Girl Scouts of South Carolina—Mountains to Midlands welcomes James Forde as new director of programs and partnerships

Girl Scouts of South Carolina announced James Forde will be joining Girl Scouts of South Carolina—Mountains to Midlands (GSSC—MM) as the new Director of Programs and Partnerships.

James is a dynamic leader who brings more than 15 years of youth development experience, including an impressive 11 years of Girl Scout Council experience. Throughout his career, he has successfully built innovative learning experiences across a broad portfolio, including STEM, entrepreneurship, arts, travel, and healthy living, while forging strong partnerships that connect organizations with the communities they serve.

Most recently, James served as the Senior Director of Girl Experience and Program Innovation at Girl Scouts of San Jacinto in Houston, Texas, one of the largest Girl Scout councils in the country. In this role, he demonstrated an extraordinary ability to expand impact:

• Overseeing a broad portfolio of programs that engaged over 15,000 girls annually across 75 new schools.
• Focusing on underserved communities, ensuring all girls have access to high-quality engagement and support.
• Leading the design and delivery of creative initiatives and directing large-scale outreach funded by corporate, state, and federal partners.

“James impressed us with this action-oriented approach to making sure ALL girls and their caregivers experience Girl Scouts,” says CEO Melanie Huggins. “His focus on community engagement and building partnerships that expand our programs was particularly inspiring and relevant to the direction we need to go.”

His earlier leadership roles in youth organizations further reflect his deep commitment to developing programs that inspire courage, confidence, and character.

Girl Scouts bring their dreams to life and work together to build a better world. Through programs from coast to coast, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges—whether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike or advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends. Backed by trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and millions of alums, Girl Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them. To join us, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, visit gssc-mm.org.