Fran Marshall Named CEO of Girl Scouts - Spirit of Nebraska

Marshall to take helm of largest girl serving organization in the state

(Omaha, Neb.) April 23, 2008, — On May 1, 2008, Fran Marshall will become the first CEO of Girl Scouts - Spirit of Nebraska, the largest girl serving organization in the state. With more than 25,000 girl and adult members, Spirit of Nebraska will bring the five existing Nebraska Girl Scout councils together as one large and high capacity council under a national plan for realignment.  

Marshall has served as interim CEO of Great Plains Council since June 2007 and guided the local Girl Scout organization as they prepared to merge with the four other councils in the state. The five Nebraska councils will realign under a national reorganization plan designed by Girl Scouts of the USA. This reorganization will reduce the number of Girl Scout Councils in the United States from 312 to109.

Marshall will operate temporarily out of the Great Plains office located on 44th Street in Omaha. Plans are in place to have a corporate office in west Omaha that will house the executive functions of Girl Scouts - Spirit of Nebraska, with nine service centers and six camps throughout the state.

“This is an exciting time for Girl Scouts and a great opportunity for our members,” said Marshall. “Realignment allows us to focus our efforts statewide to make more effective use of our resources, to better serve local communities, and to deliver superior and consistent Girl Scout leadership programs to more girls.”

Marshall worked for First National Bank for 32 years, serving as an officer, division head, director and member of the executive management team. She left the organization in 2006, as a senior vice president and division head for Shared Services, a division representing 15 business units and more than 850 employees.

Following a national CEO search, Marshall was chosen as CEO of Spirit of Nebraska. Her prior experience with Girl Scouts includes three terms on the Great Plains Council Board and as board president from 1993-1997.

“Joining the Girl Scout board in 1990 was my first board experience and I’m honored to return to this organization as its CEO,” added Marshall. “I view the realignment process and the work that will be involved in bringing these five councils together as a challenging and rewarding opportunity.  Creating a stronger Girl Scout organization will directly benefit our girls and our state.”

In addition to her successful career in the banking industry and her years as a Girl Scout volunteer, Marshall has given years of dedicated service to the community through her involvement with: United Way; Omaha Women’s Fund; Junior Achievement; Howard Kennedy School; Heartland Family Service; Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging; UNO Women’s Walk and the UNO Alumni Association; and the City of Omaha Police Foundation Board.  Currently she is board chair of ICAN and also serves on the National Advisory Board for the College of Business Administration at UNO; the Welcome Board; and is a Candidacy Committee Member for the ELCA, Nebraska Synod.   

Due to her commitment to community and advocacy for women’s issues, Marshall has also received numerous awards including: Ten Outstanding Young Omahans, 1991; YWCA’s Woman of Distinction, 1994; Lady Mav Distinguished Person, 1994; both the Honor Pin and Thanks Badge from Girl Scouts in 1994 and 1998 respectively; and Honorary Chair of the ICAN Women’s Conference, 2004.

Marshall is a native Nebraskan who received both her Bachelor’s (finance) and MBA from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

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