Board of Directors

Teresa Colgan | Burlington

Teresa is the Chief Clinical Officer for Great River Medical Center in Burlington, Iowa, and has been volunteering with Girl Scouts for 35 years, starting as the camp nurse at Camp L-Kee-Ta. She did a wide range of volunteer roles and in 1999, began her tenure as a member of the Board of Directors for Shining Trail Council. She became Shining Trail Council President in 2003. Teresa co-chaired the Realignment Committee during our realignment and continued offering her leadership on a multitude of projects including strategic planning and performance excellence. Our council has prospered under her creative, strong and steady leadership.

Mary Ann Brown | Burlington

Mary Ann Brown retired as a district court judge in the 8th Judicial District of Iowa after 20 years on the bench. She continues to work on a part time basis as a senior judge. Prior to her retirement she also served as the Chief Judge of the 8th Judicial District for 9 years . Before taking the bench she served as a prosecutor in the Des Moines County Attorney’s office and was in private practice with the firm of Bauer, Schulte, Hahn, Swanson and Brown, in Burlington, Iowa.

Over the years she has volunteered for several local community organizations such as the Burlington Library Board of Trustees, Burlington/West Burlington United Way, and Burlington/West Burlington Chamber of Commerce. She has also served on several Iowa Bar Association and Iowa Supreme Court committees.

Mary Ann is a lifetime member of Girl Scouts. She was a girl scout as a child. As an adult she has served in many volunteer positions over the years including Cadette troop leader, long time member of the board of directors for Shining Trail Council and president of the board for six years. She most recently has served on the by-laws and finance committees for GSEIWI.

Andrew Abbott | Waterloo, Iowa

Andrew Carl Abbott is the President of Abbott Law Office, P.C., as well as a Judicial Magistrate for Black Hawk County – District 1B. As a Magistrate, he regularly deals with attorneys hailing from all over the State of Iowa and, most times, handling pro se individuals that are seeking justice through the legal system or need direction with regards to how to resolve their situations. Andrew is also an emergency contact for mental health and substance-related disorder 48 hour holds in Black Hawk County. He has experienced a wide range of areas of legal practice, focusing on general practice. Most recently, his focus has been on both the civil and criminal aspects of law, with more of an emphasis on family law and juvenile law. He continues to maintain a contract with the State Public Defender’s Office to provide services for those in need.

He is active in the community as a member of the housing corporation, board member of the African American Historical and Cultural Museum, and member of Trinity Lutheran Church.

Dr. Rachel Savage | Moline

Dr. Rachel Savage has 25 years of experience in the field of education in Iowa, Illinois, and Arizona. She has served as Superintendent, High School Administrator, K-8 Principal, 6-8 Principal, and a High School Spanish teacher. She has also served as Adjunct Professor for the University of Dubuque and Northeast Iowa Community College. Her doctorate is in K-12 Organizational Leadership. She also has an MA in Curriculum and Instruction, and another in Educational Administration.

Her husband, Dr. Eric Savage is a Professor for the University of Dubuque, in the Department of Aviation. He is also a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Aviation and Flight for Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Her daughter Gabby, is a junior at Northern Arizona University, in Flagstaff, pursuing a degree in Hotel-Restaurant Management. Her son, RJ, is a freshman at the University of Iowa. He is studying industrial engineering and is also a private pilot working on his flight credentials at Jet Air in Iowa City. The family dog, Pilot, is an English Springer Spaniel and everyone’s best friend.

Clara Garman | Marion

Clara is a Software/Systems Engineer at Rockwell Collins, now a conglomerate of Raytheon Technologies. Her work in software and aircraft systems engineering quickly led into several roles, including her current role of Data Manager and Project Cost Account Manager for Display Software on the Boeing 747 aircraft series.

She has been involved with United Way, Boy Scouts of America, YMCA and the Society of Women in Engineering over the course of many years. Clara is a strong supporter of natural and conservation initiatives. She currently holds a chair position on the SWE board for Girl Scout Days. This will be her fourth year on that board. and she initiated the new Older Girl Scout Day sleepover event in 2017.

