PROVIDENCE – Girl Scouts of Rhode Island has a new CEO, Jean-Ann McGrane, who took the reins on Monday.
McGrane succeeds Jan Feyler, who retired from her 17-year post as CEO in March.
McGrane has been president of her consulting organization, J.A. McGrane & Associates, in Gardiner, N.Y., for more than 10 years, specializing in conservation and economic development issues.
She also served as city manager for Newburgh, N.Y., working to revitalize the city’s downtown and waterfront, a news release said, and oversaw environmental regulation, natural resource conservation initiatives and campground management for the Hudson Valley as the regional director of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
“There’s a tremendous opportunity for synergy in projects like go-green and women’s leadership,” said McGrane, noting that as the Girl Scout of Rhode Island’s new CEO, she would like to initiate programs – in science, math, health and wellness, and preservation – statewide that could become models for other groups.
McGrane said that she is excited to return to Rhode Island where she grew up and participated as a camper at Camp Hoffman.
“I see this as a chance to influence programs that will prepare the next generation of girls to become leaders capable of ensuring the long-term health of our planet,” said McGrane, who also noted she wants to expand Girl Scouts of Rhode Island initiatives to reach populations that may not traditionally have been a part of the programs, especially in urban areas of Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts.
She holds a Juris Doctor from Rutgers University, a Master of Science degree in Public Health from University of Illinois and a bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College.
Girls Scouts of Rhode Island serves 11,900 girls, grade K-12, and 3,400 adults in Rhode Island, Pawcatuck, Conn., and 13 communities in southeastern Massachusetts.
