Long ago,
when Loretta Himmelsbach, executive director for the Wisconsin Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired, made the Girl Scout promise and pledge, little did she know the impact both would have on her life.
It all started in elementary school, when her mother enrolled her in Brownies. As the only sister to four brothers, “I was becoming too much of a tomboy,” she laughed, “and mom decided I needed to hang more around girls.” The experience set her on a lifelong career track with the Girl Scouts. Himmelsbach, who, as a teen, was interested in social work and foreign languages, remained active in Girl Scouts throughout high school, where her leadership skills led to both national and international travel opportunities.
In college, she spent three semesters at the University of Vienna (Austria), studying in German, while learning Spanish as well as Russian. Her credits transferred to Bradley University in Peoria, Ill., where she graduated with a degree in sociology and German and a minor in Spanish. She taught for a short while in Indiana before refocusing on getting a career with the Girl Scouts organization. Through the years, her career took her to South Bend, Ind., Waukesha, Texas, Illinois and, finally, Madison, when in 1994, she was named CEO of the 10,000-member Girl Scouts of Blackhawk Council. Toward the end of her career, she was awarded with the Muriel Bissel Award for her commitment to diversity, volunteers, and staff. It was one of her proudest moments.
In 2009, when Girl Scouts USA consolidated its councils nationwide from 312 down to 109, Himmelsbach retired. A year later, she joined another council – the Wisconsin Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired. “I have two brothers with retinal disease, and a dad with macular degeneration. This is the perfect match for my skill sets.”
when Loretta Himmelsbach, executive director for the Wisconsin Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired, made the Girl Scout promise and pledge, little did she know the impact both would have on her life.
