Folsom will join four other honorees at the annual Cool Women Celebration, during which they will mentor Girl Scouts from the organization’s emerging leaders program
SAN DIEGO, CA (February 28, 2024) — National University (NU) — a nonprofit Minority Serving Institution (MSI) that serves 50,000 degree-seeking students and 80,000 workforce and professional development students annually — today announced that Kim Folsom, a member of NU’s Board of Trustees, has been selected as one of Girl Scouts San Diego’s Cool Women of 2024.
Folsom founded Founders First Capital Partners in San Diego in 2015 to provide a small-business growth accelerator and revenue-based venture fund focused on helping underserved small businesses achieve exponential growth and success as employers in their communities. She serves as treasurer of the NU Board of Trustees.
“I grew up a Girl Scout in the San Diego region, in the 70’s, and I am honored that I can leverage that experience to give back to the next generation of emerging Girl Scout leaders,” Folsom said. “I am so grateful to have had the unique exposure to leadership, entrepreneurship, and competition at such an early point in my life. It introduced me to the power of sisterhood, gave me the inspiration and sponsorship to further develop important skills that have supported me throughout my professional career, and instilled in me the confidence that together we can make amazing things happen.”
Folsom and four other Cool Women honorees will be guests at the annual Cool Women Celebration in March. They will lead a mentoring session for 10th-12th grade Girl Scouts in the Emerging Leader Girl Scouts program.
“A strong leader and a committed advocate intent on improving our community, Kim Folsom sets a remarkable example for us all,” said Dr. Mark D. Milliron, NU president and CEO. “We are proud to have her on our Board, and we are excited for the Girl Scouts who will have the opportunity to learn from her experience.”
Over the course of 24 years, Girl Scouts San Diego’s Cool Women Celebration has honored more than 200 exemplary leaders from San Diego and beyond for their positive contributions to the development of girls and women. This year’s event on Thursday, March 21, will shine a spotlight on five remarkable women from diverse fields—ranging from STEM and entrepreneurship to the arts, law, and social impact—and acknowledge their efforts in breaking down barriers and paving the way for future generations.
NU, which makes its headquarters in San Diego, serves students from throughout California, the nation, and the world in mostly online classes. Founded in San Diego in 1971 by a former U.S. Navy captain, NU boasts 230,000 alumni worldwide.
NU is an access and success innovator with an extremely diverse student population of non-traditional and underserved learners from many walks of life, and approximately half of NU’s undergraduates are active-duty military, Veterans, and their dependents. NU is the largest conferrer of graduate degrees to minority students in the United States, with more than 50 percent of graduates being women. The university is the third largest conferrer of doctoral degrees overall. NU is one of the largest private MSIs and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) in the United States. Two-thirds of NU students and graduates are Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC).
About National University: National University, a Veteran-founded nonprofit, has been dedicated to meeting the needs of hard-working adults by providing accessible, affordable higher education opportunities since 1971. As San Diego’s largest private nonprofit university, NU offers over 190+ online and on-campus programs with flexible four-week and eight-week classes and one-to-one graduate education models designed to help students reach their goals while balancing busy lives. Since its founding, the NU community has grown to 130,000 learners served per year—50,000 degree-seeking students and 80,000 workforce and professional development students—and 230,000 alumni around the globe, many of whom serve in helping industries such as business, education, health care, cybersecurity, and law and criminal justice. To learn more about National University’s new possibilities in education including next-generation education, value-rich education, and whole human education, visit NU.edu.