After 24 years of dedicated service to Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois, Chief Executive Officer Diane T. Nelson has announced her retirement, effective July 2026. The Board of Directors will launch a national search for her successor in the coming months.
Nelson has been a transformative leader, guiding the organization through significant milestones that have shaped the Girl Scout experience for thousands of girls across the region, according to a Tuesday, January 20th, release from the group.
The organization currently has 10,000 Girl Scouts and 3,000 adult volunteers.
“Over 24 years, I truly believe we fulfill our mission,” Nelson said in a Tuesday interview. “We definitely build girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. That is our mission, and I guarantee you, that is the work we do. You know what's really funny? Even girls that when I started with Girl Scouts 24 years ago. So think about it. Some of them were 7, 8, 9, 10 years old.”
“Now some of them are literally married and have kids that are Girl Scouts. Yes. And they’ve become leaders, and then they will come to my office or they'll swing by and they'll say, oh, my God, Diane, Girl Scouts is so awesome,” she said. “I learned so much. I learned so many things when I worked for the Girl Scouts. It really helped me build my skill set.
“That is just one thing about Girl Scouts. We do truly impact girls lives in a very positive way through our organization,” she added, “It's been around for, what, 114 years now. So obviously we're doing something right.”
Nelson was a Girl Scout herself for about six years (starting at age 7), growing up in Delmar, Iowa, and went on to graduate from St. Ambrose University.
“I learned a lot about Girl Scouts and had such a great time and went on events and activities and learned just lots of really cool skill sets,” Nelson recalled. “When I graduated, the Boy Scouts hired me, so I worked in the Quad Cities. And then I was transferred to Rochester, New York, and Philadelphia for the Boy Scouts. And then my husband and I wanted to come back to the Quad Cities.”
Nelson began her Girl Scout career journey in 2002 as executive director of Girl Scouts of the Mississippi Valley. In 2008, she guided five councils through successful realignment and became the CEO of Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois. Her steady leadership, vision, and commitment to girls have shaped the council in lasting ways, the release said.
“Diane’s passion for empowering girls and her ability to lead with vision and heart have left an indelible mark on our organization,” said Tracy Schwind, chair of the Board of Directors. “Her legacy will continue to inspire future generations of Girl Scouts.”
“I’ve been with the Girl Scouts for 24 years. And I actually worked for the Boy Scouts for 13 years before then (in marketing and development). And so it's just been a real, real pleasure working in the nonprofit,” Nelson said.
In 2008, she became CEO of a much larger council (38 counties, from the previous six or seven in the Mississippi Valley), required by the national Girl Scouts.
“It was really wonderful,” Nelson said of the merger. “It was really great for the girls to meet new people. And it was really fun because, believe it or not, Girl Scouts are a little bit different in every one of those areas. And you get to learn those new skill sets. And our girls got to travel. They really started to really enjoy it.
“They would get to go to Burlington for this event, and they would get to go to Waterloo for a different event. And so it was really fun,” she said. “The volunteers really enjoyed it. Then we had four camps. All of us had one, and now when we merged, we ended up with four camps.”
“We’re pretty proud of the Quad Cities. And I mean, I love the Quad Cities, but it’s really fun since we've merged, because you learn a lot from, like Cedar Rapids is a wonderful area. Waterloo is a lot of fun,” Nelson said. “It's different.”
Throughout her career, Nelson has been recognized locally and nationally for her leadership and community impact, earning accolades such as the Athena Business Women’s Award, Woman of Influence by the Quad Cities Business Journal, and inclusion in the Corridor Business Journal’s IOWA 500 list of influential business leaders.
Diane’s daughter, Lea Nelson, was a longtime Girl Scout, and currently works for Visit Quad Cities.
Journey the World is one of the largest council events, which rotates among locations in the region (most recently at The Bend in East Moline), Diane said.
“That's a huge event,” she said, noting about 1,500 girls and volunteers attend. “They get to attend programs. They get to meet other board members. They get to just have such a great experience. It is such a cool event.”
Girl Scouts are famous for their popular cookies, and it’s that time of year now, with a new flavor – Exploremores. It’s a sandwich-style cookie inspired by rocky road ice cream, with chocolate, marshmallow and toasted almond–flavored crème.
“There's just so many opportunities. There's so many different things that girls can do. And then the cookie program alone, I mean, that is an unbelievable skill set for our girls,” Nelson said. “It's really not about how many cookies they sell. It's really a great opportunity for them to learn some new skill sets because it's a program. It’s a cookie program, it's not a cookie sale.”
Through programs from coast to coast, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges—whether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike or advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends. Backed by trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and millions of alums, Girl Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them.
Girl Scouts is a flexible program that fits busy family schedules, meeting 1-2 times each month for 60-90 minutes, according to the regional council website. Girls can join at any program level—whether she’s in kindergarten and ready to make friends or in high school and looking to build her resume, there are activities and opportunities designed around their interests.
To create kind, confident, and competent leaders, their program centers around the outdoors, STEM, life skills, and entrepreneurship, the site says. Activities for Girl Scouts are fun and research-backed, with each badge, field trip, and event building independence, creativity, and resilience.
“The bottom line, it's an awesome organization, and I'm just very thankful to have the opportunity to work here,” Nelson said.
The Board of Directors will begin a national search for the next CEO in early 2026 to ensure a smooth transition and continued success for Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois. An executive search committee plans to conduct interviews in the spring and hire the next CEO before summer.
To join, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, visit www.GirlScoutsToday.org.
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