After nearly two decades as CEO of Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania, Pat Burkart is stepping down from the role.
Burkart officially announced her retirement at the end of February, and her last day will be June 24.
“I was a Girl Scout when I was young, and I really enjoyed it so much, and my daughter was a Girl Scout,” she said. “It’s just been so much fun — Girl Scouts is the best place to work.”
Burkart got her start in the organization in 2003 with the former Keystone Tall Tree Girl Scout Council based in Kittanning. It was one of five councils that merged to form Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania.
She was named CEO in late 2007.
“I had worked in social services for 18 years. Frankly, I was tired of being on call 24/7 and started looking around what else was out there,” she said, which was when she found her perfect career match in the Girl Scouts.
Throughout her time as CEO, Burkart said she’s encountered many committed volunteers who dedicate themselves to the organization — some for multiple decades.
“Our adults are so sincere about leading our girls in the right direction and helping Girl Scouts to develop the leadership qualities that they seek and strive for,” she said. “They don’t quit, they take on new roles, they transition into different roles, they try on different hats, give input.”
Their commitment, Burkart said, stems from their “passion for the movement,” which then brings in other people from communities to support their efforts who might not be as familiar with the Girl Scouts organization.
“Our volunteers are incredible,” she said. “We have volunteers who have seen all of the staff turn over.”
Girl Scouts as a national organization has seen a decline in membership since 2003, according to Burkart.
“We’re working on stabilizing our girl membership,” she said, as going through the pandemic was also hard.
The Western Pennsylvania arm’s goal for membership this year is just under 13,000, and as of now, numbers stand at just under 12,000, according to Burkart.
Last year, that number was just under 14,000, she said, compared to 35,000 during the council merger in 2008.
“Girls have so many options these days and … they’re just going all different directions,” Burkart said. “I also think families as a whole are so much busier with typically two working parents and needing to run children in the directions that they want to go.”
This has led to parents restricting the number of activities their kids are participating in post-pandemic, she said.
“I really think that during the pandemic, a lot of families realized they didn’t need to run as much as they did before the pandemic,” Burkart said.
The biggest draw for girls to join the organization is the leadership development it offers, according to Burkart.
“Girls can strive to be themselves much more easily in an all-girl environment,” she said.
In the near future, Burkart said Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania is launching a mobile outdoor unit that will travel across all 27 counties in the arm’s jurisdiction, offering programming for the girls and volunteers.
Though she said she’s been thinking about retiring for a couple of years, the timing hasn’t been quite right, citing the pandemic and the difficult decision to close Camp Redwing in Butler County last year.
“I didn’t want to turn that over to an incoming new CEO,” Burkart said. “I just felt like this was good timing. I’ve never had a summer off, so I decided June would be perfect.”
Last April, the camp had a problem with the water system, and it was concluded that the water system and a failing swimming pool would both have to be replaced, she said.
“That, in tandem with low participation at that camp, that led to closing the camp,” Burkart said.
Three other camps in Western Pennsylvania remain: Camp Hawthorne Ridge in Erie County, Camp Skymeadow in Armstrong County and Camp Conshatawba in Cambria County.
As of Tuesday, Burkart said she’s unsure of the timeline for choosing a new CEO after her retirement.
“The board is putting together an executive search committee,” she said, which includes help from Pittsburgh search firm Nonprofit Talent. “They will begin a national search.”
Burkart has many plans for her retirement.
“I’m going to travel, I’m going standup paddleboarding and fishing,” she said. “I’ll be able to do more of my gardening that I love so much and do various adventures with my family.”