Winter 2025 SOAR Magazine

G old Award Girl Scouts are big thinkers, problem solvers and world changers—and one of their biggest champions is Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri volunteer, Emery Corley. Emery has devoted the last decade of his life to guiding and supporting the leadership journey of five exceptional young women, including his daughter, Katie. “The Gold Award is a lifetime achievement that young women can use to their advantage throughout the rest of their lives,” said Emery “Not only does it showcase their leadership abilities to future educational institutions and employers, but I also think it’s the path to keep older girls involved in Girl Scouts.” Emery became involved in Girl Scouts 10 years ago as an assistant troop leader for his daughter’s fifth-grade troop. He then took over as troop leader when the Girl Scouts entered high school and merged with another troop. Some of the favorite activities among the troop included spending time at camp, participating in April Showers and attending Girl Scout Sunday. Due to his resounding success supporting Girl Scouts on their path to earning the Gold Award, Emery was approached to serve

as a mentor on the Gold Award Committee, a position where he can continue to help other Girl Scouts pursue their Highest Awards. “Mr. Corley helped us every step of the way with our Gold Award projects,” said Tanvi Kulkarni, Girl Scout alum. “We had regular meetings for our awards, talking about our progress and our goals. He helped us create a proposal, plan for all the necessary steps, and ultimately complete the Gold Award.” In this role, Emery reviews final project reports and mentors Girl Scouts throughout the Gold Award process. The mentors work one-on-one with a specific Girl Scout to ensure their proposal meets all requirements and guidelines. They will support the Girl Scout by brainstorming project ideas, providing feedback, sharing resources on the issue being addressed, and offering guidance when challenges arise. Improving opportunities for older Girl Scouts fuel Emery’s continued passion for and involvement with the organization. He is excited about what the future will bring for Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri.

strides and efforts being made to ensure the Gold Award process is accessible to all girls in our region,” said Emery. “The expansion of programs for our older girls is remarkable because I think that’s a more challenging demographic to reach.” When asked what advice he would share with other Girl Scout volunteers who are just starting out on their journey, Emery expressed the importance of attending district, neighborhood and volunteer meetings and reaching out to peers for help. Along the way, Emery continued to develop his leadership skills with Girl Scouts. Now retired, Emery’s career spanned more than 30 years as a corporate attorney for a commercial finance company and a private practice. However, he had a different vision for his leadership within Girl Scouts. “I probably thought I had good leadership skills, but the difference in Girl Scouts for me is that I see Girl Scouts as an organization for girls led by women,” said Emery. “They don’t need me to be the leader, but I can be helpful. And with that, that’s the way I lead.”

“In my role on the Gold Award Committee, I see the intentional

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