Describe the blend of personality, skills and life experiences that you would contribute to Supreme Council and the mission of Phi Sigma Sigma. You may draw from multiple experiences whether it be professional experiences or from volunteer roles.

This is my 21st year of volunteer service to Phi Sigma Sigma, and my 11th as a member of Supreme Council. Throughout my various roles, I have learned that a crucial aspect of board service is adaptability. Trends in higher education and fraternal organizations change rapidly, and it is important to change strategies, operations, and support services to meet students where they are. Collectively as an organization, I strongly believe that we have done that during my time on the board.

Professionally, I have over 20 years of experience in higher education administration. In my current role as FIU’s Associate Vice President for Student Health & Wellness, I oversee the following departments: Dean of Students; Counseling & Psychological Services; Health Promotion Services; Victim Empowerment Program; Student Health Clinics; Student Conduct & Academic Integrity; and other operational units. I work across academic and student affairs, and collaboratively with units across campus, to support the university’s strategic goals related to building and supporting a culture of healthy living, promoting mental health initiatives across the university, and representing the university at the state level on such matters. Since taking on this role in July 2019, I have gained new perspectives on the challenges our students face that I believe have served the board well. 

Additionally, my teaching experience and other volunteer roles (in my local community, state, and inter-fraternally) have provided me valuable perspectives that have translated well for the work required of Phi Sigma Sigma board service.

What is your experience in business/organizational management, such as risk management or policy preparation?

Florida International University (FIU) is one of the country’s largest universities; we have ~55,000 students and ~10,000 employees. I have over 20 years of experience within higher education administration – 15 of those were working directly for two university presidents, and the latter 7 overseeing my own department with approx. 130 employees. Across my different roles, each has allowed me to work across the university, build valuable relationships, and create significant impact for our staff, faculty, and students.

In my current role of Associate Vice President of Student Health & Wellness, I have direct authority over a $13.5M budget and am responsible for human resource decisions, contracting, facilities operations, compliance requirements, among others. Specific examples of risk management and policy preparation have included: updating and obtaining Board approval on university regulations such as the Student Conduct & Honor Code; serving as chair of our Hazing Prevention Task Force; working collaboratively with our compliance office on the implementation of Florida’s ARMOR Act.

From an educational perspective, I believe my academic credentials further support my professional and volunteer experiences: My doctorate is in higher education administration, and it specialized in crisis leadership on university campuses; I graduated from the Harvard Kennedy School’s crisis leadership program; and, I am certified in Mental Health First Aid. Over the last few years, our higher education system has had to deal with a multitude of unique crises. My knowledge of leadership opportunities during such crises could continue to be an advantageous skill for Supreme Council.

What do you feel is the greatest risk to the Fraternal industry over the next biennium?

I said this last cycle, but it remains true: the rapidly changing landscape within higher education is one of our greatest risks - mostly because it involves variables that are out of our control yet have a direct effect on our college and university campuses. Retention, to me, is one of the most urgent issues to address. 

Whether it be new societal challenges or the mental health challenges caused by the multitude of issues we all face, students and volunteers have shifted their priorities in recent years. Sorority membership is now one of many avenues where we (students especially) can find community. Finding new ways to adapt our education, programming, and support services continues to be critical for the perpetuity of the Fraternity. 

As the first non-sectarian sorority, we were founded on the tenants of inclusiveness and we need to make sure that we live these values daily. Through my academic research, professional experiences, and our Culture of Care philosophy, I believe I can continue providing Supreme Council with an important perspective on these matters. While these challenges, admittedly, are large-scale problems, I hope to continue supporting Phi Sigma Sigma in strategic re-alignments and becoming a solutions-driven organization.

Tell us about a time you had to lead a team or organization through a crisis, making difficult strategic decisions. Please share the processes you use.

