IDEA (Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility)

At Girl Scouts of Orange County, we are committed to working for inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility across Girl Scouts so that ALL GIRLS -- from every social, cultural, economic, intellectual, and developmental sphere, including those with physical limitations -- can feel a sense of belonging with us. This is just one way that we work towards making the world a better place, as we have for over 100 years.

LEADERSHIP: To fuel our commitment to furthering positive change in our community, GSOC has appointed Maria Alderete as our Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer. IDEA stands for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility. Maria leads the development and implementation of programs to foster diversity and cultural competence, belonging and inclusivity, and equitable achievement for GSOC girls, volunteers, and staff.

Maria’s diverse background and experience make her ideally suited for this vital role. She currently serves on the Global Action team and represents GSOC on OC Together: reStructure cohort, a county-wide initiative to enhance DEI throughout Orange County. 

Prior to joining GSOC, Maria supported diverse populations as Operations Manager at Good Shepard Shelter and served as Assistant Director in the Center for Service and Action at Loyola Marymount University (LMU), where she created sustainable projects to encourage cultural competency for student volunteers and community conversations with underserved populations. She was selected to represent LMU in the Bridge Building Leadership Institute, a consortium of 10 universities focused on creating a learning community to build cross-cultural relationships and multi-contextuality. Before joining LMU, Maria served as Deputy Director of Mission and Volunteers at St. Joseph Center, where she worked with Spanish-speaking populations and those struggling with housing insecurity and mental health issues. At the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Maria worked with youth in a variety of multi-cultural settings. She continues to serve as Project Manager for the LA Religious Education Congress, where she maximizes the experience for Spanish-speaking attendees.

ACTION: IDEA is a work in progress with both GSOC staff and volunteer teams being established to help form the mission and vision for our council’s work. For more information, please contact Maria Alderete at malderete@girlscoutsoc.org or 949-461-8817.