Seaford's Nancy Setzler elected to Girl Scouts of Nassau County board committee

What began as a way for Nancy Setzler to help her daughter make friends became a more than decade-long journey of mentorship, leadership and empowering young women. Now the Seaford resident is bringing that experienceto a new role with Girl Scouts of Nas-
sau County, having been elected to serve on the organization’s Board Development Committee thorugh 2028. 

Setzler was sworn in during Girl Scouts of Nassau County’s 61st annual meeting at Nassau Community College late last month. The committee is responsible for identifying, recruiting and preparing future board members while helping ensure that the organization’s leadership reflects the communities it serves.
For Setzler, the appointment represents another way to give back to an organization that has been a major part of her family’s life since her daughter, Jacqueline Bodycomb, joined Girl Scouts as a first-grader.

“Girl Scouts has always been an important part of our

family’s life,” Setzler said. “I just feel that you need to give back, and this is how I’m trying to do that.” Setzler got involved because she wanted to help Jacqueline transition into the Seaford community. After attending a Montessori school in kindergarten, Jacqueline entered a new environment where friendships and social groups had already formed.

Setzler saw Girl Scouts as an opportunity for her daughter to connect with others — but the organization
quickly became much more than that. “I thought this would be a good way for her to meet people,” Setzler said. “And it was a wonderful experience. It brought us together as a family.”

Over the years, Setzler became a troop leader, and
served as the Seaford-Wantagh service unit manager,
helping local troop leaders connect with Girl Scouts
of Nassau County resources and supporting leaders
throughout the community. Eventually she took on a
larger role at the council level.

The experience also gave Jacqueline the opportunity to watch her mother lead. “My mom has been my
constant support system from day one,” Jacqueline,
now 20, said. “When everyone else lost interest in Girl
Scouts after middle school, she didn’t let me quit, and
instead helped me transition into a Juliette” — an
individually registered member who plans their own
participation — “so I could keep pursuing my goals.”
Her mother’s dedication, Jacqueline said, shaped
the way she approaches challenges today as a class of
2028 student of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, studying chemistry and preparing for medical school.

“She showed me what resilience and dedication
look like in practice,” Jacqueline said. “Her success
as a brilliant woman in tech taught me never to
shrink myself in academic spaces.”
Setzler’s professional career has also influenced
her Girl Scout work. She is an executive manager and
programmer with a BS in Accounting and an MBA in
Information Systems. She also owns Snapology, a
STEAM education company in Westbury.

A longtime advocate of STEM education, Setzler
has worked with programs including Girls Who Code
and FIRST Lego League, in which students build and
program robots while developing teamwork and problem-solving skills. One of the biggest changes she has seen in Girl Scouts over the past decade has been the growth of STEM opportunities. “At a national level, they have brought STEM badges to the girls,” she said. “There’s programming badges, there’s engineering badges, more science badges, and being a programmer, I just love that.”

For Jacqueline, growing up with a mother whose
career was in technology made science feel accessible. “Growing up with a mom in tech, science was
never presented to me as a daunting field or something not meant for me,” she said. “She demystified
STEM by connecting it to real-world examples, which
naturally fueled my love for chemistry.”

Setzler said she hopes Girl Scouts continues to provide girls with opportunities to explore their interests, build confidence and discover their own paths.
One of the most rewarding parts of volunteering, she
said, has been helping girls realize their potential.

“Knowing that they don’t like something is just as
important as knowing they like something,” Setzler
said. “You’re putting them on their path.”
Jacqueline said that her mother’s leadership style
has always stood out. “She didn’t just give everyone
instructions, but actively listened, encouraged critical thinking and advocated for us all to continue with
our education,” she said. “Her ability to guide without micromanaging makes everyone around her feel
capable of tackling hard challenges.”

As Setzler begins her term on Girl Scouts of Nassau’s Board Development Committee, she will help
identify future leaders who can continue Girl Scouting’s mission of developing girls’ courage, confidence
and character.

Jacqueline said that her mother’s impact extends
far beyond her own troop. “She has spent a lifetime
turning curiosity into confidence for countless young
women, ensuring that every girl she encounters
knows she belongs at the forefront of academics and
leadership,” she said.

Setzler encouraged families considering Girl
Scouts to get involved. “Do it,” she said. “You can
expose the girls to so many different things.”