In 1912, Juliette Gordon Low brought together 18 girls with a sense of curiosity and a belief they could do anything. Today, Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. serves one million-plus girls nationwide. Here, we highlight a Regions associate’s unexpected path to camping (and cookies, of course).
“I became a Girl Scout leader twice by accident.”
Jessica Saylor never aspired to ascend Scouting’s leadership ranks when her daughter, Genevieve, joined a Daisy troop as a kindergartener in 2020.
“All her meetings were remote, so she never met any of her fellow troop members,” said Saylor, a project manager with Regions Bank’s Branch Analytics and Strategy team.
To offer support, Saylor observed Genevieve’s virtual troop meetings and joined Girl Scouts as an adult. The family was living in Birmingham at the time.
One year later, Saylor, her husband, Ben, and Genevieve moved to suburban Nashville, Tennessee.
“I wanted Genevieve to continue with Girls Scouts, so we helped form a new troop with 11 other families,” said Saylor.
Her first troop meeting delivered a big surprise.
“I came home and said, ‘I somehow became a Girl Scout leader,’” she recalled. “Pretty much everybody in my family laughed and said, ‘Good luck.’”
Saylor had something far better than luck.
“I had a great co-leader and group of parents who helped,” she said.
The family’s next move to the Raleigh, North Carolina, suburb of Holly Springs meant joining a new troop.
Guess what?
“I was sitting at a soccer game and got an email about leading the troop,” recalled Saylor. “I told my husband, ‘I’m not sure what to do.’ He said, ‘I think you already know the answer.’”
Any doubt Saylor had was immediately squashed by Genevieve.
“Mommy, of course I want you to be the leader. You’re the best leader in the whole world,” Saylor’s daughter told her.
But this time, Saylor’s responsibilities expanded to also serving as cookie coordinator for North Carolina Coastal Pines Council Troop #2270.
There’s more to cookie sales than you might think. Saylor credits insights she’s gained from her Regions role with helping rock their sales results the past two years.
“There are a lot of troops vying for premium locations and times,” explained Saylor. “Maximizing our sales involves strategy. I use my job skills to find locations and times for booths that are going to be the most profitable. That’s been part of the reason we’re so successful.”
Saylor, a Thin Mints® fan, admits even she can hit her limit.
“By the end of the season, I’m cookie’d out,” she said. “But if there’s a box that’s open, I’m definitely going to eat it.”
But Girl Scouts is about far more than cookies.
Like Regions, Girl Scouts promotes respecting others, being honest and responsible for your actions and making the world a better place.
“I love the values that Girl Scouts stands for and instills in girls,” said Saylor. “Those values are similar to Regions’ core values, which I strive to live by, both personally and professionally. Like Regions, Girl Scouts promotes respecting others, being honest and responsible for your actions and making the world a better place.”
Thanks to her troop and cookie leader roles, Saylor recorded 250-plus volunteer hours in Regions’ Community Engagement Central Portal in 2024. And she’s already on track to beat that figure with 150 hours recorded so far this year.
Terry Hoey, Mortgage Production leader and market executive for Regions Bank in Raleigh, invited Saylor to lunch as the market’s top 2024 volunteer.
“Jessica and I don’t typically work together in our business roles, so she was someone I just had to get to know after learning about her incredible volunteer service,” said Hoey. “What I quickly discovered is Jessica is a leader who encourages and helps her Scouts accomplish their goals with equal parts enthusiasm and kindness. I don’t have a daughter, but if I did, I know who her Scout leader would be.”
In the past two years, Troop #2270 has grown from six to 12 members. Saylor has also grown thanks to Girl Scouts:
The once hesitant leader now can’t imagine it any other way.
“I always wanted to be a Girl Scout growing up,” Saylor said. “I couldn’t wait until my daughter was old enough so we could both be part of it. Being a leader has changed my life. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
Q&A with Genevieve Saylor, Junior Girl Scout:
What’s your favorite Girl Scout cookie?
How can I choose? There are like seven I love. Ok, S’mores®! S’mores are the best by far. Sorry to break your heart, Mom, but Thin Mints are second.
What do you enjoy most about Girl Scouts?
Meeting girls and learning skills.
What has being a part of Girl Scouts taught you?
Life skills, like social, business and outdoor skills.
What’s something unique you’ve experienced thanks to Girl Scouts?
We got to meet someone from the team who developed the Adventurefuls® cookie! He came to our troop meeting and shared how they created the cookie. Whenever someone visits our cookie booth and says how much they love Adventurefuls®, I love telling them I know someone who created the cookie!