Girl Scouts Leading Women Awards Breakfast

(Boston, MA) - Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts CEO Patricia A. Parcellin and Board President Elizabeth Stevenson are pleased to announce the honorees for the 24th annual Leading Women Awards breakfast. This special event will take place on Thursday, March 24, 7-9:30 AM, at the Sheraton Boston Hotel.

Among four remarkable role models, Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts will honor Linda K. Zecher, President, Chief Executive Officer and Director, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

In addition to Zecher, the prestigious list of honorees includes Stephanie Browne, Senior Director, Information Technology-Healthcare, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts; Dr. Divina Grossman, Professor and Former Chancellor, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth; and Hannah Grove, Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, State Street Corporation.

Each honoree will be introduced by a local Girl Scout, remarkable in her own right. In the weeks leading up to the event, each girl will have had the opportunity to meet with the honoree she will introduce. The extraordinary bonds that form each year during this process are a testament to the power of adult role models in the lives of girls, a central tenet of Girl Scouting.

“It is an annual tradition at Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts to celebrate individuals like Linda Zecher who are making a positive impact in their professional lives and in their communities, especially when they are directing those efforts to support the advancement of girls and women,” explains Parcellin. “The event is also one of the best ways we can demonstrate the importance of investing in girls who will become the women leaders of tomorrow.”

Zecher joined global learning company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in September 2011 as President, Chief Executive Officer and Director, bringing with her a strong track record of business transformation and results. Her extensive sales, marketing and technology experience contribute to her ability to successfully lead HMH’s transformation into a global leader in educational content and media.

Previously, Zecher served as Corporate Vice President of Microsoft’s $8 billion

Worldwide Public Sector organization. She led a team of nearly 2,000 sales and marketing professionals serving government, education and healthcare in more than 100 countries. Under her leadership, this sector delivered eight years of consistent growth and received the Microsoft Industry of the Year Award for three consecutive years.

Prior to joining Microsoft in 2003, Zecher held leadership positions with Texas Instruments, Bank of America, PeopleSoft, Oracle and Evolve Corp. In each role, she led major change. At PeopleSoft she helped develop sales and marketing capabilities which contributed to revenue growth from $500,000 to over $35 million in three years, resulting in a successful IPO. As CEO of Evolve she managed changes leading to the company’s acquisition.

In addition to the Hasbro Corporation board, Zecher also serves on the board of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. She has previously served on numerous boards including the Intelligence National Security Association (INSA), U.S. State Department’s board for overseas schools and James Madison University’s board of visitors.

Zecher holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Ohio State University and an honorary doctorate from Bentley University.

This year’s Leading Women Awards Ceremony will also showcase a milestone for our Movement – the centennial of the highest achievement in Girl Scouting. Attendees will hear about the extraordinary effort that our young women dedicate to earning the Gold Award. We will also highlight our growing community partnership initiative, FaB Factor, through the words of an inspiring young woman who participates.

Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts embraces diversity and inclusion and is committed to ensuring all girls in eastern Massachusetts, regardless of their circumstances, have access to the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. Support for the Leading Women Awards Breakfast allows us to maintain this powerful programming.

Girl Scouts has honored more than 200 women and four men with the Leading Women Award since its inception in 1992. The prestigious list of honorees includes individuals with outstanding careers who have made a significant, positive impact in an impressive array of fields. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.leadingwomenawards.org.

About Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts

We’re Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts ― 50,000 strong, with 35,000 girls and 15,000 volunteers in 178 communities in eastern Massachusetts. We’re here to build girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. For more information, please visit www.hergirlscouts.org