Meet our CEO

Heather Coburn is the Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore (GSJS), where she leads a dedicated team of staff, board members, volunteers, and community partners committed to building girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place.

Since joining GSJS in 2016, Heather has held several leadership roles within the organization. She served as Chief Operations Officer from January 2020 through November 2021, guiding staff through the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic while continuing to advance council operations, programs, and member support. Prior to becoming COO, Heather served as Director of the Office of the CEO, where she supported executive leadership and Board of Directors functions while overseeing property operations and initiatives focused on staff engagement and organizational effectiveness.

As CEO, Heather is a passionate advocate for the Girl Scout movement and a strong believer in the power of Girl Scouts to prepare girls for the world they will inherit. She has championed a strategic vision focused on expanding access, strengthening the member experience, transforming program delivery, and deepening GSJS’s role as a visible and engaged community partner. Her leadership has included expanding innovative STEM and outdoor programming, creating greater access to Girl Scout experiences for underserved girls, strengthening community partnerships, and developing new approaches to engaging girls and families across Monmouth and Ocean counties.

Heather is committed to ensuring that Girl Scouts remains responsive to the changing needs of today’s girls and families. She believes strongly in creating a Girl Scout experience that meets girls where they are—whether that means participating in a troop, exploring a single program or camp experience, discovering a new interest, or finding a community that feels like their own. She is currently leading GSJS through a period of strategic growth and organizational evolution, exploring new opportunities to strengthen the Girl Scout movement and expand its impact across the region.

Heather’s perspective as a Girl Scout leader is deeply personal. Her daughter, Casey, is a Cadette Girl Scout, giving Heather a firsthand view of the Girl Scout experience not only as a CEO, but as a parent navigating the realities of today’s busy families. Watching Casey grow through Girl Scouts has reinforced Heather’s belief that there is no single way to be a Girl Scout and that the movement must continue to evolve to make meaningful experiences accessible, relevant, and exciting for every girl. From balancing Girl Scouts with school, friendships, and other activities to seeing firsthand the confidence, independence, and sense of belonging that come from Girl Scout experiences, Casey’s journey provides Heather with an everyday reminder of why the work matters.