Spearheading girl scouts

"The leadership opportunities and challenges for growth we provide our girls today will have a profound impact on the women they will be tomorrow — and their subsequent influence on their families, their community, their nation and the world,” declared Villie M. Appoo, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) that completed one year since the merger of the two groups — Girl Scouts of River Bluffs Council and the Girl Scouts of Shagbark Council. Privileged to be selected for this post following a national CEO search, Appoo conveyed, "I want the GSSI to become the premier leadership experience for our girls — an organization of choice that is dynamic, vibrant and relevant and meets the needs of our girls.”

Serving about 16,000 girls and 4,800 volunteers in over 40 counties in southern Illinois, GSSI is an initiative of the Girl Scouts of the USA to create councils that are well equipped to provide compelling, contemporary and relevant experiences. At the end of the first year GSSI was able to eliminate a 1.2 million deficit, reported Appoo who has been associated with this movement from the time she was a student in grade one. She has vivid memories of her troop in Bom-bay helping the newly established Society for the Education of the Crippled (see "From crutches to brushes,” Parsiana, August 21, 2010). "She credits her Girl Scout experience to developing her love of helping others and her ultimate pursuit of a career in social work and finally becoming a Girl Scout CEO where she is impacting the lives of so many girls,” mentions a communication from Jay Strobel, GSSI director of communications and marketing.

Villie Appoo: impacting lives

Bombay born Appoo had studied at the Queen Mary School, then graduated from St Xavier’s College and did her masters in social work from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences when she was required to work in the city slums for two years. She completed her postgraduation from the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University.

Executive vice president of planning and development at the Grace Hill Neighborhood Health Centers Inc (GHNHC) which completed 104 years this year, Appoo had joined the association as community organization supervisor. During the next 30 years when new programs and health centers were developed she served as director of aging and social services, director of neighborhood services, managing director of primary care, states her factfile. When working as associate executive director and chief operating officer for eight years she oversaw clinical and program operations of five community health centers providing health services to 30,000 patients annually. Under her worked a multidisciplinary team of health center managers with over 300 employees. Her major accomplishment was the Health Services for the Homeless program in St Louis that through her efforts received annual federal funding of over two million dollars.

After leaving Grace Hill in 2008, Appoo provided consulting services to community health centers serving the homeless and public housing residents throughout the country. Respected for her considerable experience in health resources and services administration, Appoo has contributed articles to publications, made presentations, participated in workshops and even served as associate professor at the Saint Louis University. At the time of raising funds for her overseas studies Appoo recalls the response from one of the trusts stating educating girls is a waste of money. A divorcee who has been the sole support for her children Brian and Katie, Appoo takes pride in mentioning that she has proved them wrong.