How Did I Get Here?

Anna Maria Chávez

Chief executive officer, Girl Scouts of the USA
  • Education
  • Shadow Mountain High School, Phoenix, class of 1986
  • Yale, class of 1990
  • James E. Rogers College of Law, University of Arizona, Tucson, class of 1994
  • Work Experience
  • 1995–96
    Attorney adviser, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
  • 1996
    Attorney adviser, Office of the White House Counsel to the President
  • 1997–2000
    Chief of staff for deputy administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration
  • 2001-2003
    Chief Administrative Counsel, Assistant Director Arizona Department of Economic Security
  • 2003–09
    Director of intergovernmental affairs, deputy chief of staff, Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano
  • 2009–11
    CEO, Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas
  • 2011–Present
    CEO, Girl Scouts of the USA
  • Life Lessons
  • “Advocate on behalf of the issues you’re passionate about.”
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  • “Live your life as a bold adventure, and you’ll improve others’ existence as well as your own.”
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  • Fourth-grade class photo, 1978
    “I was very involved in extracurriculars: foreign language club, National Honor Society, volunteering.”
  • On the Supreme Court steps, 1998
  • “I worked on Adarand v. Peña, about how the government hires minority businesses, which went to the Supreme Court.”
  • “I’d seen children fall through our safety networks and was happy working with the 21,000 scouts and leaders in Texas.”
  • With Girl Scouts at the White House, 2015
  • “It was a huge cultural shift from the Sonoran Desert to Connecticut.”
  • With Bill Clinton, 1996
  • “Clearly, there were a lot of issues in the Clinton administration, but I was busy negotiating trade relations with China.”
  • With Napolitano, 2009
    “I helped vulnerable populations in domestic violence shelters and refugee and homeless programs.”
  • “We’re creating the first technology platform for Girl Scouts globally. Digital Cookie has been tremendous—you’re going to see Girl Scouts in a different way.”