Kelli Hames is set to begin her career as executive director of Northwest Mississippi Girl Scout Council with a single philosophy.
"Girl Scouts in Northwest Mississippi is more than cookie sales. Our main purpose is to serve the girls so they'll be better citizens," said Hames.
She set up her new office two weeks ago, bringing years of business and marketing experience with her. She is replacing Mary Alice Cates.
Hames, 32, grew up in Coila and attended Carroll Academy. After she graduated with a bachelor's in business from Mississippi State University, she was vice president of Magnolia Graphics, a publishing and printing company, for 10 years.
During that period she handled the finances and learned how to run a business. Hames said she plans to use this experience in running Girl Scouts.
Last week she attended a strategic leadership workshop course in Grenada from a Girl Scouts representative from New York. This has helped her get started she said, and she will be traveling to New York in August for further training.
Four out of the 300-plus Girl Scout councils are operated in Mississippi. Each council is operated as a separate entity, with the executive director and a board.
The Northwest Mississippi Council was chartered in 1960, and it has a 25-member board.
"I still have a lot to learn about the Girl Scouts, but I think this works to my advantage because it will give me a fresh perspective and an open mind," said Hames.
In the mean time, she hopes to create more awareness about Girl Scouts and their mission throughout the 17-county area she oversees. Chambers of commerce are one of the avenues she hopes to pursue.
Some of the plans she has set for this year include a fish fry on June 23 and a fund-raiser called Birdies for Charities in October. More awareness will increase cookie sales and bring more troop leaders, said Hames.
Funds are also raised at the Girls Scouts store in the headquarters on East Washington Street.
On Thursday, Hames attended a bridging ceremony in Oxford. The ceremony was for girls who had earned new badges and were moving up a level. "The ceremony made me proud and really opened my eyes to what I was undertaking," she said.
