Our Leadership
When Juliette Gordon Low founded Girl Scouts in 1912, she understood that dedicated and dynamic leaders were vital to helping girls develop their full potential. With the support, vision, and commitment of these role models, girls have the opportunity to find—and become—leaders in their communities and the world.
Meet the CEO
Dr. Linda E. Farley joined Girl Scouts Heart of Central California (GSHCC) as CEO in 2013. She provides executive leadership and strategic direction on council initiatives that focus on enriching the lives of the 20,000 girl and adult members across an expansive 18-county region.
Under Linda’s leadership, GSHCC opened STEM Centers + MakerSpaces in Sacramento and Modesto and a 30-foot RV mobile STEM Center + MakerSpace. High-quality outdoor experiences have expanded and through innovative after-school programs and initiatives that are important for the Latino communities, Girl Scout programming has broadened to all girls in the region.
Linda is a lifetime member of Girl Scouts and earned the highest award in Girl Scouting, becoming a First-Class Girl Scout, known today as the Girl Scout Gold Award.
Linda’s career includes executive positions as director of development at the Crocker Art Museum, executive director of the Children’s Museum of Denver, chief development officer at the American Red Cross Mile High Chapter, and chief operating officer at Up with People.
Linda holds a doctorate in leadership from the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, and a master’s in curriculum and instruction from Michigan State University.
An active member of the community, Linda is a senior fellow with the Mountain Valley Chapter American Leadership Forum and a member of the International Women’s Forum. She is a founding member of the Board of Directors at Capital College and Career Academy, an Executive Advisory Committee member with Leadership California, and a former Commissioner for the Sacramento County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls.
Linda’s accolades include Sacramento Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business, Westmont College 85th Anniversary Award, Sacramento Kings Foundation’s 2023 Women’s Empowerment Award, and Sacramento Business Journal’s Most Admired CEO.
Meet the Board Chair
Kimberly Mayes is an executive with over 20 years of experience in human resources at Intel Corporation, a Fortune 500 global technology company. Kim serves as Intel’s Corporate Diversity and Inclusion Officer (CDIO) and Vice President, Strategic Talent. In her role as CDIO, Kim is responsible for collaborating with other Executives in Human Resources to drive the attraction, advancement, and retention of Intel’s diverse talent pools, and to ensure Intel is positioned to meet its inclusive workforce objectives. In her role overseeing Strategic Talent, Kim leads the non-technical and technical Executive promotion processes. She also drives the talent planning cycles for both non-technical leadership and technology talent in close partnership with Intel’s Chief People Officer, Intel’s executive leadership team (ELT), Intel’s CEO and the Intel Board of Directors.
Kim’s career includes strategically coaching executives and delivering integrated HR solutions to meet evolving and complex business needs.
Kim currently serves as the Board Chair for Girl Scouts Heart of Central California (GSHCC) and serves as a member of the governance, nominating and compensation committee (GNCC) of A Step Beyond, a nonprofit organization in Escondido, CA. She is passionate about mentoring girls and youth, which is why her commitment to both organizations perfectly aligns with her passion. Kim’s excitement about serving as the GSHCC Board Chair is because she enthusiastically believes in the Girl Scout Movement and mission and wants to ensure she is contributing to growing young girls into courageous women.
Kim holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an HR Management emphasis from National University and a master’s degree in Organizational Development from the University of San Francisco. Kim also completed the Executive Women’s Leadership Program at Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Meet the Executive Committee
About Francesca 
About Lynne
About Lisa
About Kathleen
Meet the Directors
Governance
The governance process provides a structure for communication between the membership and the Board of Directors.
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