SUPREME COUNCIL CANDIDATES
CONVENTION 2025
BRENY DAPARRE GARCIA
DELTA KAPPA CHAPTER AT FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
Dr. Brenezza “Breny” DaParre Garcia is the Associate Vice President for Student Health & Wellness for Florida International University (FIU). In this role, Dr. Garcia provides leadership over key areas of Counseling & Psychological Services, Victim Empowerment Program, Dean of Students, Student Conduct & Academic Integrity, Health Promotion Services, and the Student Health Clinics. She works 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.
Believing that “a woman who serves is a woman who leads,” Dr. Garcia is highly involved within her community. At FIU, she has been founding director for the Presidential Leadership Program; an adjunct for the Honors College and College of Arts, Sciences & Education; and a mentor for the Council of Undergraduate Academic Advisors and NASPA Undergraduate Fellows Program (NUFP). Within the South Florida community, she serves on the Board of Directors for Janelle’s Wishing Well Foundation – an organization formed in memory of a dear friend, Janelle Bertot, who (along with another friend, Tony Perez) lost her life due to carbon monoxide poisoning. Across the state, she is a graduate of Leadership Florida’s Connect Class 10, a statewide organization dedicated to bringing together emerging and existing leaders from across the state to challenge, prepare and inspire them to build a better Florida.
Within Phi Sigma Sigma, Dr. Garcia currently serves as Grand Vice Archon. In the past she has served as Director on Supreme Council, chair and member of several committees, and as a Chapter Key Advisor.
She resides in Miami Lakes, FL with her husband, Charlie, and daughter, Olivia.
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Candidate for: Grand Vice Archon
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Education
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Florida International University, B.A.
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Florida International University, M.S.
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Florida International University Ed.D. in Higher Education
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Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education, Crisis Leadership in Higher Education, Certificate
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Protocol School of Washington, Protocol Officer Training, Certificate
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Academic Honors
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Honor Society-Order of Omega (Academic)
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UIFI
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Honor Society-Omicron Delta Kappa (Leadership)
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Honor Society-Phi Kappa Phi
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Dean's List 4th year
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Honorary Society: Gamma Epsilon Phi
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Other Academic Honors: FIU Panhellenic Scholarship
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Academic Award: Who's Who Amongst University & College Students
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Delta Epsilon Iota, National Honor Society
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Golden Key, National Honor Society
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Order of the Torch, FIU Leadership Society
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Miami Alumnae Panhellenic Scholarship
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Center for Creative Leadership, Maximizing Your Leadership Potential
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Number of Volunteer Years: 18
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Phi Sigma Sigma Awards
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Supreme Council Dangle
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Fraternity Service Award – 5, 10, 15 years
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Certificate of Appreciation – 2009, 2014
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Outstanding Advisory Board Honorable Mention
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Outstanding Chapter Key Advisor Award
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Chapter Key Advisor Service Award
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Active Alumna Award – 2007, 2015
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Individual Scholarship Award
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Collegian of the Year Finalist
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Archon of the Year Award
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Sunshine State Scholarship Recipient
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Other Awards
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Greek Woman of the Year
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Student Life Awards Senior of the Year Recipient
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Student Life Awards Shining Star Finalist
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FIU Presidential Excellence Award
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FIU Faculty/Staff Homecoming Queen
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FIU Fraternity & Sorority Life Alumni of the Year Award
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Town of Miami Lakes - Women of Distinction Awards (Education Category), Recipient
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Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce - Rising Star Awards, Executive Start Award (Non-Profit), Finalist
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Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce - HYPE Awards, Go Getter Award, Finalist
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Phi Sigma Sigma Staff and Volunteer Experience
Current:
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Supreme Council – Grand Vice Archon
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Human Resources Committee – Member
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Finance Committee – Member
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Bylaws Committee – SC Liaison
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Volunteer Placement Committee – SC Liaison
