Chris Aziz – whose husband and sons are also Scouts – is this year’s Woman Scouter of the Year.
The Scouting America Garden State Council will hold the 2025 Women of Achievement Awards Reception to celebrate the accomplishments of Scout women on Thursday at the Legacy Club in Cherry Hill.
Seven women from six South Jersey counties and one Woman Scouter of the Year will be honored for leadership and community service.
“The idea behind it is to invite Scouts and their parents and to see that glimmer in their eye as they see past Scouts getting recognized for the future work that they’ve done,” said Amy Phillips, the event’s marketing coordinator.
“Leadership and inspiration are really the main message behind all of this.”
This year’s Woman Scouter of the Year is Chris Aziz, a longtime Scout and volunteer.
“She has every Scouting accolade in the book,” Phillips noted. “This woman is crazy incredible with her Scouting history. She’s served internationally with different Scouting events, like the National Jamboree that they (the Scouting council) do.”
Aziz is also married to an Eagle Scout and both of her sons have attained their Eagle rank.
“Honoring these extraordinary women highlights the incredible impact leaders can have on both their communities and on the next generation of Scouts,” said Patrick Linfors, Scout executive and CEO of the Garden State Council.
The other six Scouts being celebrated are government officials, educators and community organization leaders.
The Camden County winner is Janice Campbell, founder and president of the Tri-State Canine Response Team, who also advocates for various youth services initiatives and is a recipient of the Governor’s Volunteerism Award.
Burlington County’s winner is Keisha Stephenson Taylor, the National Academy Foundation’s senior director of alumni and post-secondary engagement, who has more than 20 years of experience supporting youth programs.
Provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs at Rowan University Dr. Vojislava Pophristic is Gloucester County’s award recipient for her work developing educational programs that aid Scouting’s mission of fostering personal growth.
Amy J. Mahon won for Cape May County. A partner and COO at Reich Asset Management LLC and the president of the Love of Linda Cancer Fund, she mentors young people in philanthropy and civic engagement.
The winner for Cumberland County is Dawn S. Hunter, executive director of the Greater Vineland Chamber of Commerce, who creates opportunities for scouts to serve their communities.
Candice Racite is the associate vice president of industry engagement at Rowan College of South Jersey and Salem County’s awardee for her empowerment of youth through educational partnerships that develop leadership.
Phillips explained that honoring the seven women is particularly important since Scouting America is the new name for the Boy Scouts of America. The idea is to help young Girl Scouts be empowered to engage in their communities.
“It’s really important that young Girl Scouts see how influential these women can be in their community and have those role models to look to …” Phillips pointed out. “This year, especially now with the name change that happened in February, this event is crucial for young girls in particular to see.”
