Carol M. Dedrich

CEO

Carol M. Dedrich, MBA, CFRE
Chief Executive Officer

Carol Dedrich attributes the lessons she learned as a young Girl Scout with preparing her for leadership roles in school, the military and throughout her career.
Carol joined Girl Scouts San Diego in October 2016. As CEO, her priorities include serving a geographically and economically diverse girl and volunteer base, leveraging community partnerships to better reach underserved communities, enriching the
volunteer experience, enhancing the middle and high school Girl Scout experience, and
building lasting relationships with donors in order to serve more girls and continue to provide relevant, critical programs.
She is committed to helping girls develop their courage, confidence, and character in order to overcome insecurities that can plague girls throughout their lives. She is also dedicated to building collaborations and helping women of all ages to support each other with less judgement of self and others, while expanding perspectives, skills and experience.

Carol has over 20 years of experience at the executive level in all three economic sectors: government/military, corporate and nonprofit. She began her career as
a Patriot Missile Officer in the U.S. Army with an RA commission and is a veteran of
Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
She transitioned to civilian life as a director at United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona, creating awareness about the importance of community problem solving and increasing support with philanthropists and community leaders. Carol then served the John Wayne Cancer Institute as vice president marketing and development. She became vice president at the Fulfillment Fund, an inner-city nonprofit that helps provide access to higher education for students who are economically disadvantaged. She led efforts to grow revenue, expand resources and leverage community partnerships in order to enhance services and increase high school graduation rates.
Carol then spent seven years as chief external relations officer for Girl Scouts Greater Los Angeles (GSGLA). She helped merge seven councils to form GSGLA by building infrastructure; strengthening marketing, communications and staff development; broadening membership; enhancing the volunteer experience; and developing a culture of philanthropy. She has an MBA, is a graduate of the Harvard Business School Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management, graduate of Lead San Diego—Influence, San Diego Business Journal SD500 2019 and 2020, Los Angeles Business Journal’s Women Making a Difference, and is currently working on her private pilot’s license.