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Awards Committee – SC Liaison
Past:
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Supreme Council – Director
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The AIM Project Committee – SC Liaison
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Election, Nomination and Board Development Task Force – SC Liaison
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Colony Process and Support Task Force – Chairman
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Volunteer Structure Task Force – Member
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Centennial Steering Committee – Member
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Centennial Subcommittee Task Force – Chairman
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Chapter Programming/General Board Advisor – Iota Theta Chapter at Barry University
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Awards and Standards Committee – Member
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Chapter Excellence Specialist – Scholarship
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Chapter Programming/General Board Advisor – Delta Kappa Chapter at Florida International University
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Extension Committee – Member
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Miami Alumnae Chapter– Vice Archon
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Chapter Key Advisor – Iota Theta Chapter at Berry University
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Outside Volunteer Service
Current:
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Janelle’s Wishing Well Foundation Board of Directors – 2005-present
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Past:
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FIU Council for Undergraduate Academic Advising (CUAA) - DRIVE Mentor – 2021-2022
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Leadership Florida – Special Council on Equity, Equality and Justice – 2020-2021; Awards Chair, Southeast Regional Council – 2020-2021
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FIU Young Alumni Council (Member) – 2014-2016
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FIU Order of the Torch (Advisor) – 2014-2016
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FIU University-Wide Homecoming Task Force Chairman – 2011-2019
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NASPA Undergraduate Fellows Program (Mentor) – 2011-2012 and 2016-2017
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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 19th year of volunteer service to Phi Sigma Sigma, and my 9th 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 close to 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 to 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.
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​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 over 55,000 students and 10,000 employees. I have close to 20 years of experience within higher education administration – 15 of those were working directly for two university presidents, and the latter 5 overseeing my own department. Across my different roles, each has allowed me to work across the university, build valuable relationships, and create significant impact for our administrators, 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, labor union negotiations, facilities operations, compliance requirements, etc. 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; implementing all recommendations from a hazing prevention audit; working collaboratively with our general counsel on improving departmental policies.
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.
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What do you feel is the greatest risk to the Fraternal industry over the next biennium?
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 since the pandemic. 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, Phi Sigma Sigma needs to commit to being solutions-driven and I hope to continue being part of that process.
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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. The one with the biggest impact, though, had to have been the pedestrian bridge collapse in March 2018. Among the six lives lost was one FIU student who was also a member of a Panhellenic organization. While most of the university leadership and members of the Emergency Operations Center (of which I was a member) were busy with police, media, agencies, politicians, etc., I took on the role of student coordinator. Working closely with our leadership in Student Affairs, I worked with the affected student organizations on appropriate messaging, to seek campus counseling, and to organize campus memorial services. It was by far the most difficult week of my professional career, but given how political the accident became, I do believe that had I not stepped up in that moment, the student voice would have been lost in the process.
A former supervisor used to say that as organizations become “high-tech,” they must not lose the “high-touch.” And during that week, though difficult decisions had to be made to protect the university, I understood more than ever that you can still do so while looking out for the people - and so it is with Phi Sigma Sigma. Supreme Council must make many difficult decisions throughout the year, but compassionate leadership is necessary to do the work we do, and I hope to continue serving in that capacity.
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Describe your experience working with budgetary oversight, including profit and loss statements, financial statements and budgets.
As Associate Vice President of Student Health & Wellness, I directly oversee a budget of $13.5M that funds the following departments: Counseling & Psychological Services; Victim Empowerment Program; Health Promotion Services; Student Health Clinics; Dean of Students; Student Conduct & Academic Integrity; Marketing; Building Operations. The total budget comes from multiple funding sources (student fees, state appropriations, fee-for-service revenues, and foundation funds), each with their own strict parameters for how the dollars can be used. Ensuring compliance and working towards process improvement has been a focus of mine over the last two years.
