Annual Meeting Press Release
May 03, 2023
Prestigious Slate Elected to Lead Girl Scouts of West Central Florida Board of Directors
Cami Gibertini Named New President
TAMPA - On April 22, Girl Scouts of West Central Florida (GSWCF) convened its 16th Annual Meeting to celebrate the successes of the past year and to look towards the year ahead. More than 225 council volunteers and employees from throughout the organization’s eight-county footprint attended the meeting to affirm and celebrate their support of girls, and to elect and install new GSWCF Board of Directors, Board Development Committee Members and Girl Board Members.
During the election of the GSWCF Board of Directors’ officers, Cami Gibertini was selected to lead GSWCF as its next president. Gibertini served on the board since 2018 as both a member and a vice president.
“I am honored to be selected as GSWCF’s next board president and I look forward to building on the great work of my predecessor to strengthen and deepen our board relationships,” said Gibertini.
Through her career as a vice president at Hancock Whitney Bank and her founding of the Women in Business program at Valley Bank, Gibertini has had a long history of encouraging and developing women leaders. “I will be working to deeply engage our board members as advocates in their communities to help reduce barriers and increase opportunities for all girls who want, and need, to be a part of Girl Scouts. We have the right people in the right positions on the board to be an extraordinarily powerful force to enhance the lives of girls throughout our council.”
GSWCF is governed by a 20-member board of directors that includes five officers, 13 members-at-large and two girl board members. Also elected to officer positions for a two-year term were Dr. Deirdre Dixon, president elect; Lynn Dorman, vice president of governance; Michelene Everett, treasurer; and Stephen Ponzillo, secretary. At-large board members elected during the Annual Meeting to serve a two-year term were Kelly Dunne, Vanessa Jones and Ashley Nessler, as well as returning board members Marion Rich and Lavinia Vaughn. The two Girl Scout Board Members elected for a one-year term were Grace S. and Bonnie K.
“Our volunteers are a vital force for our organization and we are so grateful to the community leaders who step forward to guide and champion Girl Scouts of West Central Florida on our board,” said GSWCF Chief Executive Officer Mary Pat King. “By 2030, we aim to increase our membership to 30,000 by eliminating barriers to a high quality Girl Scout leadership experience. Our Board of Directors are key to achieving that goal as they provide critical oversight, insight and foresight to our team.”
In addition to board members, three new GSWCF Board Development Committee members were elected to serve a three-year term: Vanessa Jones, Jean Kohler and Dr. Georgina Rivera-Singletary. Michelle Bonner was named chair of this committee. The nine-member GSWCF Board Development Committee is responsible for partnering with the board to recruit and train diverse leaders in support of its governance.
At the Annual Meeting, GSWCF also celebrated volunteers ending successful terms as board officers including: President Laura Webb, First Vice President Abby Mackness, Third Vice President Monica McLaughlin, Secretary Kelly Flannery and Treasurer Gwin Londrigan.
From board members to troop leaders, GSWCF’s more than 6,000 volunteers help to create opportunities for 11,000+ Girl Scouts. They provide experiences that help Girl Scouts to discover and explore possibilities, develop new skills and strengths, connect with and learn from others, and take action in their communities and the world. This is why GSWCF makes it a priority to include girls’ voices on the GSWCF Board of Directors with the election of two girl board members.
To learn more about the GSWCF Board of Directors or express interest in serving on the board or a committee, visit www.gswcf.org/BOARD.
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We Are Girl Scouts
Girl Scouts bring their dreams to life and work together to build a better world. Through programs across GSWCF’s eight-county footprint (Hillsborough, Pinellas, Polk, Pasco, Citrus, Hernando, Sumter, Marion), 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 alums, Girl Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them. To join Girl Scouts, volunteer, reconnect or donate, visit gswcf.org.
INTERVIEWS AVAILABLE:
Cami Gibertini, President: Cami Gibertini has more than 32 years of retail and commercial banking experience in various senior leadership roles within a few institutions in the Tampa Bay market. Currently, Cami is a Vice President, Business Banker with Hancock Whitney Bank. She was the founder of the “Women Entrepreneurs” later re-named “Women in Business” program at Valley Bank and managed the program in the 4 states as the National Director. Cami is a proud member of the Board of Directors of the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida and was most recently 3rd Vice President and served on the Fund Development and Executive Committees. She also serves as on Advisory Council for the Centre for Women and is an active member of the Rotary Club of Tampa. Cami is a proud graduate the Leadership Tampa, Class of 2004 and Leadership Tampa Bay, Class of 2015. She served as the past President and Treasurer of ECHO (Emergency Care Help Organization) in Brandon. She served at the Chairwoman for the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce in 2016. Cami also served on the Campo Family YMCA Board of Directors and was the Honorary Mayor of Brandon in 2011-2012. Profiles of all GSWCF Board of Directors are available online at: www.gswcf.org/BOARD
