Girl Scouts dub Rancho Bernardo resident a ‘Cool Woman’
A Rancho Bernardo resident was among 10 recently dubbed “Cool Women” by Girl Scouts San Diego.
Wendy Urushima-Conn, president and CEO of the Asian Business Administration, was recognized for being a role model for girls and making the world a better place while balancing work, family, friends and community service, according to council officials.
“When I was contacted by the Girl Scouts I was surprised,” she said. “It’s cool really, because I never think of myself as being cool.”
Urushima-Conn said she was also humbled and honored to receive the prestigious award.
“I was a Girl Scout ... and have very fond memories,” she said of her Brownie and Junior Girl Scout years. “I learned how to scramble my first egg, make breakfast and (assemble) a first aid kit.”
She said her youngest daughter, Emi, is a first grader completing her second year of Daisy Girl Scouts. This year Urushima-Conn was the troop’s fall product manager, in charge of its nut and candy sales.
“We were proud to honor 10 exemplary women for their extraordinary leadership and community service,” said Carol M. Dedrich, CEO of Girl Scouts San Diego. “Our Cool Women’s personal and professional lives make them consummate role models for girls.”
The 17th annual Cool Women ceremony is among ways the council keeps Girl Scouting available and affordable for its more than 35,000 local members, according to officials. The event also included a mentoring session for 30 teenage Girl Scouts, during which current and former Cool Women shared stories about how they created their successful careers and live fulfilling lives. Urushima-Conn was among the mentors.
Professionally, Urushima-Conn has focused on community outreach, marketing and public relations over the past two decades. Prior to leading the Asian Business Association, which has almost 500 member businesses and represents more than 65,000 employees, she was the associate executive director of development at Center for Community Solutions. Earlier in her career she was the community and media marketing manager at KGTV/10 news and a weather and traffic reporter at Airwatch Traffic.
Her community service has included being on the boards of several nonprofit organizations, including Girls Incorporated of San Diego, The San Diego Foundation, San Diego Diversity Council, LEAD San Diego, the Jenna Druck Foundation, the San Diego Public Library Foundation and San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s Asian-Pacific Islander Advisory Board.
The importance of doing community service is something that was “ingrained” in her by her mother and grandmother, Urushima-Conn said when she was named the 77th Assembly District’s “Woman of the Year” in 2014. She said causes that help girls and young women are especially important to her.
The San Francisco Bay Area native said she moved to Southern California in 1986 so she could attend the University of California San Diego. She moved to the Bernardo Heights neighborhood of Rancho Bernardo 16 years ago, where she lives with her husband, Dr. Bart Conn, and their daughters, Reiko, 19, and Emi, 7.
Urushima-Conn said in her free time she enjoys being a distance runner who participates in ultra marathons, which are 50 miles long.
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