5 Questions with Membership Growth Director Mark Logemann

It’s back to school season which means your council is in the thick of recruitment! We’ve shared some easy tips and tricks to inspire your best recruiting efforts, and today, we’re taking you behind the scenes to introduce you to the man at the National Service Center who has made membership growth his biggest priority.

Meet Mark Logemann, Group Director of Membership Growth, in our latest edition of the 5 Questions series, where we introduce you to the employees and volunteers who work to make Scouting the best it can be. Discover what Mark thinks about pilot programs, Philmont, and Dutch oven cooking in the infographic below!

What’s most exciting about your role as Membership Growth Director? 

Mark: Working with dedicated volunteers and professionals to bring Scouting to more youth across the country is a blast. Today, with the success of Exploring, we’re helping to reintroduce one of the best programs of workforce development to business leaders and young adults. Additionally, with the overwhelming interest in the Lion Pilot, we can better meet the needs of councils, as well as the families they serve. Pilot programs like STEM Scouts and other possibilities were going to be looking at, should allow us to bring Scouting’s character and leadership programs to even more youth in the months and years to come.

What is your Scouting background? What drew you to the BSA? 

Mark: I’m a product of the program and was fortunate to have the BEST Den Mother (that’s what we called them back then) ever. I‘m so thankful that Mrs. Mugrage introduced the fun and adventure to me. I was fortunate to be involved with a great Scout Troop, Troop 880 in Mt. Healthy, Ohio, and enjoyed having my dad as Scoutmaster for part of the time, as well as helping my two brothers on the Scouting trail. We were an active troop with annual trips to Boundary Waters, Philmont, National Jamboree and others until I had the opportunity to  serve on a summer camp staff. I also was involved in two Exploring posts. My Eagle Scout award and all it took to earn, gave me the foundation for the rest of my life.  Throughout my career I’ve had amazing experiences working on the staff at Dan Beard Council (Cincinnati, OH), Scout Executive for Southwest Michigan Council (Kalamazoo, MI), serving as an Area Director for Area 4 of the Central Region (Ohio and West Virginia) and Scout Executive for Bay-Lakes Council (northeast Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula).

What’s your favorite Scouting memory? 

Mark: For me, there are so many to choose from; however, personally in 1989 when my sons were 3 and 5, I had the opportunity to serve on the Philmont Training Center Faculty and, wisely, I took the family. At the end of the week, I asked the boys to promise to bring me back on a trek into the backcountry when they were older. They kept their promise and in 2011 and 2012 we returned to Philmont (I got to go twice), and we had a remarkable experience! As a professional, one of the most memorable moments was when a leader told me he just received the promotion of his life at work and he attributed it to the leadership skills he’d learned at Wood Badge. He was so thankful for Scouting and its impact it had on his adult life.

How is your role significant to the Scouting experience? 

Mark: Bringing our life-changing program to more youth has been my passion my entire career. I’ve had great mentors both volunteers and professional over the years. I’m delighted to bring my experiences and passion to the National Service Center to help insure that we’re still making memories and changing lives. If my work can impact today’s youth like it did for me and my friends, the future is indeed bright. 

And, most important, what’s your go-to campout food? 

Mark: I learned as a Scout there wasn’t anything we couldn’t cook outdoors, and I think we tried almost everything. But on a chilly evening, nothing’s better than a cobbler from a Dutch oven, using berries you picked earlier in the day. 

Share #BSA5Questions

Save the 5 Questions infographic and then share with your Scouting network on social media using #BSA5Questions! You can also get to know our previous 5 Questions Scouters by checking out features on our new National Commissioner, Corporate Engagement Dept. Mgr and Sustainability Director, Scoutbook Team Lead and Product Owner, Director of Health and Safety, and Directors of STEM Programs. Know a Scouter who should be in the next 5 Questions? Comment with your suggestions below!