People who notice the tiny, gold lapel pin that Bob Mazzuca wears usually recognize it as the Boy Scouts emblem.

But afterward, he said, too many ask whether the organization still is around.

"That speaks volumes about our marketing effort," said Mazzuca, a former Pittsburgh Scout leader who heads Irving, Texas-based Boy Scouts of America. The Scouts are kicking off a public awareness and membership-building campaign to last through their 100th anniversary in 2010.

The Boy Scouts stepped away more than a decade ago from large-scale promotions after controversy flared over their ban on gay, atheist and agnostic leaders or members.

"At the time, the position was to take the high ground and not say anything. That time has passed," Mazzuca said Thursday during a visit to Pittsburgh for events -- including tonight's 40th anniversary celebration for the Flag Plaza center, Uptown.

"It's time to take our destiny and our definition back into our own hands," he said. "We have such a positive story to tell."

Mazzuca has lived in 15 cities during his scouting career and headed the Greater Pittsburgh Council from 1995 to 2005. He has been the national council's chief executive since last September.

The Boy Scouts' moves to modernize the organization's image will range from high-profile events to simply funneling more resources to the 304 regional councils for membership drives.

The Scouts are lining up a "major sports organization" as a promotional partner. The Outdoor Channel and Boys' Life magazine helped create the "Scouting for Adventure" TV show, which spotlights Scouts exploring the wilderness.

AT&T donated $3 million toward the centennial celebration, which will culminate with the 2010 national Scout Jamboree at Fort AP Hill in Virginia. Scout leaders are seeking other corporate sponsors.

Scouting hit its "high-water mark" in the early 1970s as the last of the baby boomers moved through the Cub Scout, Boy Scout and Explorer levels.

Membership then fell off and stands at 3.2 million, plus 1.5 million youths in the school-based Learning for Life character-building program. The Greater Pittsburgh Council has about 50,000 members.

The national council, with an annual budget of $110 million, hired the McKinsey & Co. organizational consulting firm to help the Scouts re-invent their image, Mazzuca said.

"We need to get more nimble, more responsive to the world around us," he said, ranging from reaching out to Hispanic families to building a bigger Internet presence.

Greater Pittsburgh Council Executive Michael Surbaugh created a pilot program in Wisconsin that makes Cub Scout programs more flexible and less time-consuming for leaders. Kim Leonard with TRIBUNE-REVIEW reporting.

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