Colleen Kelly Howard

Cheering on Girls on the Run

Abstract

The Executive Director of Girls on the Run Philadelphia, Colleen Kelly Howard, takes a deep breath and relaxes into her seat. We met in a crowded Starbucks during the short break she had in a session downtown. Howard is new to the role of Executive Director, but she is a seasoned champion of girls. With three daughters, herself, Howard’s days consist of encouraging and guiding young girls at home and at work. Her middle daughter led her to Girls on the Run in 2013. She was a volunteer coach for her daughter’s team and built up the confidence and determination of a group of wide-eyed, bouncing third graders. Howard was hired as Executive Director in 2014 and in effect, was the sole full-time staff member of Girls on the Run Philadelphia. As the conversation went on, I quickly noticed her ironclad work ethic as she described how she approached every challenge that came her way. That attitude resulted in the organization's revenue increasing twofold between 2014 and 2015. As I later learned, that was only the beginning. Howard continuously looks towards the future, keeping a steady eye on any opportunity to help the organization grow. As the only staff member, she spends about 65 percent of her time on programming and 20 percent of her time on fundraising.