Karen Best has been a Girl Scout, Troop Leader and a Troop Cookie Chairman. She served as a member of the first Board of Directors for Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania from 2007 to 2011 and rejoined the Board in 2014. She has chaired the GSHPA Board Development Committee, acted as lead on the GSHPA Bylaws Task Force, and currently serves on the Board Development Committee and the Fund Development Committee.
Karen is very active in the Harrisburg region. She is a past president of the Junior League of Harrisburg and past chairman of the Board of Trustees of the United Methodist Home for Children. In addition, she recently completed a two-year term as the president of the Harrisburg Symphony Society and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra. As a former township supervisor, Karen has served on various regional planning, transportation, zoning, recreational and economic development commissions.
Now retired, Karen has 28 years of higher education administration experience. She is a graduate of Dickinson College and Penn State-Harrisburg with a master’s degree in public administration. A widow, she has two children and five grandchildren including two granddaughters who are fourth-generation Girl Scouts.