Since 90% of our operations is funded through student fees, it is critically important to me that we invest their money wisely and in a transparent manner. Each quarter, I work with my finance team on variance reports. This allows us to evaluate savings caused by delays in employee recruitment and any departmental overages in operating expenses, so that we can make necessary adjustments as effectively as possible. In Q4, using any positive variances, we then work on strategic, one-time investments for each of our departments. Additionally, at the end of each year, we publish an annual report that details how the funds were utilized across our services and the impact to the student body.
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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 almost a decade on Supreme Council, and now applying for my second term as a corporate office, 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!
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Describe your experience managing a team, highlighting any leadership role you held within that team.
Early on in my career, I learned about Situational Leadership Theory. "The fundamental principle of the situational leadership model is that there is no single ‘best’ style of leadership. Effective leadership is task-relevant, and the most successful leaders are those who adapt their leadership style to the performance readiness (ability and willingness) of the individual or group they are attempting to lead or influence. Effective leadership varies, not only with the person or group that is being influenced, but it also depends on the task, job, or function that needs to be accomplished.” Although consistency is a value that is important to me, leadership requires flexibility. As Associate Vice President, I oversee seven departments with over 100 employees that span across four generations. Leading a team with differing ages, professional experiences, management philosophies, and departmental missions, takes a lot of work. And without situational leadership, we would not have been able to make such creative decisions and sustainable solutions over the past five years.
Additionally, being part of a state university system that is heavily controlled by our state legislature, and because my current role deals a lot with the Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPPA), I am involved with many HR and legal issues (e.g., recruitment; compensation analyses; employment terminations; regulatory compliance; policy violations; law suits; campus protests; student deaths; among others). In these situations, I have ultimate responsibility for response and must lead with integrity, transparency, and compassion.
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How would you help attract 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. Several years ago, we began to discuss ways to better engage our volunteers – especially those interested in Board service. The perpetuity of our Fraternity is dependent on capable volunteers. However, given the diversity of our volunteer opportunities, several pathways to international service exist. Because there is no one path to board service, there is often a gap in educating and preparing our volunteers for the highest positions within the Fraternity.
This commitment is part of Phi Sigma Sigma’s philosophy to identify, recruit, train, and support our volunteers. The Alumnae In Motion (AIM) Committee, of which I used to serve as SC Liaison, represented new leadership opportunities for our members, in addition to preparing interested members for high-level volunteer and board service inside and outside of Phi Sigma Sigma. Through their work, along with the important work being done by our Volunteer Placement and our Alumnae Engagement committees, we aimed to make a significant impact on the future of our volunteer structure. However, it is once again time to reevaluate our structure for the collegians and volunteers of today. Priorities and expectations have changed for all of us since the pandemic, and the Fraternity needs to find new ways to adapt. This is an important topic the current board has started to discuss, and something I hope I have the opportunity to continue working on in a second term.
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How would you approach engaging alumnae in different outlets or levels including disengaged alumnae?
Every organization has unique challenges and opportunities that will drive tailored engagement, which – as stated in my response about volunteer retention – is something the current board is already evaluating. However, in general terms, I think a few common themes are true for all organizations working to (re)build engagement and affinity: compassionate leadership where volunteers feel valued and included; varied and high-touch communication methods; dynamic programming that responds to the membership’s interests; understanding the importance of growth and adaptability to meet the needs of today; and financial investments to support such initiatives. If elected, I look forward to working with the new board on addressing this important issue.
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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 the most recent – FIU’s Pawsitively Aware campaign. 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 the 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 awareness. In just a few months, we have increased student utilization by almost 150%, which has also yielded an increase in reporting these situations to university officials. We are currently working on evaluating student learning outcomes for each course so that we can continue improving our impact on the community’s safety and wellbeing.
SUPREME COUNCIL ELECTIONS
Supreme Council will be elected during Plenary at Convention 2025. If you have any questions about the candidate profiles or responsibilities of Supreme Council, please contact the nominating committee at nominatingcommitee@phisigmasigma.org.