Alameda, CA, May 2026 — Girl Scouts of Northern California (GSNorCal) is proud to announce that CEO Mary-Jane Strom has been named to the San Francisco Business Times' Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business Class of 2026 (see full list here). Selected from nearly 400 nominations across the Bay Area business and nonprofit community, Mary-Jane was honored at the San Francisco Business Times gala on May 7, 2026, joined by GSNorCal board members and Girl Scouts from across Northern California.
The evening had a special GSNorCal moment when Youth Board member Zahra T. took the stage to help present awards, putting a Girl Scout at the center of a room full of the Bay Area's most influential women leaders.
Mary-Jane leads a council of more than 40,000 girl and adult members across 19 counties, one of the largest Girl Scout councils in the country. With over 20 years of experience in youth development and outdoor programming, she has championed equitable access to leadership experiences, STEM programming, and the outdoors for girls and gender-expansive youth throughout her career.
About Girl Scouts of Northern California
Girl Scouts of Northern California serves over 46,000 youth and adult volunteers across 19 counties from Gilroy to the Oregon border. Girl Scouts bring their dreams to life and work together to build a better world. Through programs from coast to coast, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges—whether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike, advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends.
Backed by trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and millions of alums, Girl Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and create change on the issues that matter most to them. To learn more about Girl Scouts of Northern California, visit www.gsnorcal.org.
Media Contact:
Rebekah Kapfer
marketing@gsnorcal.org