Due to the nature of my work over the last two decades, sadly, there are too many examples to provide – so I will focus on one I have been navigating for the last 18 months. FIU has had three university presidents in the last five years, which has made it difficult to set consistent, long-term priorities. Outside of the leadership changes, the university is also grappling with several financial issues (state-wide and related to enrollment). As a department that is mostly funded by a student fee, and has had no budgetary increases since 2013, it has been extremely challenging to provide students with quality services and meet appointment demands. 

Since no decision to scale back services is ever the right one, my leadership team and I decided the most equitable approach was to make data-informed decisions (e.g., comparative utilization, enrollment heat maps). After tedious analysis on our highest impact services and programs, we made targeted decisions to eliminate positions, reduce operation hours, and start charge a fee for certain appointments. As hard as the changes were, our proactive communication and providing alternatives yielded no major complaints or a degradation in service. 

Similar to this challenge, Supreme Council must make many difficult decisions throughout the year, but compassionate leadership, creative solutions, and transparency (where possible) is necessary to do the work we do, and I hope to continue serving in that capacity.

What are your current personal and professional priorities? Describe your current bandwidth and how you plan to incorporate your commitment as a member of Supreme Council to your current obligations.

As a university administrator, wife, mom, adjunct faculty, advisor, and volunteer, it can certainly be challenging at times to balance all of life’s responsibilities. However, I strongly believe that you always find time for what you are passionate about – and that is certainly true when it comes to Phi Sigma Sigma. Having served over a decade on Supreme Council, and now applying for my third term as a corporate officer, I am well aware of the time necessary to be a successful board member. I look forward to the opportunity to continue serving all of you!

Give an example where you have had to execute the vision or a project for the committee or team you have been a part of.

I have been blessed to be part of several amazing projects in my career, but I will use a recent initiative – FIU’s Pawsitively Aware program. In 2022, the Florida Board of Governors released utilization numbers for several risk prevention programs across the State University System as part of their Student Wellness Dashboard. FIU was third from the bottom, despite having the System’s second largest enrollment. Our university president and provost tasked me with developing a proposal for increasing engagement. Along the way, though, we were hit with vendors being bought out by larger companies, a university audit, and an expansion of project scope. 

Utilizing lessons learned from state peers, we worked over two years to implement the auditors’ recommendations, update course content, centralize marketing, integrate all external platforms into the university’s learning management system, and obtain funding for a full-time staff person. We successfully launched Pawsitively Aware in Summer 2024 – a risk prevention program that oversees hazing prevention, sexual assault prevention, and active shooter preparedness. With the passing of the federal Stop Campus Hazing Act (2025)( and Florida’s ARMOR Act (2026), we continued to improve our compliance, communication strategies, and learning outcomes. For example, we obtained support from the university provost to mandate all three courses for all new students; reporting of incidents has increased; and for the hazing prevention course, we have been able to show that students increased their knowledge of how to report such incidents by 45%. Our work is leading to a safer campus for all.  

How do you plan to continue attracting new Fraternity volunteers and retain experienced volunteers?

As shared in my response about the greatest risk facing Fraternal organizations, retention has been and will continue to be a challenge. The perpetuity of our Fraternity is dependent on capable volunteers. This commitment is part of Phi Sigma Sigma’s philosophy to identify, recruit, train, and support our volunteers. However, as our operations have changed, so have our pathways for alumnae service. 

The expanded programs being offered by the Alumnae In Motion (AIM) Committee represent new development opportunities for our alumnae members that are bringing value to their personal and professional lives – not just Phi Sigma Sigma. The launch of Founders Table, the Phi Sig Network and our LIFT mentorship program are giving alumnae new ways to reconnect and serve the Fraternity in meaningful ways but without an extensive commitment. These are important “returns on investment” to keep alumnae engaged and feel valued. Personally, I am most looking forward to the work of our Volunteer Placement Committee, of which I serve as SC Liaison. We have been busy all summer strategizing how this committee can reimagine volunteering opportunities under our current structure and demands. I hope to have the opportunity to continue working on this important work during a third term.