Jen Thorson

vision. leadership. results.

Professional Experience

Interim Executive Director
Mighty Consulting, Current

Currently serving as interim executive director for the James P. Shannon Leadership Institute, a program for experienced leaders committed to public and community service. Participants from nonprofit and civic organizations, government, and businesses find personal and professional renewal and improve the creativity, energy, and effectiveness of their service.

Previously served as interim executive director for a large nonprofit organization with several programs, multiple revenue sources, a staff of more than 100 full and part-time professionals, and a budget of $5M. Provide strategic direction, manage day-to-day operations, and collaborate with board members. Performed job analysis, successfully proposed a new staff structure and roles, and managed the staff transition. Analyzed complex and outdated financial management processes and successfully proposed and implemented new, industry-standard procedures.

Chief Operating Officer
Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys, 2015 to 2023

Responsible for membership, volunteer management, mission delivery, and multiple business functions of the Girl Scouts River Valleys council, the 11th-largest Girl Scout council in the nation, serving nearly 20,000 girls and 10,000 adult members and volunteers across 49 counties in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Responsibilities & Achievements

Responsible for all aspects of membership, including acquisition, retention, support, and customer care for 30,000 members and families.

  • Achieved membership growth in 2019 for the first time in eight years.
  • Increased girl member retention rate from 68% in 2016 to 73% in 2019.
  • After pandemic declines in 2020 and 2021, grew new Girl Scout memberships by 58% in 2022.
  • Recovered retained member rate to 70% after pandemic drop to 60%.
  • Originated and launched a new troop program to better reach and serve girls and volunteers of color through authentic relationships, mutually beneficial partnerships, and culturally-responsive programs and support.
  • Increased BIPOC girl membership from 17% to 26% from 2017 to 2020.

Mission and program delivery, including program development, funding partnerships, and site and program partnerships at multiple locations and camp properties in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

  • Increased Girl Scout badge and leadership program event participation from 27% in 2015 to 34% in 2020.
  • Earned program NPS scores consistently above 30, and camp NPS scores consistently above 45.
  • Launched several new programs that garnered significant donor support, including Power Girls, Every Girl in a Tent, Adventure Club, Girls in Gear Mountain Bike Program, and International Day of the Girl.
    • In FY21, sponsorships exceeded $300,000.
  • Increased Girl Scout participation in council-offered programs from 27% in 2015 to 34% in 2020 and increased camp program days by 22% from 2016 to 2019. In 2023, Newsweek named Camp Singing Hills (one of five camps) as one of America’s Best Summer Camps.
  • Adjusted mission delivery and revenue-generating programs to COVID-19 with no interruption in mission delivery or member and volunteer support.

Responsible for multiple revenue-generating programs, including the Girl Scout Cookie Program, the largest girl-led business in the world, the fall product sale and fundraiser, summer camp, and year-round programs that earn $12-14M annually.

  • Increased Cookie Program revenues by 17% from 2016 to 2020.
  • Managed pandemic disruption to Cookie Program in 2020 and 2021 with high volunteer satisfaction and member safety.
  • Exceeded Cookie Program budget in 2021 and 2022.
    • Executed the top Cookie Program in the nation in 2021. The program was also a Minnesota BOLD Award finalist.
    • In 2022, grew the Cookie Program by 4%, resulting in $11M in net revenue.
  • Grew camp revenue by 20% from 2015 to 2019.
  • Grew badge and leadership program revenue by 34% from 2015 to 2019.

Responsible for all aspects of volunteer management and administration, including recruitment, appointment, training, support, and volunteer relations/conflict management and resolution.

  • Increased adult retention from 66% in 2015 to 81% in 2022.
  • Increased volunteer satisfaction from 58% in 2015 to 69% in 2022.
  • Led equity and white supremacy culture audit of volunteer and member policies and subsequent revision for inclusion, access, and cultural competency.
  • Earned Service Enterprise designation by the Points of Light Foundation in 2020.

Lead strategic and annual work planning, working collaboratively with all functions across the organization and the board of directors.

Serve on the six-person Executive Leadership Team and frequently work with the board of directors, national colleagues, and Girl Scouts of the USA.

  • Served as co-chair of the Girl Scouts of the USA technology strategy leadership committee from 2015-2021.

Provide leadership, management, and strategic direction to 73 full-time and 100+ seasonal staff. Coach and mentor teams to work within a highly collaborative, equity-centered framework.

  • Completed University of Minnesota Diversity and Equity Certificate and Intercultural Conflict Styles training.

Responsible for a revenue budget of $13 million and an expense budget of $9.3 million in fiscal year 2022.

Senior Vice President of Marketing
Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys, September 2013 to November 2015

Responsible for membership recruitment, marketing, communications, brand management, and public relations activities. Promoted from Vice President of Marketing and Communications after 18 months; retained entire marketing and communications portfolio and added girl and volunteer recruitment responsibilities.

Responsibilities & Achievements

Develop and lead multichannel membership recruitment strategies across a 49-county region, including the seven-county Twin Cities metro area.

  • Improved year-over-year conversion rates by 233% in the first year.
  • Increased leads by 50% and improved conversion rates by 87% in the second year.
  • Served as a member of the cross-functional team leading systems and business-process changes to implement a customer relationship management tool, Salesforce, in support of recruitment of girl members and volunteers.

Serve as lead marketing, communications, and brand strategist; drive membership, fundraising, and revenue growth through brand management, marketing, recruitment, communications, public relations, media relations, special events, and engagement strategies.

