By Joel Langton
The 830 Times
When Dr. Jeanette Ball began visiting the 21 counties she now oversees as CEO of Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas, she knew exactly where she wanted to go first.
Home.
Ball, a Del Rio native who became CEO earlier this month, returned to
her hometown Friday to meet with local Girl Scouts, parents and volunteers at Gatti’s Pizza.
About 30 girls and parents attended the gathering, where Ball talked about her Del Rio roots, her path to becoming CEO and her plans to expand opportunities for girls throughout Southwest Texas.
“This is my hometown, so it’s near and dear to my heart,” Ball said. “Out of 21 counties that we oversee, Val Verde County was the first county that we wanted to go to.”
Ball officially became CEO of Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas on Sept. 2, following a career of more than three decades in public education, including 13 years as a school superintendent.
Her career included serving as superintendent of Uvalde CISD, Judson ISD and, most recently, Southwest ISD.
But Friday afternoon, Ball spent much of her time talking directly to Del Rio’s Girl Scouts.
“Girls, I wanted to come see you,” Ball said. “I wanted to come see you to let you know how much I appreciate you for doing this, for being brave, being a Girl Scout and participating in this.”
Ball told the girls that becoming CEO was not something she had envisioned for herself.
“I never thought of being a CEO at all, to be quite honest,” she said.
That made one of the messages she brought home particularly important: Girls should not limit what they believe they can accomplish.
“I wanted you to know that you can do and be anything you want,” Ball said. “This is the beginning of doing great, great things.”
Ball also shared a part of her childhood that surprised some of the girls: She was not a Girl Scout herself.
She said she did not participate in cheerleading, band, athletics or many of the other activities available to children while growing up.
That experience, she said, is one reason she wants girls today to understand the opportunities available to them.
“I want to make sure that all youth now know that they can do something, that they can participate,” Ball said. “They can be leaders. They can do anything they want because I didn’t have that opportunity.”
Ball said one of her priorities as CEO will be growing participation in Del Rio and throughout the council’s 21-county service area.
She said organization officials met Friday with representatives at Sacred Heart Catholic School and found two people interested in becoming troop leaders, potentially opening another opportunity for Del Rio girls to participate.
Ball has her own connection to Sacred Heart, telling the gathering she attended the school as a child.
When one of the girls asked Ball what she hoped to accomplish as CEO, Ball said reaching more girls is at the top of her list.
“I want to make sure that I can impact and reach as many girls as possible, so they know that their voice matters, that they count, that they’re smart and that they can do anything that they believe that they want to do,” she said.
Ball also told local leaders that Friday’s visit should not be viewed as a one-time appearance.
“I don’t want this to be the only time,” she said. “I want y’all to know that you have access to me. You can call me. I’m here to support you and make sure our children and individuals have the support that’s needed.”
For Janie Adame, chair of the local Girl Scouts Community B and leader of Troop 5028, having the organization’s new CEO choose Del Rio for her first community visit carried special meaning.
“Oh my gosh, it’s amazing,” Adame said.
Adame said she had spoken with Ball several weeks earlier and asked what local leaders could do to persuade her to visit Del Rio.
“She was like, ‘I’ll be there,’” Adame recalled.
Adame said having Ball make the trip was especially meaningful because she could not remember another Girl Scouts CEO visiting the community.
“It’s amazing to have her come down because we’ve never had anybody, any CEO, come down and visit Del Rio,” Adame said. “And I’m so proud of her being a Del Rio native.”
For Ball, the hometown visit allowed her to begin her new job in the same community where her own story began.
And she made clear Friday that she intends to come back.
