Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains honored three women who have made a difference and serve as role models for girls at a Breakfast with Champions Tuesday, May 3 at the Hampton Inn in Colchester.
CEO and President of NRG Systems Jan Blittersdorf, Shirley Collado PhD of Middlebury College, and senior political reporter at Channel 3 News in Vermont Kristin Carlson were honored.
Introductions of the honorees and presentations were made by Girl Scouts Katie Hango of South Burlington, Amanda Greene of Swanton, and Diana Alford of Essex Junction.
Jan Blittersdorf started in nursing and “never imagined” she’d end up in business, let alone technology. But at NRG Systems in Hinesburg, she oversees the operations of a company that measures and helps companies and people worldwide understand the wind.
Blittersdorf is especially proud to be chairwoman of the new American Wind Wildlife Institute, a collaboration to ensure that wildlife and their habitat are protected as wind energy development grows.
Shirley Collado, PhD spoke about her upbringing in an immigrant family in Brooklyn, New York, where she was the first in her family to graduate from high school. Now she works to develop young leaders and give them exciting opportunities.
“Whether a woman is brown, black, red or whatever, she can do whatever she wants,” Dr. Collado said. But none of this would be possible without access to a classroom.
Kristin Carlson has earned many awards in her career, including three Edward R. Murrow Awards. But she started in Girl Scouting, where she earned her Girl Scout Silver and Girl Scout Gold Awards.
“Girl Scouting gave me a sense of adventure, not to be scared to try new things,” Carlson said, helping her feel empowered. Now as a reporter she does something different every day, and continues to enjoy new challenges.
Champions were selected for their significant contributions to their state through their work, philanthropy and/or community service. They serve as powerful, positive role models for girls and work tirelessly to better the lives of girls and women every day.
Sponsors included Liberty Mutual, RiverStone Resources, Citizens Bank, Café Services, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, Lincoln Financial, Landmark Benefits, The Courville Communities, Manchester Monarchs, Ben Franklin Printers, Nathan Wechsler & Company, IPG Employee Benefits, Heritage Automotive Group, TD Bank, Merchants Bank, Ben Franklin Printers, Bedford Dental, and BJ’s.com.
Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains is led by President Barbara Barrett. The CEO is Patricia Mellor, Esq. The breakfast was a benefit for the council, which serves 15,000 girls in New Hampshire and Vermont, with support from 5,100 trained and dedicated volunteers.
Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains is a chartered organization of Girl Scouts of the USA, which was established in 1912 and is the premiere leadership development program for girls. Our mission is to build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. See www.girlscoutsgwm.org or call 888.474.9686 to join or volunteer.
