Roger Krone new BSA President and CEO succeeds Roger Mosby

[RememberSchiff]

The new president of the Boy Scouts of America plans to reverse the trend of declining membership and improve safety programs as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a sexual abuse scandal.

Roger Krone, a retired businessman and Eagle Scout, was named Friday as the new chief executive of the 113-year-old youth organization, replacing the retiring Roger Mosby as the top administrator."

More at Source:

https://apnews.com/article/boys-scouts-new-president-bankruptcy-516869e181513c073ac7edc139ad48d3

https://www.scoutingnewsroom.org/press-releases/boy-scouts-of-america-selects-roger-krone-as-new-president-and-chief-executive-officer/

@MattR  @Eagle1993 @gpurlee @T2Eagle

Edited November 3, 2023 by RememberSchiff

[RememberSchiff]

From scouting newsroom :

Irving, Texas (November 3, 2023) — Following an extensive selection process, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has chosen Roger A. Krone to serve as its next President and Chief Executive Officer. Krone recently retired as the Chairman and CEO of Leidos, a $15 billion Fortune 250 government technology solutions firm where, in nine years of leadership, he and his team nearly tripled revenue and more than doubled the workforce.  

An Eagle Scout who spent summers at Scout camp and Philmont Scout Ranch, Krone regularly applied the lessons he learned in Scouting during an engineering and aerospace career spanning more than 45 years.  

“As a life-long Scout, the opportunity to lead the Scouting movement represents the perfect capstone to a long and fruitful career and a chance to give back,” said Krone. “The program was a big part of my life and the lives of my children. I want to make sure every child has an opportunity to have that same amazing experience.”

Prior to his work at Leidos, he held leadership roles at some of the most prominent aerospace companies in the world, including serving as President of Network and Space Systems at Boeing. An inspiring leader with a passion for people, Krone has a strong track record of uniting teams under a shared vision to achieve operational excellence – even amidst organizational challenges and societal change. 

“Roger Krone has spent his entire career transforming complex businesses and preparing them for what lies ahead,” said Brad Tilden, who serves as the BSA’s National Chair. “His experience, combined with his personal passion for Scouting, will enable him to look at a familiar organization in new ways and find innovative approaches to welcoming more youth into the adventure of Scouting. Our movement could not be more excited to welcome him as our new leader.”   

Krone earned a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington, and a Master of Business Administration from the Harvard Graduate School of Business. A Six Sigma Green Belt, he is both a licensed commercial pilot and a certified public accountant. He is also a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a member of the National Academy of Engineering.  

The BSA’s CEO search process began in the spring of 2023 with the selection of global organizational consulting firm Korn Ferry, which used a robust and inclusive process involving a range of BSA stakeholders. This group, which included representatives from throughout our movement including youth, Scout executives, and BSA alumni, was tasked with providing feedback to inform the search. In late October, the CEO Selection Committee unanimously selected Krone to present to the BSA’s National Executive Committee and National Board. 

Krone, Tilden and National Commissioner W. Scott Sorrels will work together as the BSA’s “National Key 3.” The trio, consisting of two volunteers and one professional, make up the organization’s highest level of leadership at the national level. 

Krone follows Roger C. Mosby as the 113-year-old organization’s top administrator. Mosby, who was appointed in December 2019, recently announced his retirement, effective November 8, 2023. 

“On behalf of the entire Scouting movement, we want to extend our heartfelt appreciation to Roger Mosby,” said Tilden. “Leading the restructuring process was exceptionally challenging, and Roger demonstrated unwavering determination and resolve throughout. We will never be able thank him enough for what he’s done for Scouting.” 

Source:

'https://www.scoutingnewsroom.org/press-releases/boy-scouts-of-america-selects-roger-krone-as-new-president-and-chief-executive-officer/

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/boy-scouts-of-america-selects-roger-krone-as-new-president-and-chief-executive-officer-301977231.html

Edited November 3, 2023 by RememberSchiff

[Eagle1993]

Why, why, why do we hire retired leaders?

My guess this is more about getting ties into industry for donations than an leader who really wants to learn how scouting is done today, what parents/society/youth need and making necessary changes.

[gpurlee]

I am encouraged. He has a work history that indicates he is innovative and has adapted to changing environments throughout his career. He appears to be talented at leading skilled staff members.  I do know that the Scouting organization will need outstanding leadership if it is to provide meaningful program amidst a lot of headwinds and challenges.  It is impressive that the organization sought leadership outside of traditional route of internal promotion. Yet his personal history suggests that he has an appreciation for the value of the Scouting program. 

