Girl Scouts appoints Emerald Circle Co-Chairs for 2016

SPARTANBURG, SC – Girl Scouts of South Carolina – Mountains to Midlands has appointed Dr. Gloria Webb Close and Doris Hamilton Tidwell as 2016 Emerald Circle Co-chairs. The Emerald Circle is a philanthropic group of visionary women who annually support the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. The Spartanburg County group is united with Circles in other counties through a common ideal: helping girls become leaders in their families, schools, churches and communities.

Dr. Close served as the founding Emerald Circle chair in 2000. Since then, Emerald Circle has raised more than $1,000,000 for girl leadership development. “We are honored to have Gloria and Doris lead our women philanthropists into the next 15 years of building girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place,” states Kim Hutzell, President/CEO of Girl Scouts of SC – Mountains to Midlands.

“My goal has always been to help young people become their best persons, which is exactly what Girl Scouting offers,” Gloria shares. “Girls build leadership skills by taking action to improve the lives of others through hundreds of hours of community service each year. They discover their interests and talents in everything from technology and the arts to the outdoors and business.”

“Girls need the opportunities that only Girl Scouting offers,” Doris explains. “For 15 years, the Emerald Circle has been helping girls become their best. Through our combined giving power, women are standing with girls in leadership for our community’s future. When your invitation arrives in your mailbox, I urge you to join our Emerald Circle of women investing in girl leadership. Together we can equip girls – and through them, their families and our communities – for a better tomorrow.”

Dr. Gloria Webb Close is an educator having served for more than forty years as Vice Chancellor of Institutional Support at USC-Upstate, Director of Guidance at Dorman High School, Counselor in Spartanburg School District Seven and Executive Director of Citizen Scholars. A graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University and Harvard University’s Management Development Program, she has also studied at Central Florida University, USC and Converse College.

Gloria is a W.K. Kellogg Fellow; past president of the Junior League of Spartanburg; Director of the Association of Junior Leagues International, Children’s Trust of South Carolina, Boys and Girls Club, Salvation Army and Leadership Spartanburg; elder and Sunday School teacher at First Presbyterian Church Spartanburg; and board member of the former Piedmont Area Girl Scouts. She has been married to Lee Close for forty-one years. They have two children, Rebekah Close LeMon (Joel) and Grant Close (Mary Grace), and “four incredible grandchildren,” James, Jane, Caroline and Grant.

Doris Hamilton Tidwell is a retired elementary principal. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from South Carolina State University and a Masters of Education from the University of SC. She did further studies at Furman University, Converse College and USC Upstate. After completing her undergraduate work, she taught science and mathematics in junior high and elementary schools. Doris is motivated by the outstanding accomplishments of young people who have received the proper development and training to become leaders of tomorrow.

Because of her love for people, Doris devotes her time and talents to making our community a better place. She is past president of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority; Spartanburg Chapter of Links, Inc.; Spartanburg Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc.; and Services to Families Board. A graduate of Leadership Spartanburg, Doris has also served on the board of the Spartanburg County Department of Social Services and on the Mary Black Foundation Board of Trustees, where she was chair for two years. She currently serves on the Citizens Scholars Board, the Earl Gordon Scholarship Committee, the Mary Black Foundation Program Committee and at Cornerstone Baptist

Church as education director. Doris has received numerous honors, including the Piedmont Area Girl Scouts Women of Achievement Award. She is married to Claude Tidwell. They have two sons, Rodney and Todd, four grandchildren and “a very adorable great-grandchild,” Brylee.

For more information on how to support girl leadership development through Emerald Circle, please contact Lee Ann Maley at Girl Scouts of South Carolina – Mountains to Midlands at 800.849.4475 x2709.

For more than 100 years, Girl Scouting has helped girls develop positive values and become active, responsible leaders in their communities. With emphasis on personal growth and leadership development through service to others, Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. Girl Scouts of South Carolina-Mountains to Midlands serves more than 11,400 girls, grades K5-12, and 4,500 adults in 22 counties of central and western South Carolina, including Abbeville, Aiken, Anderson, Cherokee, Chester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Greenville, Greenwood, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lexington, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Pickens, Richland, Saluda, Spartanburg, Sumter, and Union.