Lessons from Leaders Speaker Series: Cynthia H. Breunig

4 p.m., Indian Wells Theater

Open to the public, no RSVP required.

Parking will be enforced at $6 per vehicle. Purchase parking permit at drive-up kiosk.

Cynthia H. Breunig, CEO, Girl Scouts Council of San Gorgonio

Cynthia H. Breunig has led Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio as President and CEO since August 2011. A Lifetime Member of Girl Scouts, she was a 10-year Mariner Scout and earned the First-Class Award (today’s Gold Award)—the highest award in Girl Scouts. Cynthia is a committed advocate for girls and women, and a proponent of single-gender girl spaces for experiencing and learning life skills.

Under her leadership, Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio has experienced a 21 percent increase in girl membership to 12,100, a 6 percent increase in adult membership to 4,541 and a 35 percent increase in Lifetime members to 866; established a Girl Scout Alumni Association that currently numbers nearly 6,000 women; led a local Cookie Program that has broken national records several years in a row for sale of boxes per girl; initiated a robust outreach effort to recruit underserved girls; championed diversity, working to match the girl, staff and Board composition of Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio to the ethnic, racial and economic composition of the communities it serves; and created unique and innovative girl programs including award winning GenCyber camps and Classroom to Career. In late 2015, Cynthia obtained Board support for the purchase of Camp Skyland Ranch, a 192-acre property at the 5000-foot level of the San Jacinto Mountains below Idyllwild. A lifelong lover of nature and outdoor activities, stemming from her early Girl Scout experiences camping and hiking, Cynthia sees Camp Skyland Ranch and outdoor programs as one of her most cherished legacies.

Cynthia served for 13 years as President and CEO of Inner-City Arts, a nonprofit center in the heart of Los Angeles’ Skid Row, employing visual and performing arts to unlock untapped potential in tens of thousands of children. Prior to that, Cynthia enjoyed a 25-year career in museum management, and as Vice President opened what is today the Autry National Center in 1988. She is Past President of Museum Educators of Southern California. She has been an Annenberg Alchemy Community Champion for the past five years and was instrumental in bringing this program to Inland Empire nonprofit executives. Cynthia was chosen to be an Academy Fellow for the City Scholars® Leadership Academy in 2014 and this past year was designated as a City Scholars® Mentor Fellow. She was recognized as the Nonprofit Executive Director of the Year in 2015 by the Academy for Grassroots Organizations and is a member of their Ambassador’s Advisory Council. She will be featured in a Spring edition of Palm Springs Life as one of six Women Who Lead. Cynthia earned a Bachelor’s degree in Art History, holds advanced degrees in Museum Studies and Education Administration, and attended Stanford University's Graduate School of Business Executive Education Program.

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