Global Leadership Conference
Global Leadership Conference
This year's Global Leadership Conference will take place March 20-22, 2026.
Girl Scouts are invited to gather at beautiful Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island, for a weekend to remember! Opportunities abound to engage with women who are changing the world and to interact with amazing peers.
Girls will choose three 75-minute workshops from over 40 leadership workshops led by outstanding female consultants. Topics include: STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math), global issues, social justice, personal growth/health/fitness, stress management techniques, human trafficking, college prep issues, financial literacy, sensitive topics such as depression, and gender identity and LGBTQI issues. Adults and girls attend separate workshops, allowing all voices to be heard!
Conference registration includes programing, Saturday breakfast, lunch and dinner and breakfast on Sunday. Accomodations are not included and should be booked separately. Information on special rate at local hotel will be shared with those who register.
2026 Global Leadership Conference Brochure
Registration closes February 13, 2026.
Keynote Speakers
Beth Roth
Beth Roth is a lifelong Girl Scout, Gold Award recipient, and dedicated troop leader who exemplifies leadership and service. Professionally, she serves as product support manager at Bio‑Techne, where she drives innovation in assay development and antibody-based technologies. With a Ph.D. in biology from Brown University and extensive experience leading scientific teams at Abcam and L2 Diagnostics, Roth brings a unique perspective on perseverance, problem-solving, and collaboration. Her journey from earning the Gold Award to leading cutting-edge biotech initiatives inspires girls to dream big and lead with confidence.
Sue Santa
Sue Santa is senior vice president for public affairs at Girl
Scouts of the USA. She is one of the nonprofit sector’s leading
experts on advocacy, policy, and legislative affairs. Her knowledge is
broad and diverse, with experience in for-profit, nonprofit and
government organizations. Santa also oversees the GSUSA’s Global Girl
Scouting portfolio.
Prior to joining Girl Scouts of the
USA, she was a senior vice president at the Council on Foundations,
where she provided executive leadership, vision and oversight for its
strategic public policy agenda, and led the legal team. She also
served as senior vice president for Public Policy at The Philanthropy
Roundtable. Since 2016, Santa teaches in Columbia University’s
Nonprofit Management Master's Program, focusing on strategic,
mission-aligned public policy and advocacy.
Before her
work in the nonprofit sector, Santa spent a decade with
NASCAR/International Speedway Corporation, working on government
relations, legal and business development for the leading motorsports
companies in the country. She practiced law at Verner, Liipfert,
Bernhard, McPherson & Hand. Her first position in Washington,
D.C., was on the staff of United States Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM).
She is a member of the New Mexico Bar, earned her J.D. (doctor of law)
from Washington University in St. Louis, and is a proud Tarheel,
completing her undergrad at University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with her husband, Charles.
Marianela Vazquez
Marianela Vazquez is executive vice president, chief operating
officer at Reading Cooperative Bank. Vasquez is accountable for
ensuring quality and security in all the bank’s operating
functions.
Prior to joining RCB, Vasquez spent two
decades delivering SaaS solutions in financial services. The last five
years were dedicated to the delivery and service of Numerated Growth
Technologies’ Digital Loan Origination system to community banks and
credit unions. Before joining Numerated, Vasquez spent time with
Fidelity, State Street Wealth, and SunGard Wealth Management (prior to
its acquisition by FIS), where she used her strategic leadership
skills and passion for driving cross functional execution to build
relationships, processes, teams, and organizations.
Vasquez is an avid fan of operational excellence, focused on ensuring
outcomes are measured, and believes in constantly evaluating processes
based on those outcomes.
Vasquez graduated from Lasell
University with a master's degree in management and Bentley University
with a bachelor's degree in managerial economics. She was recognized
by the Women We Admire publication as one of Massachusetts' Top 50
Women Leaders. She lives in Billerica, Massachusetts, with her two
daughters and is an active cheer and gymnastics mom as well as a
religious education teacher at Immaculate Conception Church in Lowell,
Massachusetts. Most recently, she was appointed to the board of
directors of the United Teen Equality Center, serving Lowell,
Lawrence, and Haverhill communities.
