News Release

FORT WAYNE — The Hoosier Girl Coalition has announced the appointment of Mackenzie Pickerrell to serve as its inaugural executive director.

Mackenzie Pickerrell

In this role, Pickerrell will lead the Hoosier Girl Coalition to reach and serve girls across Indiana in bold new ways.

As announced last fall, in an unprecedented collaboration, six independent Girl Scout councils that serve the state of Indiana have come together to form the Hoosier Girl Coalition to meet the emerging needs of Indiana girls. The vision of the Coalition is to enable every Hoosier girl to live her best life physically, academically, socially and emotionally. Pickerrell and her team at the Coalition will collaborate with all six councils to invite key stakeholders in communities from across the state to rally around what girls say they need.

“Girl Scouts knows what it takes to change the lives of girls,” said Sharon Pohly, CEO of Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana-Michiana. “For almost 111 years, our organization has provided leadership development opportunities to millions of girls. However, we realize not all girls have had equal access to participate. We look forward to partnering with the Coalition to change that.”

In its first year, the Coalition will partner directly with girls, their families and the community to understand the unique challenges that girls face today, including releasing a State of the Hoosier Girl report in May 2023. This report will serve as a rally cry for adults in Indiana to ensure girls are well equipped for a lifetime of success.

“As youth continue to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, research shows that our state is approaching a mental health crisis,” Pickerrell said. “This research can often overshadow the important differences between how girls and boys experience mental or emotional distress, often to the detriment of girls who experience undiagnosed depression, anxiety or other serious conditions.”

Pohly added, “With Mackenzie’s leadership and the power of the historic Girl Scout organization, the Hoosier Girl Coalition will lead the state of Indiana to create pathways for girls to thrive.”