About Us

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Mission

Image of Scouts saluting in uniform.

We prepare young people to be leaders and individuals of strong character by helping them discover and live by the principles of Scouting.

Vision

Picture of adult leader looking out on a group of people. All branches of Scouting and several community members are shown in the crowd.

Northern Star Council is a positive influence in the lives of all young people in our communities.

About Us

Our History

In February of 1910, the Boy Scouts of America was founded in Washington, D.C. Only a few months later, two separate groups met to establish Boy Scout councils in Minnesota: one in Minneapolis and one in St. Paul.

On July 1, 2005, the two councils, Viking and Indianhead, merged to form today's Northern Star Council, one of the largest in the country. The council includes communities reaching from the South Dakota border to the communities of Ellsworth and Roberts, Wisconsin.

The council's headquarters is at their Base Camp facility in Fort Snelling, MN.

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Picture of the Leadership Center, our headquarters, during a sunset.

Northern Star Scouting Today

Our council is led by volunteers and supported by staff. The top position is our council president, who leads our 60 member board of directors and is selected through a nominating committee process and elected to serve a two-year term. The president and board hire the Scout Executive, who guides and manages our council employees. Rounding out our top leadership team is the council commissioner, appointed by the board, who directs the volunteers that work directly with leaders of Scouting groups to help them succeed.

Meet our top council leadership:

Picture of John Guthmann

John Guthmann
President

Picture of Paul Kaus

Paul Kaus
Commissioner

Picture of John Andrews

John Andrews
Scout Executive

To effectively administer Scouting, our council is divided into 13 geographic districts along school district boundaries. Each has a volunteer district commissioner who directs the unit commissioners and a membership chair and committee, all supported by a district executive - a staff member serving the assigned territory.

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