Legacy of Leadership 
Legacy of Leadership will be on Wednesday, May 8, 2024 at 8:30am!
Join us at the Hyatt Regency Savannah to honor the past, present, and future of Girl Scouts history and sharing the Girl Scout Leadership Experience of today.
All proceeds stay local to provide the Girl Scout Leadership Experience Program (GSLE)
to members of Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia.
The Legacy of Leadership, hosted by Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia, is a prestigious event taking place on May 8, 2024, at the Hyatt Regency Savannah. We are thrilled to invite you to play a pivotal role in our Legacy of Leadership event!
Legacy of Leadership aims to celebrate the history of Girl Scouts and showcase the current Girl Scout Leadership Experience. The event will recognize influential leaders of the past, present, and future of Girl Scouts in Savannah. Mary Morrison is receiving the Legacy of Leadership Award - our exclusive award for Girl Scouts that honors a woman who reflects the values in the Girl Scout Promise and Law and who serves as an excellent role model for girls. Girl Scout alum, Dr. Denise Watts, SCCPSS Superintendent of Schools, will serve as the keynote speaker, an example of the present day leaders in Savannah. Current Girl Scout, Ella S., will be recognized as our Young Leader, due to her hard work in helping shape the next generation of leaders though the Girl Scouts program.
Read more about the amazing Girl Scouts we're recognizing below!
For more information, and sponsorship opportunities, please contact
Chelsea Simpson, Community Engagement Manager
CSimpson@GSHG.org
Mary Morrison
Legacy of Leadership Honoree
"Make new friends, but keep the old
One is silver, the other gold..."
Mary Morrison is a proud Girl Scout alum - coming from a multi-generational Girl Scout family where both her mother and grandmother were very involved with our organization in Atlanta, where she grew up.
Morrison was a Girl Scout until 12th grade and earned her Curved Bar, the highest award a Girl Scout could earn at that time - her leaders made certain that as she and her troop sisters grew they had the opportunities to participate in various activities and service projects, and even worked with international students from Chile!
She was overwhelmed when she learned that she would be honored with the Legacy of Leadership award, which teaches everyone leadership, friendship, and comraderie. She states that, "Being a Girl Scout taught me how to follow through when I had volunteer jobs in Atlanta and now in Savannah, and also to honor those that came before us and to continue on the good work that Girl Scouts instills in young people."
She will be honored at the Legacy of Leadership breakfast at the Hyatt Regency in Savannah on Wednesday, May 8 at 8:30am.
Present
Dr. Denise Watts
Our Keynote Speaker
Dr. Denise Watts is a passionate and committed education professional, practitioner and consultant. Her experience and track record as a leader at the school and district level has focused on significantly improving the quality and culture of education for school-age children, especially those in traditionally underserved communities.
Watts’ 20-year career has focused on serving children. As a teacher, athletic coach and principal and school district leader, she has demonstrated an unrelenting dedication to cultivating the conditions in which children can maximize their limitless potential in school and in life.
Denise Watts currently serves as Chief of Schools in the Houston Independent School District, serving over 194,000 students in 274 schools. She oversees principal supervision, magnet schools and innovation and strategy. Prior to this, she was the Chief of District Support for the University of Virginia’s Partnership for Leaders in Education. In this role, she worked to assist school districts from around the country in efforts to improve student outcomes through innovation and best practice.
Formally, Watts was employed by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools as the leader of Project L.I.F.T. (Leadership and Investment for Transformation), a philanthropic initiative composed of leaders from Charlotte’s largest community and family foundations aiming to accelerate student achievement in up to 29 schools serving the district’s most educational and economically disadvantaged students. Under the leadership of Dr. Watts, Project L.I.F.T. schools were among the first in the nation to implement Opportunity Culture, a model that leverages district support systems to re-design career pathways and compensation to extend the reach of excellent teachers to more students within budget. This strategy yielded a positive impact on student achievement as well as the recruitment, retention and development of teachers in Project L.I.F.T. schools. It is now being replicated in CMS and over 20 districts across the country.
In her career trajectory, Dr. Watts was recognized for her leadership as the North Carolina’s NASSP Middle Level Principal of the Year in 2008. In her first year as a principal, she led Mint Hill Middle School to be a National School to Watch. In 2019, she was also tapped for Strategic Staffing, CMS’s nationally recognized turnaround initiative that placed top leaders and teachers in its most challenged schools.
