Pronouns: She/Her
Lafayette Degree & Major(s): Bachelor of Arts, Government and Law & Women’s and Gender Studies
Graduate Degree: Currently working towards a Master of Public Affairs and Politics degree at Rutgers University
Location: Hoboken, NJ
Title: Vice President, Institutional Development
Employer: Girl Scouts of the USA
Describe what your employer/organization does: Girl Scouts of the USA is the nation’s largest leadership organization for girls, serving over 1 million members across all 50 states and around the world. We provide transformative experiences in the outdoors, entrepreneurship, STEM, and life skills – building girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place.
Please provide a brief overview of your role: As Vice President of Institutional Development, I oversee national partnerships with corporations and foundations who want to support the next generation of leaders and changemakers. I lead a team charged with securing strategic investments, designing initiatives that align funder priorities with Girl Scouts’ impact.
What gets you excited to go to work each day? Building partnerships that fuel the next generation of leaders. Every conversation with a corporate partner or foundation is an opportunity to change girls’ lives. I’ve witnessed that impact firsthand in troop meetings, at camp, and Gold Award ceremonies – I always learn something new and am continually inspired by these young people who are already making a difference in their communities. For so many girls, Girl Scouts is where they get to discover who they are, find sisterhood, and learn and grow so they can lead their own way. Securing partnerships that make those moments possible is what makes me excited to go to work.
What keeps you up at night as you think about the opportunities (or challenges) related to your work? The fact that less than 2% of philanthropic dollars go to women and girls. It’s a staggering gap, especially when you consider what Girl Scouts actually is – one of the most powerful leadership pipelines in the country. Over 50 million women, the teachers, nurses, entrepreneurs, CEOs, Supreme Court Justices, and neighbors leading in their communities, were shaped by the confidence and belonging they found in Girl Scouts. At its core, this organization strengthens democracy itself by building social capital, cultivating trust, and creating community across differences. The opportunity cost of underinvesting in girls is what keeps me up at night, and it’s what drives me to make the case for why this work matters.
What key strengths are necessary to be successful in entering this career field? You need to care deeply about the mission you’re serving. Authenticity is non-negotiable. From there, it’s about developing the strategic skills to translate that passion into action by building relationships, communicating impact clearly, and problem-solving when challenges arise. Successful nonprofit leaders are driven by purpose, empower their teams, and understand that this work is fundamentally about people and possibility.
Is education beyond a Lafayette degree required to pursue this path? It’s not required. What matters more is intellectual curiosity and a commitment to keep learning whether that’s through formal education, on-the-job experience, or maintaining strong connections.
How did your Lafayette experience equip you for success in your career field, especially as an early career professional? Lafayette taught me to think across boundaries. The liberal arts foundation that helped me connect ideas across disciplines, communicate clearly, and analyze complex problems are skills I use every day. My professors taught me to ask hard questions and make rigorous arguments, which is exactly what you need when you’re making the case for transformative investments. Lafayette also taught me the power of relationships. While I was in school and early in my career, I took every opportunity Lafayette offered to connect me with alums for informational interviews and job shadowing that helped me figure out my path. Learning how to network and the power of those genuine connections gave me a foundation I still rely on.
What specific experiences during your time at Lafayette made the greatest impact on your professional path? Professors Armstrong, Byrd, Gilligan, and Musil, were integral in shaping who I am and the work I do. They taught gender studies courses that fundamentally shaped how I see the world and approach problems, giving me a framework to analyze complex questions. They challenged me intellectually and opened doors I didn’t know existed, providing mentorship that I will forever cherish. I also spent some formative hours outside the classroom listening to visiting speakers like Jane Goodall or hearing about new scientific research at a brown bag lunch. Lafayette would host folks from all walks of life to share their stories, whether Jimmy Carter or Anne-Marie Slaughter or women from the Northampton prison. These lectures alongside community-based learning expanded my worldview and encouraged me as a student to value curiosity as much as mastery, and humanity as much as analysis. My time at Lafayette also showed me the importance of standing up when there’s injustice. Navigating a difficult personal experience during my senior year deepened my commitment to advocacy for those who have been historically marginalized. It reinforced the notion that we all have the power to be agents of change in our own lives and for others. I realized I could take that passion and all I learned at Lafayette and apply it toward a career centered around empowering women and girls.
As it relates to career exploration and development, what is one thing that you know now that you wish you could go back in time and tell your student self? That uncertainty is totally fine and some of the most meaningful opportunities emerge from what seem like setbacks or detours at the time. I’d tell my younger self to trust that the path isn’t linear and that relationships often shape that path as much as credentials do.
What advice do you have for students interested in pursuing your career field? Use the Lafayette Career Center to the fullest extent – do externships, internships, and utilize the alum network. Reach out to folks on (GatewayLink and) LinkedIn who work at nonprofits whose missions you’re interested in and ask for short informational interviews to learn what their jobs are like, what their path was, and if they have any advice. Some messages will go unanswered – don’t take it personally. Most Lafayette alums are eager to help if they can. In addition to the work you do at Lafayette, any research, advocacy, campaigns, volunteering, writing that you can do, do it. And lean into what you’re passionate about because in the nonprofit world, the people and purpose will carry you forward.
What strategies, tools, or other efforts do you utilize to find “balance” or reduce your career-related stress? I lean on a team that feels like a sisterhood. We keep girls at the center of our work, meet the high standards we set, and are there for each other when the days are long. We are encouraged to think big and build together. Going for a run along the water can help me clear any extra noise, but it’s the energy from our shared community that does the rest. That sense of trust and shared purpose reduces stress more than anything else. I feel incredibly fortunate to work in this type of environment.
How do you enjoy spending your free time when not at work? Enjoying good food with family and friends, traveling, reading, and running or hiking with my partner who I’ve been with since sophomore year at Lafayette. We still work from home together most days, which is something we both treasure.
What was your favorite spot on Lafayette’s campus when you were a student? Kirby Library – its beauty and sense of history made it a place where I always felt at home and inspired.
Would you like to connect with Alexandra to learn more about her career path?
Ms. Behette is happy to connect with students via LinkedIn and email.
If you’d like to connect with Ms. Behette by email, please contact your Gateway Career Counselor for details.
