Roger Krone

In early 2023, Roger Krone received an unexpected call. The Boy Scouts of America—now Scouting America—told him they were looking for a new leader.

“I thought they had the wrong number,” Krone says. “I was a Fortune 500 CEO, an aerospace engineer—not a Scouting professional.”

Though Krone came from a Scouting family and was an Eagle Scout himself, he didn’t think that qualified him to run the nearly 115-year-old organization. He had also just announced his retirement from the aerospace and defense industry, having held leadership roles at some of the most prominent organizations for nearly 45 years.

Scouting America explained they needed someone to reinvigorate the organization during a time of change and thought his experience turning around companies could translate to a nonprofit. Krone had hoped to focus his retirement on giving back in some way, so it was in many ways the perfect opportunity. So, decades after he put on his first Cub Scout uniform, he became CEO and president of the organization.

Krone believes passionately in Scouting America’s mission. Though he initially credited his Scouting experience with gaining useful outdoor skills, he now sees how truly important it was to his growth and how it can continue to serve new generations.

“I didn’t realize what an impact it had in my life until I was asked to lead,” says Krone.

“Now, as a CEO, I look back at my experience and it is so obvious to me that we are a leadership youth development program wrapped in outdoor activity. Kids learn leadership skills, planning, budgeting, responsibility, and how to work as a team.”

Krone also attributes his time as a master’s student at UTA to his success. He says that on top of receiving a great aerospace engineering education, he forged important relationships and learned how to balance a demanding schedule as he worked full time and took classes at night.

“A UTA degree is a great degree; it gives you everything you need to succeed,” Krone says. “My degree really prepared me, made me a better engineer. I’ve learned your only impediments to success are restrictions you put on yourself. The sky is the limit.”