I hope that we are reaching the point where we can focus on the future and reaching more youth with exemplary programs.  Time will tell,

Forbes has a good background article. Leidos CEO Roger Krone Looks Back On A Stellar Career, And Reflects On What He Has Learned (forbes.com)

[RememberSchiff]

1 hour ago, Eagle1993 said:

Why, why, why do we hire retired leaders?

My guess this is more about getting ties into industry for donations than an leader who really wants to learn how scouting is done today, what parents/society/youth need and making necessary changes.

Sounds possible, as stated in Governance and Nominating Committee Report regarding recent Executive Board nominees:

NEB Board Campaign
Members of the NEB are expected to make BSA a philanthropic priority and make annual gifts that reflect that priority. To enable BSA to credibly solicit contributions from individuals, foundations, and organizations, BSA expects to have 100 percent of members make an annual contribution that is commensurate with their capacity, in addition to their local council support.

 

I hope Mr. Krone communicates with Scouts and Scouters directly (no interviewer) and soon; next week would be good.

Maybe he will re-institute the Holiday Message.

My $0.02

Edited November 3, 2023 by RememberSchiff
format, grammar

[RememberSchiff]

12 hours ago, gpurlee said:

I am encouraged. He has a work history that indicates he is innovative and has adapted to changing environments throughout his career. He appears to be talented at leading skilled staff members.  I do know that the Scouting organization will need outstanding leadership if it is to provide meaningful program amidst a lot of headwinds and challenges.  It is impressive that the organization sought leadership outside of traditional route of internal promotion. Yet his personal history suggests that he has an appreciation for the value of the Scouting program. 

I hope that we are reaching the point where we can focus on the future and reaching more youth with exemplary programs.  Time will tell,

Forbes has a good background article. Leidos CEO Roger Krone Looks Back On A Stellar Career, And Reflects On What He Has Learned (forbes.com)

A list of Mr. Krone's accomplishments while Leidos CEO:

https://www.leidos.com/insights/growth-and-transformation-leidos

Last interview before retirement:

https://washingtontechnology.com/companies/2023/05/leidos-krone-credits-people-companys-growth/385912/

 

[ALongWalk]

 

• “Krone earned a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington, and a Master of Business Administration from the Harvard Graduate School of Business. A Six Sigma Green Belt, he is both a licensed commercial pilot and a certified public accountant. He is also a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. “

Wow…one doesn’t accomplish this along with his career success without being a top notch performer and leader. This could be a real home run hire. I sure hope so.

[Eagle1993]

4 hours ago, ALongWalk said:

Wow…one doesn’t accomplish this along with his career success without being a top notch performer and leader. This could be a real home run hire. I sure hope so.

I hope so too.  However, there is a pretty big difference in running an organization where most of your "employees" are volunteers, you are not measured in OM% and you are not selling products to the government.  His only connection to scouting seems to be from his youth.  I don't see any connection to running non-profits or youth organizations.  Roger has no Twitter (x) account that I could find, no social media presence, etc. 

In terms of accomplishments, one of the biggest he listed as winning the DoD EHR contract with Cerner.  That has been a disaster that has led to congressional hearings.  Nearly all of his income came from running a company that is able to manage government contracts.  Nothing wrong with that ... but I really struggle to see how this translates into BSA leadership.

19 hours ago, RememberSchiff said:

I hope Mr. Krone communicates with Scouts and Scouters directly (no interviewer) and soon; next week would be good.

Maybe he will re-institute the Holiday Message.

I fully agree.  Hopefully he starts reaching out to scouts/volunteers ... listens to feedback and takes action, etc.  Mosby was absent these last few years, hopefully Mr. Krone can improve.

[RememberSchiff]

On 11/4/2023 at 1:02 PM, Eagle1993 said:

 

I fully agree.  Hopefully he starts reaching out to scouts/volunteers ... listens to feedback and takes action, etc.  Mosby was absent these last few years, hopefully Mr. Krone can improve.

From what I have read, Mr. Krone as CEO held town meetings at Leidos. 

[RememberSchiff]

On 11/3/2023 at 6:00 PM, RememberSchiff said:

Sounds possible, as stated in Governance and Nominating Committee Report regarding recent Executive Board nominees:

NEB Board Campaign
Members of the NEB are expected to make BSA a philanthropic priority and make annual gifts that reflect that priority. To enable BSA to credibly solicit contributions from individuals, foundations, and organizations, BSA expects to have 100 percent of members make an annual contribution that is commensurate with their capacity, in addition to their local council support.

 

I hope Mr. Krone communicates with Scouts and Scouters directly (no interviewer) and soon; next week would be good.

