Traci A. Barnett, CEO of the Girl Scouts of Central Maryland, was inducted to The Daily Record’s Circle of Excellence on May 7 during the Top 100 Women and Circle of Excellence awards celebration. Traci earned the distinction by being named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women three times.
“Admission to The Daily Record’s Circle of Excellence is a testament to the exceptional contributions each honoree has made through the course of years,” Suzanne Fischer-Huettner, Daily Record Publisher, said in a statement. “We are proud to recognize Traci Barnett for her continued outstanding work and dedicated service.”
“Induction into this esteemed Circle is particularly special this year—2012—as Girl Scouts, an organization dedicated to developing girls’ leadership potential—celebrates its 100th anniversary,” Barnett said of the achievement. “This award endorses the work of Girl Scouting and my efforts to make Girl Scouts available to every girl in central Maryland who is interested in the program.”
The Daily Record’s annual list of Maryland’s Top 100 Women was created to recognize outstanding achievement by women as demonstrated through professional accomplishments, community leadership and mentoring. Circle of Excellence inductees are recognized for sustained achievements in those areas. In order to qualify for The Daily Record’s Circle of Excellence, women must have been named to the Top 100 Women two previous times.
Traci Barnett has been CEO of Girl Scouts of Central Maryland since August 2002. Under Barnett’s leadership, Girl Scouts of Central Maryland has developed a premier STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) program for girls in the region through partnerships with the NASA Goddard Space Center, Johns Hopkins University, Northrop Grumman, UMBC, Lockheed Martin and TechBridge. In October 2010 Girl Scouts of Central Maryland celebrated the grand opening of their Urban Program and STEM Center in Baltimore city with facilities that feature technology labs, a multimedia center, dance studio, and learning kitchen.
In addition to a myriad of programs for Girl Scout troops, Girl Scouts of Central Maryland provides programs for at-risk girls in Baltimore city through programs such as P.A.V.E. the Way Baltimore, an anti-violence initiative that reaches several thousand youth each year; in-school programs in some of Baltimore’s and Annapolis’ toughest city schools; and, Girl Scouts Beyond Bars, a nationally acclaimed program that was piloted in Baltimore and now replicated in Councils across the U.S. Girl Scouts of Central Maryland received the prestigious Standards for Excellence Accreditation from the Maryland Association of Non Profit Organizations (MANO) in 2007, a designation received by less than 1% of nonprofits in the state of Maryland. In 2009 Girl Scouts of Central Maryland received the Maryland Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year Community Partner Award and the Network 2000 Business 2000 Award.
As with Top 100 Women, nominations are solicited from economic development agencies, women’s organizations, chambers of commerce and the business community at large. A panel of judges comprised of business professionals and past Top 100 Women winners from throughout Maryland review all of the applications submitted. Judges are asked to be extremely selective when it comes to selecting those women named to the Circle of Excellence. They look for continued involvement in all key areas — professional accomplishment, community leadership and mentoring — and demonstration that each nominee remains actively involved and proactive.