES: 37 full-time, 23 part-time paid staff, plus 9,000 volunteers

GIRLS SERVED: 40,000