Meet Famous Former Honoree Dr. Wanda Barnard-Bailey

On Thursday, October 30, Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast will be honoring local Girl Scout alumna Dr. Wanda Barnard-Bailey, deputy city manager for City of Chesapeake, at the Girl Scout Famous Formers Luncheon. This event is held annually to honor local women who continue to exemplify the values of Girl Scouting through their leadership roles in the community.

Dr. Wanda Barnard-Bailey

Dr. Bailey, who began her career as a social worker, is now responsible for Chesapeake’s, human services department, parks and recreation department, public library services and customer contact center. In this role, she oversees approximately 25 percent of the budget and employees in the City. Her leadership abilities have allowed her to make great changes in Chesapeake to ensure effective community outreach, enhance the quality of life for citizens and connect the City to local organizations in order to better serve members of the community. Looking back, Dr. Bailey links her experiences in Girl Scouts with the ambitions that she has today to make the world a better place.

As a Girl Scout while growing up in Moyock, Dr. Bailey had her first experiences serving the community. She remembers visiting elderly members of her church to help them with yard work or cleaning around the house. Dr. Bailey also fondly recalls outdoor adventures with her Girl Scout troop, including a hiking trip that ended at a pond where the she got to go fishing.

For Dr. Bailey, the biggest impact that Girl Scouts had on her life was the influence of the volunteer who led her troop, Ms. Lucy Walston. Dr. Bailey recalls that her leader was a vibrant and energetic woman who cared for each Girl Scout in her troop. Looking back, she sees how Ms. Walston, who did not even have a daughter, selflessly gave her time to make a difference in the lives of girls and helped give girls the skills and confidence they needed to become leaders.

“She emulated every line of the Girl Scout Law and taught us to be good citizens by setting a good example for us,” Dr. Bailey said.

Since her time as a member of Girl Scouts, Dr. Bailey has continued to be involved in the organization by supporting her niece’s Girl Scout troop with special projects and supporting them each year during the Girl Scout Cookie Program. Dr. Bailey also helped Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast through their strategic planning process.

In addition to Dr. Bailey, five other local Girl Scout alumnae will be honored as Girl Scout Famous Formers this year: Dr. Lucy Gibney, founder and chairman of Lucy’s, an allergy-friendly food manufacturing company; Susan Mayo, president of Susan T. Mayo Consulting; Regina Mobley, news anchor for WVEC-TV 13; Janis King Robinson, vice president of operations for Sentara Albemarle Medical Center; and Jeanne Zeidler, president and chief executive officer of the Williamsburg Community Health Foundation.

This year’s Girl Scout Famous Formers Luncheon will be held on Thursday, October 30 at 11:30 a.m. at the Norfolk Yacht Club. Tickets for the luncheon are $40 each and can be purchased online or by calling 757-548-9438.