Leadership Team
When Juliette Gordon Low founded Girl Scouts in 1912, she understood that dedicated and dynamic leaders were vital to helping girls develop their full potential.
With the support, vision, and commitment of our leadership team, Girl Scouts have the opportunity to find – and become – leaders in their communities and the world.
Marla Meyer
Chief Executive Officer
Marla Meyer is a strong supporter of leadership development for women and girls and loves working with Girl Scouts. She is a mom and aunt to two amazing Girl Scouts, Madi and Savannah. For them and all Girl Scouts, she works to unleash the power of girls through experiences that build leaders of tomorrow and help them realize there is always a solution to every problem. “Think like McGyver,” as Marla would say.
One thing you might not know about Girl Scouts—Dakota Horizons’ CEO, is that she spent her childhood on a farm near Beaver Creek, MN, with sheep, more sheep and lots of sheep. Marla’s down to earth personality started on that farm and grew into a love of getting to know people authentically, and engaging people in their interests and figuring out how to make life fun and adventurous.
Marla’s love of iconic brands (like Girl Scouts) led her to work for more than 20 years for Coca-Cola and Pepsi, at the forefront of sales, marketing and service leadership across the United States and Canada.
Marla holds an MBA in Marketing from the Craig School of Business, California State University and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing and Management from Minnesota State University, but her biggest accomplishment is being a mom to twins, Max and Madi.
Which Girl Scout cookie is your favorite?
Samoas! What’s
better than crisp cookies, coated in caramel and sprinkled with
toasted coconut? And the best part? Dark Chocolate stripes on top of
it all!
Stacy Stahl
Chief Operating Officer
Stacy has had a life-long love for adventure! A Girl Scout Alum (she fondly remembers attending a Girl Scout camp behind the Brandon, SD Lutheran Church) she caught the bug for world travel in high school which led her to teaching middle school English in three different small communities on the island of Hokkaido in the northern part of Japan and biking the Amalfi coast of Italy for her mom’s 60th birthday!
An Augustana University Graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology, Stacy returned from Japan with a new passion for working with youth and has spent her entire career doing just that! As the COO of Girl Scouts she is excited to serve a mission that continues to feed her passion for building confidence in girls. She also was drawn to the rich history of the organization and our founder Juliette Gordon Low who was a trailblazer and an advocate for women and girls during a time where the concept of empowering females wasn’t widely accepted or embraced.
Stacy looks forward to working with the council team and volunteers to create the most captivating and life-changing programming that advances the mission to build girls of courage, confidence and character and creates memories girls will remember for a lifetime.
Which Girl Scout cookie is your favorite?
Tough choice! I tend to go back and forth between Samoas and
Thin Mints. I’m a fan of all of the chocolate varieties!
Lisa Karsky
Vice President Development and Communications
Lisa Karsky was born on Christmas day and grew up on a farm outside of Springfield, SD. Lisa’s professional development began in middle school when her Mom started a home business and she traveled along, watching her connect with others, market her business, lead meetings and help other women do the same through development opportunities. This led Lisa to a Marketing & Business Degree from Dakota State University.
She was living in Fargo, ND at the time of the 2009 Red River Flood which instilled in her an unforgettable feeling of community and camaraderie as people demonstrated what it means to come together for others. This ignited a passion to give back and lead her to a career in Philanthropy beginning in 2011. This career shift and her passion collided when she joined Girl Scouts! Lisa is most excited to build a level of community awareness and partnership that gives a greater voice to the experiences and impact happening at Girl Scouts Dakota Horizons.
Which Girl Scout cookie is your favorite?
The new Adventurefuls! The crunchy brownie and caramel crème
pair with just about any Starbucks drink!
Amy Hoiland
Chief Financial Officer
Amy is a lifelong Girl Scout. Growing up in Aberdeen, she has many fond memories of camping at TDAF during her school-aged years and organizing and running a Mommy and Me Camp in high school. She feels that the experiences Girl Scouts provided her helped her develop into who she is today. Girl Scouts has had such an impact on Amy’s life that she was beyond ecstatic when she was able to merge her love for finance with her passion for the Girl Scout mission.
A University of Sioux Falls graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Amy has spent most of her professional career working in the non-profit sector. She has a keen eye for detail and a strong desire for helping to ensure financial stability for mission-based organizations.
During Amy’s free time, you will find her camping, fishing, watching her kids’ activities and traveling. She enjoys anything that allows her the opportunity to spend time with her husband Austin, daughter Shayla, son Miles and dogs, Cosmo & Max. In addition, Amy enjoys sharing her love for Girl Scouts with her daughter Shayla.
Which Girl Scout cookie is your favorite?
Samoas! You just can’t beat the combination of chocolate,
caramel and coconut.
Kailene Frey
Chief Human Resources and Risk Officer
Kailene was born in Aberdeen, SD and raised in Reno, Nevada, the biggest little city in the world. To this day, Kailene has an affinity for mountain ranges, jeans and a great pair of boots. Kailene’s passions include her faith, family, good music, friends, real estate, country and understanding what makes people who they are. Kailene decided to pursue education with a double major in Business and Psychology and has held multiple leadership positions in the Human Resources field. This background has brought her to Girl Scouts—Dakota Horizons where she is inspired every day by the Girl Scouts mission and the important work we do. She is committed to helping develop a great culture where together anything and everything is possible.
Which Girl Scout cookie is your favorite?
Thin Mints. Thin Mints are a round chocolate wafer with just
the right hint of mint flavor and is one of the most popular Girl
Scouts cookies. They freeze great and bonus, the Thin Mint has the
most cookies per sleeve of all the Girl Scout Cookies!
Jackie Swanstrom
Director of Governance and Executive Support
As the one in charge of the council’s Corporate Governance, CEO support and Board of Director’s support, Jackie runs a tight ship—but looking at her desk with files organized by color, it’s clear she brings fun and flair to the mission as well ( and sometimes her favorite baked goods and garden flowers too). Her boys and husband make sure she stays in touch with her “wild” side with regular camping outings with family and friends throughout South Dakota and Iowa. What drives her in her work life? Her personal mission statement: “Collaboration & Grace—people working together and positively supporting one another to develop excellent future leaders and communities.” Sounds like a Girl Scout to us!
Which Girl Scout cookie is your favorite?
Thin Mints! Isn’t it everybody’s favorite cookie?
