Jere B. Ratcliffe of Naperville, Ill., has been named Chief Scout Executive of Boy Scouts of America, replacing Ben H. Love, who retires Feb. 1.
The new leader of BSA has scheduled a Jan. 28 visit to Salt Lake City to meet with members of the General Church Scouting Committee.As Chief Scout Executive, Mr. Ratcliffe will be responsible for providing leadership to nearly 4,000 BSA professionals and the 5.5 million-member Scouting organization, including about 350,000 LDS boys and young men ages 8-18. There are more than 25,500 Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Varsity and Explorer units in the Church, making it one of the largest sponsoring institutions of Scouting in the United States.
"Jere brings a wide range of Scouting experience to the office of the Chief Scout Executive," noted John L. Clendenin, BSA national president and chairman of the search committee. "He will build upon our past successes and help ensure that the youth and families we serve will continue to receive the best that Scouting has to offer."
Mr. Ratcliffe has held a variety of positions during his 28 years of professional service to BSA. He started his career in 1961 on the field staff of the Blue Ridge Council in Greenville, S.C. He later served as director of the Finance Support Division at national headquarters before being named executive of the Heart of America Council in Kansas City, Mo., in 1988. Most recently, he was regional director for the Central Region of BSA, headquartered in suburban Chicago.
A graduate of Wittenberg University and Distinguished Eagle Scout, the new BSA head has been active in a wide range of business, religious, civic and fraternal organizations.
Mr. Ratcliffe and his wife, Judy, have two grown children, a son and a daughter.