Clara has been a Girl Scout since 1994, following a long career of growing confidence, having the courage to face her fears and being prepared for several challenges. In 2008, she was a Girl Scout camp director. For several years since, she has served on a multitude of Girl Scout committees for items such as property management, fund raising, training and a COVID task force. Her experiences in multiple councils has allowed Girl Scouts to share ideas and learn new skills.

Finally, Clara's passion lies in the outdoors. She has volunteered at our GSEIWI events since 2011, and likes to spend her vacation as a counselor at Camp Liberty. She may be considered crazy, but firmly believes that the more girls who are comfortable living in wilderness conditions, the more prepared they will be for the future of the world.

David Blakenship | Cedar Rapids

David retired from the Aegon-affiliated companies in 2016 following a 39-year career. He also founded and directs the Pathfinder Outdoor Education Center, which specializes in outdoor experiential education. As a professional, he is skilled at providing leadership in change management at organizations. He has served on many boards for organizations that create positive outcomes for youth. David has been married to his wife Lois for 50 years, has three children and five grandchildren.

Emerald Smith | Cedar Rapids

Emerald Smith works at Collins Aerospace as an influential individual contributor working within supply chain. She manages the lifecycle on last-time buys and rebuys. In her previous career, Emerald worked 15+ years working with at-risk youth. She is involved with ReSET CR which focuses on meeting youth where they are and reducing violence in the community.

In her free time, she enjoys traveling; so much that she became an independent travel agent. She enjoys empowering people who never thought they would leave their state to travel and experience the world.

Danica Hass

Danica has been employed at the Allen Child Protection Center since 2016 as a Forensic Interviewer. In her role, she interviews children and dependent adults for allegations of abuse and to date, has conducted roughly 1,300 interviews. During her employment, Danica has mentored other Allen Hospital employees, provided training to community members and professionals, and currently leads a Community Engagement Committee. Danica participates in multiple councils and organizations both inside and outside of work. Danica serves on the Executive Committee for the Iowa American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children and currently serves as the President of the Junior League of Waterloo-Cedar Falls.

Sarah Beckman

Sarah is a certified public accountant and shareholder of CPA Associates PC in Burlington, Iowa. She accredits her cookie sales experience as a former Brownie for fueling her passion for numbers. Sarah performs financial statement audits and prepares individual, business and not-for-profit tax returns. She has a Bachelor of Business Administration - Accounting from the University of Northern Iowa. Prior to working at CPA Associates PC, Sarah was a manager with Ernst & Young LLP in Des Moines Iowa. Besides numbers, Sarah enjoys spending time with family, participating in farming operations with her husband and reading a great book.

Denise Greenhaw

Denise is a co-owner and General Manager of NextGen Motors of Muscatine. She formerly worked at HNI Corporation where she developed relationships with key dealers in efforts to drive growth and capabilities. She has a passion for developing women in the workforce and has volunteered for Women Lead Change Quad Cities Women Connect, Muscatine Women’s Leadership Network, Lead(h)er, and has participated in various panel discussions. She also serves on the board of Iowa Independent Automobile Dealers Association (IIADA) and champions an annual 5k run/walk for mental health awareness in Muscatine.

Denise has fond memories of her early days as a girl scout and is excited to help young girls build their courage, confidence and character to help them prepare for their future.

Sophie Marks

Sophie Marks is a marketing and brand strategist with a passion for leadership, storytelling, and community engagement. As the Associate Marketing & Communications Director at HOMELINK, a division of VGM Group, Inc., she leads enterprise marketing initiatives, brand strategy, and supports client engagement efforts. With a background in experiential marketing, brand development, and strategic communications, Sophie brings a creative and thoughtful perspective to the Girl Scouts of Northeast Iowa and Illinois board. She is dedicated to empowering young girls to build confidence, leadership skills, and a sense of adventure.

Outside of work, Sophie enjoys spending time with her family, including her two young children, and is always looking for ways to create meaningful connections through storytelling and design.

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