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BOD Spotlight: Lu Ann Klevecz
When it comes to being resilient, our new GSCCC Board Chair Lu Ann Klevecz wins the prize. She has demonstrated an extraordinary ability to face challenges and adjust to new circumstances, especially in her professional life. She recently retired as an attorney with Harbor Group International, LLC and says the journey was not a traditional one, and that her “off the road” attitude has helped her achieve and see much in life.
“I have worked as an editorial assistant for a book publisher in New York; taught aerobic exercise for adults and ballet for children; worked as a paralegal in various communities as we moved around with the military; and served as corporate communications/investor relations director for public companies.” When her children were grown, she decided it was her turn to pursue a longtime goal. She started law school at Regent University at the age of 50. “I always described myself as a ‘late in life’ lawyer,” she shared. Lu Ann worked full time, went to school four nights a week, and studied on the weekends, completing the four-year part-time program in three and a half years by attending summer classes.
“I passed the bar exam on the first try and was promoted from paralegal to counsel by my employer, a Norfolk-based international real estate investment firm. I achieved my career goal when I was later promoted to general counsel for the company. When asked why I started such a demanding career at age 50, I often describe it as my ‘mid-life adventure’ — I bought a sports car and went to law school.”
Before retirement, she started volunteering with Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast. She didn’t hesitate when a colleague recruited her. “I believe volunteering is part of being a good citizen,” she said.
Helping others and making a difference was something that she learned early in life as a Girl Scout. Her youth years in the Movement started in the Bluestem Girl Scout Council in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Her mom served as a Girl Scout Junior troop leader, and Lu Ann recalls that her mom absolutely loved wearing her Girl Scout uniform!
Lu Ann’s first role on the GSCCC Board was Member at Large assigned to launching the Property Task Group. That quickly turned into chairing the new Property Committee. After three terms, she took a break to enjoy a bit of her retirement but then came back in 2023 to serve as the Board’s Vice Chair and also chair of both the Strategic Alignment Committee and Property Committee.
Lu Ann fully embraced property has as a challenge and project. She says she has gotten great satisfaction from her involvement. “Seeing the Property Committee thrive and provide meaningful influence on what we do and how we invest our dollars for the good of the girls and GSCCC as it relates to our properties has been a great experience.”
As the new Board Chair she is looking forward to getting to know and work with the board members and the professional staff more closely, as well as meeting more of the volunteers and the girls. “I’m looking forward to the next two years as chair and especially participating in the National Council Session in Washington during the America250 anniversary celebration.”
When asked why she feels Girl Scouting is needed today, Lu Ann said, “Today’s children need a chance to be children, while at the same time enjoying new experiences in a safe environment. Girls especially need the opportunity to lead and excel on their own, without school or parental pressure, and to discover new interests, whether in nature, STEM, the arts, civic engagement, etc.”
In addition to Girl Scouts, Lu Ann serves on a research oversight committee at the Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University, formerly known as Eastern Virginia Medical School, and is Chair of the Homeowner’s Association of the community where her vacation house is located in North Carolina. She also serves on the Junior Sailing Committee at Seaford Yacht Club in York County.
Lu Ann has eight grandchildren, five of whom are girls — and Girl Scouts!
