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Community Corner

Girl Scouts of Connecticut to Honor Merrill Lynch Managing Director Linda Houston

Girl Scouts of Connecticut is pleased to announce that Linda Houston, Managing Director, New England Market Executive for Merrill Lynch Wealth Management will be the honoree at the 2014 Woman of Merit dinner on Thursday, June 19, from 5:30 – 9:00 p.m. at the Stamford Hilton in Stamford.

Linda Houston began her career at Merrill Lynch 30 years ago as a Client Associate in the Rockefeller Center office in New York. She became a Financial Advisor in 1986 and worked with clients in New York City and Stamford, CT, becoming a member of the Circle of Excellence in 1997 and 1998. She then moved into management, ultimately leading Wealth Management offices in Connecticut and Manhattan. For seven years she was named one of the Top Directors/Managing Directors of the firm. In 2010 Linda was named the Regional Managing Director for the New Jersey Region and in 2011 became the Market Executive of the New England Market.

Linda has coached candidates in the Professional Development Program at the Merrill Lynch Corporate Campus in Princeton, New Jersey. Linda was selected to represent Merrill Lynch's support of the Women's Sports Foundation for the advertorial "Training for Success," featured in the October 1998 issue of Self magazine.

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In her home community of Greenwich, Linda was featured in the January 1997 edition of Greenwich Magazine in a lead article entitled, "Women in the Financial Industry."  Linda attended the Merrill Lynch Women's Leadership Program at Harvard Business School.   In 2012 Linda was named one of Connecticut’s Women of F.I.R.E.--which recognized Linda as one of the leading women in local financial services. 

The Woman of Merit award recognizes leaders who demonstrate the Girl Scout values of leadership, personal achievement, and service to the community. It is given in honor of Alice Pattison Merritt, an extraordinary public leader who became the first woman elected to the Connecticut Senate and who was instrumental in bringing Girl Scouting to girls in Connecticut.

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“We are honored to award the 2014 Woman of Merit award to Linda Houston,” said Mary Barneby, CEO, Girl Scouts of Connecticut.  “As an outstanding woman of accomplishment in the financial services sector, Linda exhibits leadership qualities and skills that we strive to build in our girls every day. As our financial literacy program is a large part of what we do at Girl Scouts, we are thrilled to provide such an outstanding role model for our girls to meet and speak with. She is a great example of how courage, confidence, and character can shape one’s life.”

Friends, business partners and supporters are invited to the Woman of Merit dinner for an evening of fun while supporting Girl Scouting’s leadership development programs for young women. Net proceeds from the dinner will support programming that help girls in grades K - 12 bring out the best in themselves and their communities. The Girl Scout Leadership Experience offers girls the lifetime skills they need to discover their personal best; connect with others to build healthy relationships; and take action in their communities to make the world a better place.

For more information about the event, please visit www.gsofct.org or call 860-522-0163 ext. 3243.

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