Former Union County resident to lead Boy Scouts of America

IRVING, Texas – The National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America, BSA, on Dec. 30 named Roger C. Mosby as the organization’s CEO and president after a focused search, which was initiated when former CEO and president Michael B. Surbaugh retired after a tenure of more than four years.

Mosby’s appointment was announced on BSA’s website. The Southeast Missourian newspaper in Cape Girardeau highlighted the appointment in its Dec. 31 issue.

Mosby is a former resident of Union County. He graduated in 1965 from Shawnee High School in Wolf Lake.

“As the BSA moves through an extraordinary time of both change and opportunity, we believe Roger’s experience as a seasoned executive, adept at guiding transformation and driving growth, will bring the right combination of strength and focus needed to steer our organization toward a promising future,” noted Jim Turley, national chair of the Boy Scouts of America, in the news release which was posted on the BSA website.

Roger Mosby most recently ran his own consulting firm focused on executive coaching, following his retirement from leading energy infrastructure company Kinder Morgan in 2015. 

During nearly two decades with the company, he served as HR lead and was one of the original six officers. 

During his tenure, Kinder Morgan grew from 175 to more than 11,000 employees, with Mosby leading extensive change management and cultural transformation efforts.

“I am honored to assume a leadership role with what I believe to be the nation’s greatest youth-serving organization, one that is close to my heart and that I have served for years as a volunteer. I am confident that my decades of experience helping talented people grow, transform and evolve organizations can be applied to furthering the mission of Scouting,” Mosby said. 

“Scouting has been part of my life for most of my life. I believe in the power of Scouting and how important it is in developing character and leadership in young people, so I am proud to join dedicated professionals and volunteers as we move the organization forward.”

The Southeast Missourian reported that Mosby originally is from Cape Girardeau. His family moved to Union County. 

Mosby attended Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, where he studied biology and geology and earned a bachelor of science degree in 1973.

Mosby was a Scout as a youth and served for more than 33 years as a volunteer in the Mid-America and Sam Houston Area councils, in addition to positions with the Southern Region and National Committees of the Boy Scouts of America, as well as the World Organization of the Scout Movement. 

He has received the Silver Antelope Award and the Silver Beaver Award, the highest honors for volunteers at the regional and local levels, respectively, and is a Vigil Honor member of the Order of the Arrow, Scouting’s honor society.

“Roger’s expertise in leading, navigating and implementing positive organizational change will be invaluable to the BSA,” said Ellie Morrison, national commissioner of the Boy Scouts of America. 

“His skills and experience are just what we need at this time. I look forward to working with him to ensure Scouting’s bright future.”

Mosby joins Jim Turley and Ellie Morrison to form the BSA’s “Key 3,” the organization’s highest tier of leadership at the national level.

“We thank Michael Surbaugh for his years of service and leadership to the Boy Scouts of America,” Turley said. 

“Now, as we enter the next stage, we welcome Roger and his well-suited expertise to guide us toward even more opportunities to bring the benefits of Scouting to more youth, families and communities.”

The Scouting organization is composed of nearly 2.2 million youth members between the ages of 5 and 21 and approximately 960,000 volunteers in local councils throughout the United States, including Union County, and its territories.