Carolene Goodwyn-Harris, of Suffolk, director of operations for Affinity Realty and Germel Inc., was recently installed as the chair of the board of directors for Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast, which serves 12,000 girls in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina.

Goodwyn-Harris is a lifetime member of Girl Scouts who joined the organization in 2009 after visiting Connie Lindsey, her dear friend and the then national board president of the Girl Scouts of the USA, in Chicago. Goodwyn-Harris mentioned to Lindsey that she had always wanted to be a Girl Scout, and Lindsey was eager to share that adults are welcome in Girl Scouting too. Goodwyn-Harris jumped right in and joined as a lifetime Girl Scout member.

Upon her return from Chicago, Goodwyn-Harris connected with the local council, Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast, and joined the board development committee. She was then invited to become a member of the council’s board of directors. In 2011, as a new member of the board, she had a reaffirming moment in her decision to become a Girl Scout when she attended Girl Scout National Convention in Houston.

“It was an inspiring weekend,” Goodwyn-Harris recalls. “I heard so many amazing girl stories, and it was so motivating to see Connie, who had become my mentor, installed for her second term as national board president.”

Since that time, Goodwyn-Harris has experienced many special moments as a member of the board of directors. One of the highlights was serving as the mistress of ceremonies for the Girl Scout Gold Award celebration, where the girls who earn the highest award in Girl Scouts are honored.

“We have a lot of talented and caring young ladies in our community,” Goodwyn-Harris said. “Although I will never have an opportunity to achieve this high honor, having the chance to witness these awesome young ladies accept an award for their hard work and commitment to make the world a better place was truly rewarding for me.”

Soon after the Gold Award celebration, Goodwyn-Harris was on the path to become chair of the board for Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast. She served two years as the vice chair and was formally installed as the chair at the local Girl Scout Annual Council Meeting, which was held on Feb. 4 at the Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton.

As board chair, Goodwyn-Harris is looking forward to visiting more girls and seeing them in action as they experience growth through Girl Scouting. During her term, she plans to focus on expanding awareness of what Girl Scouting does to build girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place. She will also continue to make it a priority to serve as a role model for girls and to encourage fellow female leaders in the community to do the same.

“If we do our best and share our talents, my hope is that girls will get to see who they can be,” Goodwyn-Harris said. “We can help grow the next generation of female leaders making a difference and giving back to the community.”

Goodwyn-Harris married to Clinton Harris, and she is a graduate of Averett University. In addition to her role as director of operations for Affinity Realty and Germel Inc., she owns and runs her own company, Special Moments by Carolene Event Planning. She is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, Friends of Hampton Roads and ClubCorp International.

Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast serves more than 12,000 girls in kindergarten through 12th grades with the help of nearly 6,000 adult volunteers in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. To volunteer, reconnect, donate or join, visit www.gsccc.org or call 1-800-77SCOUT.