Gary Furtado, recently retired president and CEO of Navigant Credit Union was elected Council President of the Narragansett Council, Boy Scouts of America at the annual board meeting.

“I’m thrilled to be taking on this new role, after two decades of involvement with the Narragansett Council,” said Furtado. “I’ve seen the difference Scouting can make in the lives of young people, and I’m honored to play a bigger role in that,” Furtado said in a statement.

Furtado served for 44 years, 35 of those as President and CEO of Navigant. As council president  he serves as Chair of the Council’s Executive Board and leads the board in strategic decision-making, stewardship of resources, and delivery of the Scouting program to over 5,000 youth across southeastern New England.

While Furtado briefly participated as a Cub Scout, his involvement in Scouting started in earnest as an adult while working in Central Falls and looking for ways to engage with the community. After hearing about the Scoutreach program, which seeks to break down the barriers to membership for low-income, ethnically diverse families and provides youth access to Scouting program, Furtado was hooked.

2023 marks 20 years that Furtado has been involved with the Narragansett Council. In Central Falls, Gary started a tradition to give back to Eagle Scouts – gifting each new Eagle with an iPad and gathering them together for a special annual group lunch. Furtado saw his role at a community bank as an opportunity to mentor Scouts.

“I first met Gary as a 15-year-old working on my personal management Merit Badge,” said Cristian Giraldo, a now 28-year-old Eagle Scout from Troop 3 Central Falls. “Later when I needed additional funding to complete my Eagle Scout project, I went to Navigant and pitched my project. Gary signed a check immediately and insisted that any leftover money go back to the Troop. After I completed the project, Gary held a ceremony for all Central Falls Eagle Scouts at the Navigant Central Falls Branch and presented us all with iPads.”

“Gary also came through for me as a college student. When I was an 18-year-old freshman at Bryant, I reached out to Navigant about a summer job. Gary set me up in the mortgage department, and over the next three years I went from intern to part-time employee and I worked full-time during the summers.” Cristian now works as an investment specialist at John Hancock Financial, and has purchased three properties, each with mortgages from Navigant Credit Union.

“We are excited to have Gary Furtado lead our Executive Board as the new Council President,” said Narragansett Council CEO Tim McCandless. “His longtime commitment to Scouting has made such a difference in the lives of Central Falls Scouts for twenty years, I can’t wait to see how he replicates that impact across the entire Narragansett Council.”