Wrightstown woman to lead region’s Girl Scouts

November 8, 2018

By Ed Byrne The Brillion News

WRIGHTSTOWN – A woman who has been the public face of the Wisconsin Public Service Corporation for many years has taken a new position as the top executive with the Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes (GSNGL).

Karmen Lemke assumes her new job as Chief Executive Officer on Monday, November 12.

She has been involved with Girl Scouting for many years.

“I was a Girl Scout when I was young, and my mom was my leader,” Lemke said. “Then, my two older girls were in Girl Scouts and I was their leader … I’ve continued to be passionate about women and girls through other initiatives that I’ve been involved with.”

The Girl Scouts played a critical role in Lemke’s childhood when her parents divorced. Lemke’s mom became her Girl Scout leader.

“She was an example of a woman of courage, confidence and character, persevering and raising us as a single mom,” Lemke said. “She was a good example for me.”

At WPS, she served in a variety of positions including Manager of Community Relations and Director of the WPS Foundation, overseeing direct grants, scholarships, and an employee matching gifts program. Lemke was a frequent guest in elementary school classrooms, where she taught children safety related to electric power and natural gas.

She has been employed at WPS for 31 years, and admitted it had to be a once in a life opportunity to get her to leave the utility.

Lemke said she thought about working for a non-profit organization later in life, after retirement from WPS, but the Girl Scouts were special to her.

Please see the complete story in the Nov. 8, 2018 edition of The Brillion News.