Karen Lundgard Named Interim CEO of Girl Scouts of Greater New York

(New York, NY) - Karen Lundgard has been named Interim CEO of the Girl Scouts of Greater New York (GSGNY), New York City’s largest girl-focused leadership program. GSGNY serves more than 25,000 girls ages 5 to 18 in every zip code of the five boroughs and has a 111-year-long track record of developing courage, confidence, and character in girls who make the world a better place. Ms. Lundgard succeeds Meridith Maskara who has departed to become Chief Development Officer at the Girl Scouts of the USA.

Ms. Lundgard most recently served as GSGNY’s Chief Operating Officer, overseeing the organization’s finance, operations, programs, camp/property, product (cookies and retail), marketing, communications, and strategic planning divisions. Among her accomplishments as COO, she helped lead a $11 million gut-renovation of the Dining Hall/Experience Center at Camp Kaufmann, GSGNY’s 425-acre camp in Dutchess County.

“Serving as Interim CEO of the Girl Scouts of Greater New York is the honor of a lifetime,” said Ms. Lundgard. “I’m proud to have dedicated my career to an organization that has life-changing impacts on girls of all backgrounds, in every neighborhood of our great city. I am deeply committed to using the values that Girl Scouting instilled in me to help empower more girls with the confidence and leadership skills they need to thrive. I am grateful to have worked for the past seven years alongside Meridith Maskara, who has been a mentor for me and will now help take the Girl Scouts of the USA to new heights.”

From age five to 18, Ms. Lundgard was a Girl Scout in a troop led by her mother in her hometown of Buffalo, NY. She credits Girl Scouting for instilling a strong love of the outdoors and responsibility for our natural environment. She was particularly inspired during several backpacking and canoeing trips through Algonquin Provincial Park with her Troop. Throughout college, she worked at Seven Hills, a Girl Scout camp in Western New York. She began her career as a GSGNY membership specialist in 2006 and a year later became a program associate at Camp Kaufman.

“Over the course of her career with the Girl Scouts of Greater New York, Karen Lundgard has developed the breadth of knowledge and the leadership skills required to take this organization into a future filled with growth and vitality,” said Stephanie K. Schnabel, President of the Board of Directors.

A graduate of SUNY Cortland with a degree in Recreation Management, Ms. Lundgard is a passionate advocate for environmental education and outdoor experiences. As Interim CEO, one of her focuses will be increasing New York City Girl Scouts’ access to green spaces, while inspiring environmental stewardship and instilling a sense of belonging and comfort in outdoor environments.

“Too many young people in New York City, particularly those from densely packed low-income neighborhoods, lack access to green spaces that can profoundly boost their physical, mental, and emotional well-being,” said Ms. Lundgard. “I committed to continuing to create more opportunities for our Girl Scouts to enjoy the outdoors, connect with nature at Camp Kaufman, and become environmental advocates in their communities.”

Under Ms. Maskara’s leadership, the GSGNY launched Troop 6,000, a first-of-its-kind program serving families living in the New York City shelter system. Troop 6,000 started at one homeless shelter and sparked the organization’s largest-ever fundraising drive, raising millions of dollars to support the program’s expansion. Today, under GSGNY’s first contract with the City of New York, Troop 6,000 is run in 31 family shelters. Ms. Maskara also spearheaded the capital campaign to gut-renovate Camp Kaufman; founded the Cookie Executive Committee, a program that provides professional development opportunities and seeks input from top cookie sellers; and steered the organization through the pandemic, launching a virtual program series for girls.

“We are deeply grateful to Meridith for her leadership over the past seven years. Thanks to her stewardship, we have seen tremendous growth in participation and opportunities created for all girls, particularly those living in shelter who previously did not participate in Girl Scouting,” said Michelle Clayman, Chair of the Board of Directors.

Girl Scouts of Greater New York is New York City’s oldest and largest girls’ leadership organization, reaching tens of thousands of girls ages 5 to 18 in every zip code of the five boroughs. Through Girl Scouts, girls explore STEM, business and entrepreneurship, environmental leadership, and outdoor adventure, advocacy, and so much more. Girl Scouting is ‘by girls, for girls,’ and today’s Girl Scouts learn to lead with courage, confidence, and character, to make the world a better place. Visit www.girlscoutsnyc.org to learn more.