Camp Fire USA Orange County Council

KANSAS CITY, MO, September 25, 2010 (Press-News.org) Camp Fire USA has appointed Cathy Tisdale, a former Girl Scouts of America and American Red Cross executive, as the youth organization's new Chief Executive Officer. Tisdale joined Camp Fire USA this summer during the organization's centennial year. Camp Fire USA Orange County Council is one of 84 councils in 31 states that Tisdale will provide leadership to.
"The timing of Cathy's arrival is fortuitous," said Glenn Cravez, chair of the Camp Fire USA Board of Trustees. "Being our centennial year, we were in search of a visionary leader who could lead us for the next 100 years—a candidate with an understanding of the changing world of the nonprofit industry, as well as a leader who would honor our long legacy of serving youth. Cathy comes with significant experience in building and leading organizations to achieve mission, strategy, and impact."

About Cathy Tisdale
Tisdale began her nonprofit career in 1978 at The American Red Cross. During her 28 years of service at the Red Cross, she held a series of roles at both the headquarters' and affiliates' offices. She was frequently sought for Chapter CEO positions because of her expertise in building both strong board and management partnerships and consistently meeting program revenue and growth goals. In 2007, Tisdale joined Girl Scouts of America, headquartered in New York City, as Vice President Mission-to-Market/Council Partnerships. In that capacity, she implemented the merger and integration of councils from 312 to 112, resulting in improved council performance, efficiencies, and service.

Goals for Camp Fire USA
"I have four immediate goals for my work at Camp Fire USA—to be a national advocate for America's youth, to support the councils in their work, to promote Camp Fire USA's strong brand, and to make sure we have the ongoing resources to be a sustainable organization for the next 100 years," shared Tisdale.
"I am honored to be named CEO at this important moment in Camp Fire USA's history," continues Tisdale. "Certainly Camp Fire may not look the same in the future. Our programming will change as society changes. Technology will have an impact on everything we do. We've been environmental stewards for 100 years, and our work in that area continues. This is an exciting time to be leading Camp Fire." "But at the end of the day, I see a larger overarching vision that transcends all we do. We should never forget our primary mission at Camp Fire USA. Our goal is to build caring confident youth and future leaders. We have an aspiring vision of preparing boys and girls to be productive, enlightened public citizens. Our goal is to give them the tools to craft a better future for our nation. I look forward to continuing our legacy and to crafting a vision for our next 100 years."

About Camp Fire USA
This year, Camp Fire USA is celebrating 100 years of building caring, confident youth and future leaders by providing programs nationwide for children, youth and families. Programs include after school programs, camps that inspire kids to explore and learn respect for the environment, and service leadership. Camp Fire USA, headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, has 84 councils in 31 states. Last year Camp Fire USA provided nearly 30 million program hours, to over 300,000 youth, in hundreds of communities across the United States. http://www.campfireusa.org.

About Camp Fire USA Orange County Council
Camp Fire USA Orange County Council is an inclusive, coeducational youth development organization that has been helping young people learn to become better stewards of their community, their world, and themselves since 1956. The Orange County Council provides after school enrichment, teen programs, and summer camp for youth. This summer, the Orange Council celebrated Camp Fire USA's centennial at the OC Fair. The mission is to build caring, confident youth and future leaders through coed programs that strengthen the individual, the family, and the Orange County community. http://www.campfireusaoc.org

(Color photo of Cathy Tisdale available upon request to lizzmishreki@cox.net)

Contact: Lizz Mishreki
(949) 716-4432
lizzmishreki@cox.net