Leadership Team - Girl Scouts Dakota Horizons

Marla's Bio: Marla Meyer is a strong supporter of leadership development for women and girls and loves working with Girl Scouts. She is a mom and aunt to two amazing Girl Scouts, Madi and Savannah. For them and all Girl Scouts, she works to unleash the power of girls through experiences that build leaders of tomorrow and help them realize there is always a solution to every problem. “Think like McGyver,” as Marla would say.

One thing you might not know about Girl Scouts—Dakota Horizons’ CEO, is that she spent her childhood on a farm near Beaver Creek, MN, with sheep, more sheep and lots of sheep. Marla’s down to earth personality started on that farm and grew into a love of getting to know people authentically, and engaging people in their interests and figuring out how to make life fun and adventurous.

Marla’s love of iconic brands (like Girl Scouts) led her to work for more than 20 years for Coca-Cola and Pepsi, at the forefront of sales, marketing and service leadership across the United States and Canada.

Marla holds an MBA in Marketing from the Craig School of Business, California State University and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing and Management from Minnesota State University, but her biggest accomplishment is being a mom to twins, Max and Madi.

Which Girl Scout cookie is your favorite?

Samoas! What’s better than crisp cookies, coated in caramel and sprinkled with toasted coconut? And the best part? Dark Chocolate stripes on top of it all!

Lori's Bio: Lori Dykstra has moved all over the Midwest. Growing up as a self-proclaimed army brat, she attended every grade in elementary school in a different state. So being a Girl Scout from an early age was instrumental in helping her make new friends everywhere she went. Lori brings a background of technology, operations, project management and marketing to her role as COO and enjoys helping people get to their own success stories by combining the right thing to do with the best thing to do. Lori is passionate about helping Sioux Falls community children impacted by cancer and is the founder of the Jakob L. Beier Endowment benefitting Sanford Cure Kids Cancer. She is also a committed volunteer for Children’s Miracle Network.

Which Girl Scout cookie is your favorite?

Samoa and Savanah Smiles; I like them all! I like diversity and I don’t want the same cookie-cutter mold every single time. I think diversity and inclusion brings about better collaboration and better results. So embrace your uniqueness.

Kailene's Bio: Kailene was born in Aberdeen, SD and raised in Reno, Nevada, the biggest little city in the world. To this day, Kailene has an affinity for mountain ranges, jeans and a great pair of boots. Kailene’s passions include her faith, family, good music, friends, real estate, country and understanding what makes people who they are. Kailene decided to pursue education with a double major in Business and Psychology and has held multiple leadership positions in the Human Resources field. This background has brought her to Girl Scouts—Dakota Horizons where she is inspired every day by the Girl Scouts mission and the important work we do. She is committed to helping develop a great culture where together anything and everything is possible.

Which Girl Scout cookie is your favorite?

The Thin Mint. The Thin Mint is a round chocolate wafer with just the right hint of mint flavor and is one of the most popular Girl Scouts cookies. They freeze great and bonus, the Thin Mint has the most cookies per sleeve of all the Girl Scout cookies!

Jackie's Bio: As the one in charge of the council’s Corporate Governance, CEO support and Board of Director’s support, Jackie runs a tight ship—but looking at her desk with files organized by color, it’s clear she brings fun and flair to the mission as well ( and sometimes her favorite baked goods and garden flowers too). Her boys and husband make sure she stays in touch with her “wild” side with regular camping outings with family and friends throughout South Dakota and Iowa. What drives her in her work life? Her personal mission statement: “Collaboration & Grace—people working together and positively supporting one another to develop excellent future leaders and communities.” Sounds like a Girl Scout to us!

Which Girl Scout cookie is your favorite?

Thin Mint! Isn’t it everybody’s favorite cookie?

Dale's Bio: Dale Norton has always been good with numbers and his attention to detail make him the ideal CFO for Girl Scouts-Dakota Horizons. Dale grew up in Spirit Lake, IA and graduated from the University of South Dakota, BSBA, with an emphasis in accounting. Immediately out of college, Dale went to work with Deloitte in Phoenix, AZ, working his way up to become an auditing manager. Most recently, Dale was a Financial Advisor but has also been a CFO or Controller of various companies in Sioux Falls, SD. Dale’s drive to succeed supports the critical role of the financial aspect in our great girl-centered organization and he strives for accurate recording and proper use of communication channels. When he isn’t attending his sons’ sporting events, Dale participates in competitive sailing, which has been a passion of his from the age of six.

Which Girl Scout cookie is your favorite?

Thin Mints, preferably frozen!

Marla's Bio

Lori's Bio

Kailene's Bio

Jackie's Bio

Dale's Bio