Kim Fraites-Dow, CEO of Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania
Kim Fraites-Dow still remembers how she felt while wearing the traditional Girl Scout uniform for the first time. She was living with her family in Florida, one of several places she called home during a childhood marked by a lot of moves and new beginnings, thanks to her father’s career in the military. Feeling a sense of belonging was important to her. “I’m the daughter of a first-generation South Korean American—my mom,” she explains. “That’s very different growing up in Northwest Florida.” But those differences seemed to melt away when she was exploring and learning alongside her fellow Girl Scouts. “I remember thinking, ‘There’s no other place that’s like this,’” says Fraites-Dow.
She had no way of knowing that one day she’d be playing a significant leadership role in the same organization that helped to shape her formative years. It’s a job that keeps her both busy and fulfilled. “There are no typical days, which makes it fun, challenging, exciting and inviting,” Fraites-Dow notes. “I enjoy opportunities to mentor, be mentored, learn and engage in every aspect of council life.”
At first, it seemed her career might be rooted in music. A trained classical clarinetist, Fraites-Dow earned a bachelor of music from the prestigious Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, in 1998, while also obtaining a bachelor of arts in psychology from the University of Rochester. She worked for the Julliard School in an administrative position before moving on to roles in other organizations, including the Philadelphia Orchestra and The Franklin Institute. All the while, the desire to take on a position with more sway was strong. “Eventually I knew I wanted a seat at the executive table where strategy and decisions were being made,” she says.
Fraites-Dow joined the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania in 2011 as the Chief Development and Marketing Officer. From there, she rose in the ranks and was named CEO in March of 2016. She says digging into the core values that have sustained the Girl Scouts for more than 100 years wasn’t a difficult transition; her parents always encouraged Fraites-Dow and her two brothers (one older than her, one younger) to embrace their individuality and their strengths. “We really discovered who we were from that,” Fraites-Dow says. Community service was also stressed in the Fraites household. Now, Fraites-Dow says being able to promote the Girl Scouts’ overall mission is one of the best perks of her position. “I love what we’re doing,” she says. “We’re making an impact on girls; that’s having a ripple effect on the community and the world.”
The Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania prides itself on empowering some 40,000 girls in nine counties in this part of the state, including Lehigh and Northampton. “We’re building girls of courage, confidence and character,” Fraites-Dow says. “We have girls who are thinking about the community outside their individual experience. When they see injustice, they introduce some kind of innovation to make it better.” She points to a Montgomery County Girl Scout who helped push an ordinance to ban plastic straws as a real-life example that demonstrates those objectives in action. Also, the chapter’s Spark magazine offers profiles of the many scouts who are making a difference in the world around them.
Girl Scouts of Eastern PA
While there are many success stories to speak of, Fraites-Dow acknowledges the organization’s clear and present challenges. “We’re in a unique time from a competitive perspective,” she says. Earlier this year, the Boy Scouts of America began accepting girls into its ranks for the first time in its 107-year history. Fraites-Dow doesn’t want the sanctity of what her organization offers to be diminished by the change. It’s something she speaks about with passion. “Girl Scouts is a very unique experience,” she says. “Girls get to hang out with each other in an all-girl environment.” And it’s not just about gender, she explains—it’s about programming. “Girls thrive in an environment where they are not concerned about competition with boys. Research has determined that in a coed environment, girls who are interested and have the capacity and skills to participate may opt out. Our focus is on topics and learning—not on gender.” Fraites-Dow says she’s made it a point to make herself more visible in the community over the past year in order to give a face and a voice to the Girl Scouts’ narrative: “Our story is one of 107 years of proven leadership where we focus specifically on girls.”
Another challenge facing many of the Girl Scouts’ 112 chapters across the U.S. is recruiting volunteers to serve as troop leaders, or to assist the organization in other ways. Stay-at-home moms used to be the go-to group for those roles, but now, with more mothers in the workforce, there’s a void. Fraites-Dow says they’re working on connecting with millennials who haven’t yet started families of their own, and with retirees who want to stay active and have a role in shaping the young people in their communities.
Staying relevant is another concern in what’s become the new reality of how we spend our free time, where even just getting young people to look up from their electronic devices could be considered a small victory. But Fraites-Dow says the Girl Scouts isn’t trying to compete with screen time and social media; instead, it’s more of a “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” mentality. “We are in some cases utilizing these to connect and provide opportunities for girls to disconnect.” The Girl Scouts’ curriculum has also turned its members’ changing tastes in activities and interests into new opportunities to fill up their sashes and vests. Forty-two new badges were introduced this past summer, tackling everything from cybersecurity to space science to outdoor adventures. But badges that might be considered more traditional are still popular, says Fraites-Dow. “It’s all about giving girls the tools they need to be successful. It’s very empowering.”
Fraites-Dow lives in Delaware County with her husband, Kevin Dow, executive director of the Philadelphia nonprofit Friends of the Rail Park, and their two children, Ella and Elijah. And yes, Ella is a Girl Scout, something that Fraites-Dow maintains makes her a better mom and boss. “It makes me feel like every mom of a Girl Scout when I get to witness firsthand her growth as a leader, taking risks, and building courage, confidence and character,” she says. “In the leadership of this organization, I get firsthand experience understanding diversity, and can identify and solve pain points in real time.”
And to the Girl Scouts of today who will be tomorrow’s working moms, just like Fraites-Dow, she has this to say: “Regarding work/life balance, it’s all life, and we all bring our best self to the different environments. I am the same self for home and for work, where what I am doing is meaningful and gets my full attention.”
Bring on the cookies!
- The Girl Scouts’ 2020 cookie season officially begins on January 16.
- Kim Fraites-Dow’s favorites are Thin Mints and Caramel deLites. (“But if I am at work, I love the Peanut Butter Sandwich cookies because they have more protein… right!”)
- This year will mark the debut of new packaging for the cookies; the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania will be represented by one of their own (Serena) on the new Lemonades package.
- New incentives are being added to encourage the older scouts to rack up those sales, such as earning credits toward expenses related to graduation, like purchasing class rings, prom dresses, etc.
