The Room Where Minnesota’s Future Leaders Stand Next to the Women Who Built the Path
May 11, 2026
Girl Scouts River Valleys gathers eight changemakers — Minnesota Executives, and four Girl Scouts — for the event that puts the next generation in the same room as the leaders who are clearing the way for them.
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ST. PAUL, Minn., May 28, 2026 — Ask any woman who has ever broken into a room that wasn’t built for her what she needed most, and the answer is rarely money or credentials. It’s someone who went first.
On Thursday evening at the St. Paul RiverCentre, Girl Scouts River Valleys will put that idea center stage. The organization’s annual Celebrate Changemakers event honorsevent will honor eight leaders — four from the boardrooms and foundations reshaping Minnesota, and four Girl Scouts who are not waiting for permission to lead.
This is not simply a celebration, but a celebratory momentit’s belief being passed, moment by moment, forrom women who createdbuilt possibilities forpossibility to for the next generation of girls who are already imagining what’s next.
The 2026 Honoree Class
The adult honorees represent some of the most consequential institutions in the region.
- Gloria Perez, President and CEO of the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, honored for Courage, has spent her career driving systemic change in gender and racial equity — and arrives at the event as someone whose work directly intersects with what Girl Scouts River Valleys is building.
- Kathie Eiland-Madison, Senior Vice President and Chief Impact Officer at Delta Dental, honored for Character, has anchored a career in community health equity, bringing the resources of a major corporation to bear on the communities left behind by traditional systems.
- Adrienne Diercks, Founder and Executive Director of Project Success, honored for Curiosity, has spent decades giving young people the tools to imagine — and pursue — futures they were never told were possible.
- Mary Jayne Crocker, Board Member at Bridgewater Bank, honored for Confidence, brings the confidence of someone who knows what it means to hold space in a room built for others.
Then there are the four Girl Scouts honored alongside the adult honorees.
- Lizzy Nyoike, honored for Confidence.
- Lillian Launsbach, honored for Character.
- Lillian Chan, honored for Courage.
- Charlize-Mccharisma Laban, honored for Curiosity.
They are not the token youth segment of an adult event. These young women are co-honorees, seated as equals, whose presence is itself a statement about what Girl Scouts River Valleys believes leadership looks like.
From the CEO
“When women and girls step into spaces where decisions are made, they bring bold ideas, fresh perspectives, and the power to create real change,” said Marisa C. Williams, CEO of Girl Scouts River Valleys. “These honorees don’t just occupy the spaces they’re in — they redefine them. And every girl in our organization is watching.”
What is at Stake
Girl Scouts River Valleys serves more than 13,500 girls across a 49-county region spanning Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Its programs cover STEM, entrepreneurship, civic engagement, outdoor leadership, and workforce readiness — building the kind of skills employers say they’re looking for and communities say they need. Funds raised through Celebrate Changemakers help expand access to leadership experiences for girls across urban, suburban, and rural communities throughout the council’s region. Support helps provide financial assistance, mentorship opportunities, STEM programming, outdoor education experiences, civic engagement initiatives, and entrepreneurship training for thousands of girls.
In a moment when conversation about workforce pipelines, gender equity, and youth development dominates every policy table in the state, this event makes a practical argument: the investment starts here, and it starts young.
“People still associate Girl Scouts primarily with cookies, camps and crafts; but that narrative is incomplete,” said Marisa C. Williams. “What we are building is a leadership pipeline. We are preparing girls to navigate boardrooms, launch businesses, advocate for their communities, lead in STEM careers, and shape the future of this region. Celebrate Changemakers is about elevating the women and young people already doing that work — and showing girls what is possible when leadership is nurtured early.” Community and corporate supporters say that evolution is resonating.
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For Assignment Editors and TV Producers
The event opens at 5:30 p.m. with a pre-program reception with executives from Delta Dental, the Women’s Foundation, Bridgewater Bank, and other sponsors who will enjoy event activations. The formal program features live honoree remarks, cross-generational moments where adult honorees interact directly with the youth honorees seated beside them, and audience reactions that play across every demographic in the room. Producers looking for a visual that communicates mentorship, women’s leadership, and youth potential in a single frame will find it here repeatedly. Bold, formal attire is encouraged — this is a room that photographs well.
EVENT DETAILS
What:
Celebrate Changemakers — Girl Scouts River Valleys Annual Leadership Fundraiser
When:
Thursday, May 28, 2026 | Doors open at 5:30 PM
Where:
St. Paul RiverCentre | St. Paul, Minnesota
Parking:
Science Museum of Minnesota Garage, 120 W. Kellogg Blvd. | $10 per vehicle
Media Credentials:
Contact Benjamin Davis | communications@girlscoutsrv.org
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About Girl Scouts River Valleys
Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys’ mission is rooted in the values of equity, collaboration, transformation, joyful excellence, and centering youth and volunteers. Supported by more than 5,800 volunteers, Girl Scouts River Valleys delivers life-changing experiences to over 15,000 girls and gender-expansive youth across southern Minnesota, western Wisconsin, and one county in Iowa. One of 111 Girl Scout councils nationwide, Girl Scouts River Valleys strives to build girls of courage, confidence, character, and curiosity who are the bold, bright leaders of today and tomorrow.
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Media Contact
Julia Brolin
Phone: (612) 669-2456
Email: julia@nicestorytelling.com
Web: nicestorytelling.com/