Maybe he will re-institute the Holiday Message.

My $0.02

FYI:

https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2023/11/06/five-things-you-need-to-know-about-roger-krone-the-bsas-incoming-president-and-ceo/

Still hoping Mr. Krone holds a town meeting with Scouts and Scouters.

[Eagle1993]

1 hour ago, RememberSchiff said:

FYI:

https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2023/11/06/five-things-you-need-to-know-about-roger-krone-the-bsas-incoming-president-and-ceo/

Still hoping Mr. Krone holds a town meeting with Scouts and Scouters.

I found this interview more promising than Mosby.  Travel sports, social media and online gaming are major changes to what youth do and how they interact.  BSA has been slow to recognize this and hopefully Krone can find a way to break through. 

I think BSA also needs to understand that there are pressures on the volunteer model.  Stay at home moms and the 40 hour work week are not common.  Finding ways to lower burden and burnout on/of volunteers will also be critical to success.  

looking forward to a fireside chat or town hall soon!

[yknot]

11 minutes ago, RememberSchiff said:

https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2023/11/06/five-things-you-need-to-know-about-roger-krone-the-bsas-incoming-president-and-ceo/

Eagling, planning, budgeting, having everyone remind you for the rest of your life that you screwed up one meal -- these are the kinds of things adults think are great but are not what kids will think are great. It's also kind of weird that a new leader would come out the starting box making somewhat dated anti sports comments.  Youth sports is not the reason why scouting is in trouble but it seems to be a perennially popular dog whistle for people who like to deflect blame there. There's more to be gained by a positive collaborative attitude with some of the nation's other youth organizations vs. a negative one -- BSA could actually learn some things.  A willingness to communicate directly with the troops, though, would be one major immediate plus. 

 

[skeptic]

https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2023/11/06/five-things-you-need-to-know-about-roger-krone-the-bsas-incoming-president-and-ceo/

[Jameson76]

I trust he will bring a more streamlined organization.  With the number of Scouts and units, even if doubled, the BSA is bloated.  The organization needs to get more efficient technology.  The professional scouts need to focus on how to grow the program and not how to raise money and sell popcorn.

The BSA is a youth organization that (for Scouts BSA) is somewhat unique in that at its best is youth led.  The endless cub scouts and family camping is moving away from that and burning out kids and families.

Look not further than the great and hallowed National Jamboree went from 40K scouts (pre-covid) to 15K this year.  Organization needs to do a great bit of self reflection.

Also sell Summit and cut the losses

Edited November 6, 2023 by Jameson76

[skeptic]

8 minutes ago, Jameson76 said:

I trust he will bring a more streamlined organization.  With the number of Scouts and units, even if doubled, the BSA is bloated.  The organization needs to get more efficient technology.  The professional scouts need to focus on how to grow the program and not how to raise money and sell popcorn.

The BSA is a youth organization that (for Scouts BSA) is somewhat unique in that at its best is youth led.  The endless cub scouts and family camping is moving away from that and burning out kids and families.

Look not further than the great and hallowed National Jamboree went from 40K scouts (pre-covid) to 15K this year.  Organization needs to do a great bit of self reflection.

Also sell Summit and cut the losses

Rather than sell it, rework the concept so that it is open broadly to youth other than Scouts, but also keeps the Scouting connection.  It very well could bridge the BSA with the larger society in a positive way, and also stop the financial drain.  We need to "again" be an integral part of society, rather than some kind of paria or afterthought.  But the focus needs to revert strongly to the actual youth, and ways to push the foundational concepts to the larger society.  What made the BSA so successful in its peak acceptance?  It was the image that these young people, not the adults, were living to a real code of honor and were NOT self centered.  Society is begging for that concept to be part of the larger culture.  There are still examples of this scattered about, but the lack of putting it before the public in a meaningful way is a huge mistake.  Letting the public know that Scouting is a positive influence and a major contributor to the better community is not bragging.  People need to know that BSA representatives, the youth, contribute to food drives regularly, that in some areas they rebuild major camps and trails used by the broader public, that they contribute to civic ceremonies honoring veterans and so on.  Our local scouts will be at the Government Center for the County on Veterans day, helping as asked with setup and seating and probably some element of the flag presentations.  Scouting for Food is still a major contributor to food pantries, but also done by units throughout the year.  Some do Christmas/holiday gift drives.  One unit has been supplementing the Bell Ringers for a number of years in connection with their CO.  Scouts are always part of local beach and park cleanup.  It goes on and on, yet few in the community really "know'; this.  That may be the biggest redirect.  But what would I know?