Meet Dr. Amanda Kelly, GSCO's new CEO

https://youtu.be/WUnsfny1SCo

Girl Scout Media Star Bianca sits down with Dr. Amanda Kelly to get to know her, and what she loves about Girl Scouts. Having issues loading the video? Watch the video on The GSCO YouTube channel.

Bianca

Hello, I'm Bianca, and today I'm interviewing Dr. Amanda Kelly, the new CEO of Girl Scouts of Colorado. I'm so excited to get to know you and help you get to know all of our Girl Scouts. Welcome to Girl Scouts of Colorado. What's your favorite part about living in Colorado?

Amanda

The weather. I come from Ireland where it rains all the time, and I love the weather here. It doesn't matter what season it is, the sun is shining and it makes me happy.

Bianca

Yep! 300 days of sunshine. Where did you grow up? You said you grew up in Ireland, but where?

Amanda

I grew up in a very tiny village right in the middle of Ireland called Castletown Geoghegan in County Westmeath. And if you've ever been to Ireland, people don't normally visit there.

Bianca

I would love to go. I've never been, but I would love to.

Amanda

Well, if you travel from Dublin to Galway then you pass where I'm from. I love home and I get to go home at least a couple of times a year, which is nice.

Bianca

Tell us about your family.

Amanda

My husband's from Oklahoma and I have a little boy, Evan, who's five. My parents and my twin sister are all back in Ireland. I take any opportunity to talk about my identical twin. I get to speak to her every day, but she lives in Dublin. We also get to see each other multiple times a year. I'm actually going to see her in just a week from now.

Bianca

That's so exciting.

Amanda

It's going to be fun. And since I'm from Ireland, I have a million cousins and aunties and uncles and, you know, so every time we go home, it's a tour of all of the cousins and aunties and uncles.

Bianca

What did you want to be when you were a kid? Did you have a dream job?

Amanda

I didn't have a dream job, which thinking back now, I actually think I would have really benefited from something like Girl Scouts. To be able to have all of these incredible experiences that our girls get to have and try different programs and try my hand at different things. I never knew what I wanted to do when I was growing up, and at some point in time psychology sounded kind of cool, so that's what I ended up doing.

Bianca

That leads into my next question. Why do you think it's important for girls to be in Girl Scouts?

Amanda

I think about the mission of Girl Scouts and building girls of courage, confidence, and character. And I keep thinking about every single one of those words. And each word can mean so many different things to so many different people. But even thinking about courage and confidence, just the ability to think about girls having the freedom to be able to question, to be able to try new things, to take risks in a safe place and to build their skills. I mean, look at you. You're so impressive.

Bianca

That's definitely one of my favorite parts of Girl Scouts. Like, even being a media star has taught me like confidence and people skills and all sorts of things.

Amanda

There's a million reasons why Girl Scouts is important, but we would be here all day. When you think about the mission, it really resonates with me, and you could say a lot about every single one of those words.

Bianca

What were you doing before you became the CEO of Girl Scouts of Colorado?

Amanda

I was the CEO of Firefly Autism, which is a nonprofit that's dedicated to working with people with autism, mostly kids, but definitely some adults as well. And I was actually there for 14 years. I wasn't the CEO for 14 years. I started doing home-based services and then about five years ago I got the role of the CEO. Leaving Firefly was bittersweet. 14 years is a long time. But I always say I never ever ever wanted another job until this job. And then it was just a complete no-brainer. So I'm very grateful for the opportunity.

Bianca

Well, we're so happy you're here. You have your doctorate. What do you have your doctorate in?

Amanda

A kind of psychology. My twin and I did everything together, including our undergrads and our master's and our doctorates. So I have my doctorate in behavioral psychology specifically. So that's why I love the Girl Scouts so much. And I love what the Girl Scouts can provide for girls because I'm completely obsessed with human development, human behavior, child development, why people behave the way that they do, and the variables in people's lives that can either contribute to really awesome outcomes or not so much. And I just see Girl Scouts as the really awesome outcomes contributor.

Bianca

What do you like to do when you're not working? Do you have any hobbies?

Amanda

I love being outside. I love hiking and being in water. I think just growing up in Ireland, I really like cold water. I do love to go camping during the summer, but just in general, I don't ski. That's the one thing I don't do.

Bianca

Our most important question so far. What's your favorite Girl Scout cookie?

Amanda

Samoas, I'm a caramel person. I do love a Thin Mint from the freezer.

Bianca

Me too! Finally, I have some quick this or that questions. Kayaking or rock climbing?

Amanda

Kayaking.

Bianca

Reading a book or watching a movie?

Amanda

Watching a movie, but reading a book is a close second.

Bianca

Camping or horseback riding?

Amanda

Camping.

Bianca

Coffee or tea?

Amanda

Coffee, but don't tell anybody in Ireland I said that.

Bianca

Early bird or night owl?

Amanda

Early bird.

Bianca

Cats or dogs?

Amanda

Dogs, but don't tell my cat.

Bianca

That's fair. I was gonna say cat, but don't tell my dog.

Bianca

That's all the questions I have for you. Thank you! This was so great to get to know you.