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.

I bring to Supreme Council a deep understanding of board governance and the critical role the board plays in setting and driving the organizations’ strategic vision. This is derived from my 11 years serving on Supreme Council and my professional expertise working for a nine-member board. I understand the difference between the role of the board and the staff as I navigate this daily in my professional life. I am responsible for the current strategic vision of the agency I work for and, in my current role as Grand Archon, the vision of Phi Sigma Sigma.

My leadership style is open and welcoming which is important to any role on Supreme Council. Members must see the board as accessible, and it is critically important for the board to connect regularly with members. We need to hear members’ stories and experiences as that shapes how we tackle issues in the future. I am not afraid to have difficult conversations and to tackle hard challenges that require tough decisions. I am a driven individual committed to the long-term success of Phi Sigma Sigma. The work of Supreme Council is hard and demanding, and I bring focus and drive to my professional and volunteer work.

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

I have significant experience in business and organizational management that can support the work of Supreme Council and Phi Sigma Sigma. Professionally, I serve as the executive director of the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission, overseeing 22 staff members, a multi-million-dollar annual budget, and 26 authorized charter schools. I am responsible for implementing the strategic vision of the agency, regularly navigating organizational challenges and emerging issues, and directly supporting the board of directors in their decision-making process. I work closely with the agency’s general counsel and director of external affairs to adjust the agency’s work based on changes in statute. I regularly assess the agency’s procedures, policies, and rules, and recommend changes to the board, as necessary. As the executive director, I make all staffing decisions within the organization, including shifting roles and responsibilities to meet capacity demands.

Within Phi Sigma Sigma, I have served on Supreme Council since 2015, as a director, Grand Vice Archon, and now Grand Archon. I have worked closely with staff, legal counsel, the National Housing Corporation, and the Foundation on a variety of issues throughout my tenure with the sole purpose of sustaining Phi Sigma Sigma in the long term. I have first-hand experience in managing risk within the organization and making strategic business decisions to support the longterm viability of Phi Sigma Sigma.

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

The greatest risk to the fraternal industry and specifically for Phi Sigma Sigma over the next biennium is the overall decline in undergraduate enrollment which, in turn, impacts the collegiate membership of chapters. Many organizations have seen significant collegiate membership declines from their peaks in the 2010s, Phi Sigma Sigma included. There are limited opportunities within the Fraternity’s current chapters to increase membership or to establish new collegiate chapters. The Fraternity’s current business model relies heavily on collegiate chapter revenue, which along will not meet the organization’s long-term financial needs. The Fraternity’s business model must evolve to survive in this challenging environment. All organizations, including Phi Sigma Sigma, must re-evaluate their value proposition to potential new members, current collegiate members, and alumnae members to increase and diversify revenue streams beyond collegiate membership dues. This will require all three entities to think differently, boldly, and quickly to ensure the long-term success of Phi Sigma Sigma.

Additionally, the Fraternity industry must maintain its connection to its alumnae base and continue to build a lifelong membership experience. Alumnae understand what the “Always” of Once, Always really means, but we have to make a clear connection and path for collegians to move into the alumnae phase. The Fraternity industry is fighting for members’ attention both within and after college. It is critical that we focus on maintaining our engagement with alumnae members.

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.

My professional work is very forward facing and can draw a lot of media and public scrutiny. A few years ago, the agency received an appeal from an applicant that had garnered a lot of interest throughout the application process. Immediately upon receipt of the appeal, the agency was inundated with media requests and public record requests. We were under significant scrutiny while doing our work. Every public hearing held had media involved.

As the leader of the agency, it was my responsibility to navigate the team through the experience. We had to be responsible to the press and the other interested parties while also completing our process to the highest level. It is critical for the team to have regular touch points throughout our review so that the team was on the same page and focused on what we can control.

Although the experience was intense, it also allowed us to grow as a team. We were able to learn lessons from the process that we then applied to improve our future work.

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.

Professionally, I work a full-time job, and the cadence of work ebbs and flows. I have worked in my current type of role for the past ten years, and I have a clear understanding of when work will be at a higher volume than at other times. While work is a priority for me, I believe that work-life balance is critically important for everyone, and I regularly handle sorority business before and after work hours as well as on the weekends, and this is a normal occurrence in my personal life.

Personally, my family is very supportive of my volunteering with Phi Sigma Sigma, and they understand that there are times in the evenings and weekends when I must do sorority work. My husband and my children have always known Phi Sigma Sigma to be an important part of my life, and we even put “mom’s sorority calls” on the weekly calendar on the fridge. My family knows that Phi Sigma Sigma is extremely important to me, and they are supportive of my time away from them to support Phi Sigma Sigma.

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.

In 2020, I was hired as the first executive director of a new state agency responsible for reviewing charter school appeals and serving as the school district and authorizer of approved schools. The agency had recently been created by the legislature, and, as the agency’s first employee, it was my responsibility to build the organization from the ground up. First, I hired my primary employees I needed on my team. Then we started developing the policies and regulations that would govern our work. Throughout this process, I worked to prepare board members for the work that they would face, including key decisions they would encounter.

I was charged with developing the first strategic plan for the agency which included gathering input from board members, schools, and stakeholders. My role was responsible for the ongoing tracking of the strategic plan. The agency now has 22 employees and 26 authorized charter schools.

What do you believe is the greatest opportunity for the Fraternity over the next biennium? What is one challenge you believe must be addressed?

The greatest opportunity for the Fraternity is to continue to rebuild connections with our alumnae members to benefit both our collegian and alumnae base. We have thousands of alumnae with a wide variety of experiences, skills, careers, and knowledge. This is a tremendous group of women to tap into, and we want to create more ways for our alumnae to both engage with Phi Sigma Sigma and collegians to engage with alumnae. We have made some progress in the previous biennium including Founders’ Tables, Galentines, and the Phi Sig Network. We have received a lot of great feedback and engagement from these efforts, but we still have more to do.

It is critically important that the Fraternity continue this work by creating additional opportunities for our members to engage with Phi Sigma Sigma. I have had the privilege to talk to many of our alumnae members individually, and I know there are so many more that are interested in supporting other sisters. The Fraternity should continue its focus on this alumnae engagement as it is critically important to the long-term sustainability of Phi Sigma Sigma.

Describe your experience managing a team or organization, highlighting any experience you have had with HR or legal counsel.

Over the past 6 years, I have been responsible for building a state agency from the ground up which included developing roles and responsibilities for staff, recruiting for those roles, hiring for those roles, and maintaining individuals in those roles. As the work of the agency increased, I identified the needed capacity for additional roles and ensured we had the budget to cover these new roles. I am responsible for the overall performance management of the staff which includes setting annual goals, providing regular feedback, and conducting performance evaluations. In total, I oversee a team of 22 full-time staff members. One of those staff members is the agency’s legal counsel, and I work closely with this individual to manage the risk of the agency. Together, we make decisions to minimize risk where we can, and we work closely together to manage legal issues that arise within the agency’s work. We collaborate and respond to any litigation that is filed or potential litigation with the ultimate responsibility of protecting the interests of the agency.

Lastly, for the last 9 years, I have served as a member of Phi Sigma Sigma’s Human Resources Committee and worked with the board’s legal counsel. The committee work includes regularly reviewing the staff structure and capacity, recommending new positions or job descriptions, and evaluating the executive director’s performance. I also have experience working with the Fraternity’s executive director, legal counsel, and staff to manage the risk to the organization.