  • Developed a research-driven strategic plan for summer camp recruitment, including revision of program offerings, timing, price, and marketing strategies that halted a two-year decline in registrations and increased revenue by 5% and the number of camp days by 3%.
  • Produced 100 communications pieces for ten internal clients in FY14; Open rates for email communications increased by 5% to exceed industry benchmarks.
  • Managed annual fundraising event for one year; sponsorship revenue increased by 68% and day-of donations by 21%.

Lead in-house creative and membership recruitment teams to create and implement strategies and tactics on behalf of business partners; engage and collaborate with freelance and professional services to meet objectives.

  • Analyzed printing costs and selected new vendors, resulting in a 30% year-over-year reduction in printing expenses.

Conduct ongoing primary and secondary market research to understand audience needs and market competition better; develop and test brand messages and marketing strategies.

  • Led 2015 market research study and developed analysis, including recent membership and recruitment trends, recruitment strategies, prior research, original generational trends research, and member/volunteer data.

Member of the Executive Team and Leadership Team; work frequently with board members, national colleagues, and Girl Scouts of the USA executives.

  • Member of a three-person task group charged with restructuring recruitment and membership support functions to address declining new membership and retention. The model we developed and communicated was adopted in the spring of 2015.
  • Member of the Girl Scouts of the USA Digital Services Strategy Committee and Council Communications Governance committee.

Serve as lead internal, public relations, and crisis communications manager.

Managed a professional staff of 14 and an expense budget of $400,000.

Associate Vice President of Marketing
Hamline University, July 2004 – August 2010

Created and executed marketing, communications, brand management, and public relations strategies in support of the enrollment, visibility, and communication objectives of the university and its schools.

Responsibilities & Achievements

Served as lead marketing and communications manager; worked with business units, leadership, and internal and external partners to develop strategic marketing and communications plans aligned with objectives.

Led multiple marketing, branding, and positioning campaigns to meet the enrollment objectives of multiple academic schools

  • Campaigns resulted in increased inquiries, applications, and enrollment, including a 30-72% year-over-year increase in inquiries, graduate enrollment increases of up to 36%, and significant and sustained visibility for the university.
  • The launch of the Hamline MBA program led to immediate growth; it was the third largest among 14 MBA programs in the Twin Cities in its first year.

Served as lead brand manager. Led the development and execution of comprehensive branding and identity program, including positioning platform, visual identity, and editorial and content direction.

Conducted ongoing primary and secondary market research to better understand market drivers and student needs; developed and tested brand messages and marketing strategies.

  • Executed market capacity and branding study for new degree program.

Established and managed partnership with advertising agency; managed multi-year advertising campaigns, including outdoor, print, online, and social media.

Managed the university’s website, including architecture, interface, design, content, and optimization

  • Led cross-functional teams in the comprehensive redesign in 2010.

Served as lead internal, public relations, and crisis communications manager.

Managed an in-house professional creative staff of 15 and a budget of $1.75 million.

Executive Director of Marketing Communications
Hamline University, September 1999 – July 2004

Created and executed brand development, marketing, media relations, and communications strategies in support of the enrollment, fundraising, and external relations objectives of the university.

Responsibilities & Achievements

Led planning efforts for the university’s year-long 150th-anniversary campaign, which successfully raised $100 million (of a $158 million campaign) and featured award-winning communications, special events, and multimedia

  • The closing gala included a 40-minute live and multimedia stage program and raised $400,000.
  • Activities were attended by 12,000 people and resulted in 35 major media placements, and a 26% increase in new donors.

Created funding case for the successful $10.5 million Klas Center capital campaign, an innovative new facility supporting academics, student life, and athletics.

Served as lead communications staff on multi-year brand development task force, frequently working with leadership and the Board of Trustees.

Served as public relations and strategic communications lead for the university; served as editor-in-chief of the alumni magazine; responsible for the university’s website; responsible for all internal and crisis communications.

Editor, Hamline Magazine and Writer/Editor of Electronic Media
September 1998-August 1999

Led comprehensive, successful redesign of quarterly alumni magazine, Hamline, (circulation 24,000) including magazine’s editorial focus, design, and format. As writer/editor of electronic media, was responsible for the university’s website and implemented its first redesign in 1999.

News Editor, Faribault Daily News
August 1997-August 1998

Responsible for story assignment, selection, layout, final editing and approval of daily newspaper (circulation 6,400), four days per week, as well as reporting and editing local news and features.

Journalist and Editor
1996-1997
Farmington Independent, Editor
Minnesota Women’s Press, Assistant Editor, Writer

Other Professional Experience

Freelance Consultant
August 2010–August 2013

Worked with a variety of small business, nonprofit, and pro-bono clients to execute brand identity, marketing, communication, website development, social media, and content management strategies.

Business Owner
2005-2017

Co-owner of Hickory Lake Campground, an investment property near Aitkin, Minnesota. Renovated existing property, created business processes, developed training, hired and trained staff, and created legal cooperative structure.

Education

Certifications, Training & Coursework

Community Engagement

Publications

  • Author of My Life In Red, a heart-health awareness blog, 2011-2016
  • Co-author of Borealis, a personal lifestyle blog, 2012-2016
  • Contributing blogger and writer for Huffington Post, Project Eve, The Women’s Heart Health Foundation, MinnPost’s Blog Cabin Roundup, Minnesota Women’s Press, and guest blog posts

Honors and Awards