Lt. Col. Joanna Reagan in Kuwait

in Kuwait.  With their leader being called to duty in the Middle East, The North Carolina Coastal Pines Chapter of the Girl Scouts considered breaking the troop up and transferring the girls to other troops.  But lucky for the girls of 1444, an unlikely person stepped up to help lead the troop and keep Joanna’s girls together.

Keith happens to be Joanna Reagan’s husband and stepped up to help out when she was deployed.  When we attended the Troop’s weekly meeting a few weeks ago the energy in the room was electric.  The girls were obviously close with one another and thrilled to have Keith Reagan as co-leader of their troop.

“He is fun because he just understands me and helps us out a lot,” says troop member Emma Falcon-Voleski.  Whitney Pollard agrees with Emma that Keith brings unique to the troop and provokes them to have fun.  All the girls agree that their troop father brings an exciting twist to troop activities.  “It’s kind of like having a woman lead us, just a different gender.  Sometimes it can be exciting,” Pollard says.

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According to the United States Girl Scout Council, male leaders are rare, but not unheard of.  Out of about one million leaders nationwide, two percent are men.  The North Carolina Coastal Pines Chapter says the girl scouts value diversity and that every position in Girl Scouting is open to qualified men and

“It came to a point where there was some concern whether the troop would continue,” says Keith Reagan, father and Troop 1444’s stand-in leader.  “The girls might have to be farmed out to another troop in order to remain in the girl scouts and I said I will not allow that to happen.”

Joanna Reagan is the leader of North Carolina Coastal Pines Troop 1444

According to the United States Girl Scout Council, male leaders are rare, but not unheard of.  Out of about one million leaders nationwide, two percent are men.  The North Carolina Coastal Pines Chapter says the girl scouts value diversity and that every position in Girl Scouting is open to qualified men and women.  They do however believe that female role modes are so important to young girls, that men like Keith working directly with girls must have a female co-leader.  Keith runs troop 1444 alongside Heather Walters and her husband Chris, who has been appointed “Cookie Dad” due to his ability effectively manage those famous Spring cookie sales.

So while Joanna is serving in Kuwait, Keith will continue to lead Troop 1444 in the Girl Scout Promise at every weekly meeting.  He’ll plan camping trips with co-leader Heather Walters, strategize fundraisers and help the girls sew those iconic patches onto their “girl scout green” vests.

“We do allow males to work with our girls here.  We understand that there is an important balance between males and females in our roles,”  says Meta Trombley, Membership Executive for the North Carolina Coast Pines Chapter.  “So we just want to make sure that the Moms were okay with it and the girls still knew they were going to get a great girl scouting experience.” 

Troop 1444 with myself and our Fox News Crew

“I hope that my presence, if nothing else, has provided an aspect to girl scouts that they might not have without a male influence,”  Reagan says.