Future
Ella S.
Young Leader Recognition
For most of her life, 17-year-old Ella S. has been surrounded by leaders who inspired, mentored and motivated her.
Now, she’s joining their ranks.
On May 8, Ella, a Savannah Arts Academy junior and long-time Girl Scout, will be one of two honorees recognized for exceptional leadership by the Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia (GSHG) during their “Legacy of Leadership” breakfast, an annual event that raises funds to support Girl Scout programming, fostering growth and empowering girls.
In a competitive field of candidates, Shaffer differentiated herself through a series of achievements both in scouting and beyond, inspiring others by the example she has set since joining the Girl Scouts in kindergarten.
“Ella stands as the epitome of the qualities we aspire to instill in our Girl Scouts,” said Chelsea Simpson, GSHG’s community engagement manager. “She underscores the positive impact the Girl Scouts have on academic achievement, personal well-being, and the cultivation of a strong sense of self, positive values, challenge-seeking spirit, healthy relationships, and community problem-solving.”
The lessons those engagements imparted remain with her still, prompting Ella to develop a leadership philosophy focused on acts of service.
And it shows.
Her resume is rife with honors, awards and activities that reflect her desire to be the kind of Scout others will want to emulate.
“Leadership to me is not about being in charge of something,” Ella said. “It’s about being a good example for people to follow and helping people wherever they may need.”
Read more about Ella in her interview with Connect Savannah!
Leadership Transcended
GOLD SPONSORS
This year, we introduced "Leadership Transcended" These sponsors celebrate their involvement in shaping the next generation of leaders though the Girl Scouts program, representing its impact in the past, present, and future.
Thank you to our Leadership Transcended 2024 Sponsors
Colonial Group
Gulfstream
Hyatt Regency Savannah
JE Dunn Construction
Juliette’s Table
SILVER SPONSORS
Thank you to our Juliette's Table 2024 Sponsors
Dulany Industries
Synovus Bank
Thomas & Hutton
Vogel Legacy Wealth Mgmt. Group/Stifel
Savannah Technical College
Seimitsu
Chatham Steel
Old Savannah Tours
Trailblazers
BRONZE SPONSORS
Thank you to our Trailblazer 2024 Sponsors
Georgia Ports Authority
Great Dane
International Paper
JIT Warehousing & Logistics
JPMorgan Chase
Optim Health Systems
Savannah Magazine
Visit Savannah
Refine Savannah
Diana Morrison
Harkleroad Jewelers
Bridging Savannah's Bridge
We'll Bridge Savannah's Bridge with you again on June 8, 2024!
Click here to register!
End your 2023-24 Girl Scout year with a BANG! Join us to celebrate all your accomplishments, contributions to your community, and to connect with your Girl Scout sisters from all over Georgia and the U.S. at this ceremony by the sea.
Girl Scout Daisies through Adults are welcome to join us - and some special guests - for a Girl Scout exclusive event inside Fort Pulaski before we march across the drawbridge, through the magazines, and out to cross the Bridge over the South Channel of the Savannah River. Trolleys will be waiting as we continue to our celebratory Party at the Pier on the beach at Tybee Island. Fun, festivities, refreshments and more will complete the morning and be a sweet start to your summer!
Girl Scouts, past and present, from across Georgia and around the nation are invited to come to Savannah, the historic home of Juliette Gordon Low and the Girl Scouts, to participate in this special and unique opportunity: to celebrate themselves; reflect on their contributions to their community; connect with their Girl Scout sisters and our history; and experience a Girl Scout Ceremony as they never have before!
Bridging is an important transition in a Girl Scout’s life. It’s a defining moment when a Girl Scout becomes aware of her achievements and is ready for new adventures and responsibilities. Bridging ceremonies often utilize a bridge as girls take literal steps toward the future.
For Girl Scouts, the act of crossing the bridge is both a physical and symbolic step, as they have the opportunity to bridge levels six times - Daisy to Brownie, Brownie to Junior, Junior to Cadette, Cadette to Senior, Senior to Ambassador, and Ambassador to Adult.
View some of the photos from the 2023 event shot by our GSHG MarComm Department below, or view them all here!
Special thanks to Bunny Ware for shooting our Bridging Savannah's Bridge event!
Follow this link to see more photos!
Thank You to Our 2024 Presenting Sponsors
