Message from our Board President and CEO
As we gather for our Annual Meeting and reflect on the past membership year, we are filled with pride and gratitude. Together, we continue a legacy that began with Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and remains as powerful and relevant today as ever. Because of you, Girl Scouts across our council experienced a year defined by growth, leadership, and joy.
In Membership Year 2025, we were proud to provide 10,310 girl experiences that encouraged our members to explore new interests, build lifelong skills, and most importantly have fun. Girls earned 15,360 badges, each one representing a goal achieved and a new skill mastered. Nearly 1,010,000 packages of Girl Scout Cookies were sold, giving girls hands-on experience in entrepreneurship, goal setting, and financial literacy while fueling adventures and service projects throughout the year.
We celebrated 158 Girl Scouts who earned their Highest Awards, including 11 who achieved the prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award. Together, these go-getters contributed 5,140 hours of meaningful service to their communities, demonstrating what is possible when girls are empowered to lead.
Yet as meaningful as these numbers are, they only tell part of the story. This year was about girls building confidence, discovering their voices, and forming friendships that will last a lifetime. It was about watching girls step forward as leaders, support one another through challenges, and discover their own voices.
Girl Scouts traveled to Savannah, GA, the birthplace of Girl Scouts, deepening their connection to our movement’s history. At summer camp, including the unforgettable Decades Dash Resident Camp, girls journeyed through the decades with vintage crafts, dance parties, canoeing, archery, and campfire songs, creating memories under the stars while strengthening teamwork and resilience.
Across every troop meeting and service project, Girl Scouts practiced leadership in action. They set goals, gave back to their communities, and learned that their ideas matter. None of this would be possible without the dedication of our volunteers, the support of families, and the generosity of donors and community partners.
As we look ahead, we are inspired by all that our girls have accomplished and excited for what lies ahead. Thank you for being part of this extraordinary movement and for helping ensure that every Girl Scout has the opportunity to grow, lead, and shine.
Yours in Girl Scouting,
Behind every Girl Scout and volunteer is a team of local staff ready to help them earn that next badge, embark on a camping adventure, or organize an impactful service project.
Serving nearly 1,000 zip codes spanning North Dakota, South Dakota, and parts of Iowa and Minnesota. We have girls reaching their fullest potentials in cities, towns, and communities across 164,000 square miles including three Airforce bases and 13 Native American Reservations.
Board of Directors
Laura Lueder
President | Northwest District
Kyle Kvamme
Vice President | Northeast District
Lori Clausen
Secretary | Southeast District
Erica Johnsrud
Treasurer | Northwest District
Marla Meyer
Chief Executive Officer
Southeast District
Dawn Marie Johnson
Kristi Metzger
Linda Salmonson
Southwest District
Claudine Bates
Rebecca Pisle
Michael Steve
Northeast District
Cindy Graffeo
Sue Klose
Casey Sanders-Berglund
Northwest District
Shannon Faller
Lori Leingang
Alexa Stulken
As the premier leadership organization for girls, we deliver dynamic and engaging program experiences rooted in the four Girl Scout pillars: Outdoors, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), Life Skills, and Entrepreneurship.
Our programs are designed to meet girls where they are, offering flexible ways to participate through in-person events, virtual opportunities, patch programs, and at-home activities.
No matter how they engaged, Girl Scouts built confidence, developed new skills, overcame challenges, and took action to make a positive impact in their communities.
More than just pins on a vest, Girl Scout higher awards set the foundation for a lifetime of leadership and confidence. Starting in fourth grade, girls have the opportunity to develop and execute “take action” projects that positively impact their communities. The Bronze and Silver awards recognize troop efforts that teach key skills, such as communication, teamwork, critical thinking, and problem solving. The Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can earn, is an individual achievement that creates sustainable change in her community.
During this year, 158 Girl Scouts earned a Highest Award, contributing 5,140 hours of community service. Eleven Gold Award recipients addressed issues such as animal conservation and access to educational materials for local youth, making a meaningful difference in their communities.
Gold Award Girl Scouts
Marly Barnett | Gladstone, ND
SW Art Gallery and Science Center Children's Art Gallery
Grace Boltjes | Brookings, SD
Memory Care Fidget
Blankets
Isabel Carda | Sioux Falls, SD
Car Care Clinic for
Teen Girls
Mallory Domine | Oakes, ND
Landscaping for Community Garden
Kaylee Gatzke | Newell, SD
Hygiene Cabinet
Laney Gonsor | Aberdeen, SD
No Kid Goes Cold
Brin Hua | Prior Lake, MN
Kids Helping Kids: Youth Learning and Creativity
Alexis Knobloch | Brookings, SD
Bringing Bluebirds Back
Megan Miller | Oakes, ND
Seating for Oakes
Community Park
Dee Pickit Van Zinderen | Prior Lake, M
Seniors Wrapped in Care
Molly Sitzler | Oakes, ND
Main Park Stage
The condensed statements of financial position and activities have been summarized from the audited financial statements. The Form 990 is available upon request.
Thank you to all of our 2025 supporters.
The complete list of donors, sponsors and supporters is available to download.
Thank you to those who contributed to Girl Scouts Dakota Horizons in the 2024-2025 fiscal year. Your generous gifts made the difference in thousands of Girl Scouts’ lives as they lived out our mission: building girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place.
The Juliette Gordon Low Society was established to thank and honor friends of Girl Scouts who choose to make Girl Scouts part of their legacies and a beneficiary of their estate plans. We are grateful for their decisions to provide a legacy gift to girls, ensuring that the Girl Scout Leadership Experience will live on for generations to come.
Erik and Eva Andersen Girl Scout Movement-wide Challenge Planned Gift
Tonya Andersen
Jennifer and Bryan Baloun
Dianne Belk and Lawrence Calder Girl Scout Movement-wide Challenge Planned Gift
Kurt and Valerie Loudenback
Marla Meyer
Stephen and MaryLynn Meyers
Jeff and Tracy Munce
Lorna Olson-Cooper
Donnie Riedel
Marie Ruettgers
Jane VanHatten
Susan and Bob Wefald
