CBIA BizCast: Giving Girls a Roadmap to Success

The Girl Scouts have always held a special place in Elicia Pegues Spearman’s life.

“My mother was a Girl Scout Brownie when she was growing up,” Pegues Spearman told the CBIA BizCast. “I was a Brownie here in Connecticut, and my daughter was a Girl Scout, and I was a coach, troop leader.”

Despite that history, Pegues Spearman never imagined leading Girl Scouts of Connecticut.

“I’ve enjoyed my career as a lawyer,” she said. “I’ve had a really good career.”

Her career included legal counsel and HR roles at the State of Connecticut, the FBI, Aetna, Hubbell Incorporated, General Dynamics Electric Boat, and Quinnipiac University.

‘More than Cookies‘

She reconnected with Girl Scouts in 2022 when she received a Breakfast Badge, an award honoring woman for community contributions.

She stayed in touch with the then-CEO and, in 2024, became CEO herself.

“The Girl Scouts is a lot of fun,” she said about making the career shift. “I don’t like to be bored.”

“We are more than cookies, camps and badges.”

Girl Scouts of Connecticut’s Elicia Pegues Spearman

While cookies often come to mind when you think of the Girl Scouts—it’s the organization’s biggest initiative teaching entrepreneurship, customer service, and money management—the organization’s purpose runs deeper.

“We are more than cookies, camps, and badges,” Pegues Spearman said.

“Our whole mission is to build girls of confidence, character, and courage.

“To do that, we have many programs and skill building that build leadership development that our girls are involved in.”

Skill Building

Pegues Spearman said the Girl Scouts of Connecticut focus on outdoor skills, life skills, business skills, and STEAM education.

Pegues Spearman highlighted Camp Sikorsky and Camp CEO as examples of programs that give girls experiential learning opportunities.

The Girl Scouts of Connecticut focus on outdoor skills, life skills, business skills, and STEAM education.

Camp Sikorsky offers overnight engineering workshops led by industry volunteers.

Camp CEO connects high schoolers with executives and business leaders for mentorship and insight.

This year’s program at Quinnipiac University focused on sustainability and gave the girls lessons in different components of running a business.

Secrets to Success

“I just feel like we’re giving them the secrets to success earlier on in their lives,” Pegues Spearman said.

“They kind of have a roadmap about what it means to be successful.”

“I just feel like we’re giving them the secrets to success.”

Pegues Spearman

One of the best parts, she said, is watching girls interact and grow in confidence.

“Seeing that sparkle in their eye and that like, ‘wow, I just did that,’” she said.

“’I didn’t think that I could climb a tree, I didn’t think that I would know how to light a fire. I didn’t think that I could do archery.’”

Meaningful Mission

As the leader of a nonprofit, Pegues Spearman said being successful means navigating challenges.

“I think the biggest challenge is obviously resources. We’re a nonprofit. We have tight budgets, and we depend on volunteers,” she said.

“90% of my job has to be fund development to make sure that we’re strong. So, I’m looking for partnerships and collaborations.”

“We want all girls of all abilities to be able to access Girl Scouts.”

Pegues Spearman

Pegues Spearman credits her team of paid employees and volunteers for the success of the organization.

“My staff loves our mission, and we work every day with that mission in mind,” she said. “It’s easy when you’re supporting youth.”

As part of its mission, the Girl Scouts of Connecticut is working to expand access for girls of all abilities and backgrounds, with a special focus on underserved communities.

“I want to ignite a safe programming space where our members and community come,” she said. “We want all girls of all abilities to be able to access Girl Scouts.”

‘Special Passion’

In addition to her role with the Girl Scouts, Pegues Spearman serves as the North Atlantic Regional Director of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.

The sorority is the oldest Greek-letter organization established by African American college-educated women.

“This is my special passion—to mentor girls and have them be their best.”

Pegues Spearman

Pegues Spearman said she finds natural alignment between her work with the sorority and her role with the Girl Scouts.

“Being the leader of the Girl Scouts, going to an all-women’s college, being in an all-women’s sorority—it’s natural for me to be involved with girls and youth,” she said.

“This is my special passion—to mentor girls and have them be their best and have them try things they would have never tried.”

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