The past biennium provided opportunities for our alumnae chapters to reinvent the membership experience to meet the needs of our alumnae, and it challenged our dedicated volunteers to reimagine how they support our collegiate chapters, alumnae chapters and house corporations. Over the last two years, our alumnae chapters and volunteers have continued to rise to the occasion to meet the challenges of today.
At Tri Delta’s 60th Biennial Convention, we recognized and celebrated the amazing accomplishments of our alumnae and volunteers, along with honoring our 2022 Ernestine Block Grigsby Award winner. Join us in celebrating these exceptional sisters and chapters!
Ernestine Block Grigsby Award Winner – Kory Kazimour
This Ernestine Block Grigsby Award is presented by the Executive Board each biennium to an alumna member who, through her loyalty and dedication to Tri Delta, has given outstanding service to her local alumnae chapter.
Having been a member of the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Alumnae Chapter since the mid ’90s, Kory has served as a Panhellenic delegate and in multiple alumnae officer roles and collegiate chapter advisor positions. She actively re-engages with “lost” chapter members, and recruits collegiate chapter volunteers. Her nominator said, “She did not just believe in the bonds of sisterhood, she lived the bonds and is always championing the power of the bonds of friendship.”
In her acceptance speech at Convention, Kory shared the following words of wisdom to our collegiate members: “After your college experience is complete, I encourage you to reach out to your local alumnae chapter and establish a connection. I think you will be pleased at the friendships and opportunities that present themselves.”
Congratulations to our two Ernestine Block Grigsby Honorable Mentions: Delores Derrington, Washington D.C. Metro, Virginia Alumnae Chapter, and Jenny Sherrill, Indianapolis, Indiana Alumnae Chapter!
National/Regional Advisor – Christina Kluth
As the collegiate district officer for Texas A&M, Texas A&M/Corpus Christi and Tulsa, Christina holds advisors, members and chapters accountable, while also being kind, loving, and compassionate. The women she works with know they can count on her and consequently, makes their volunteer roles/officer duties easier. She leads by example and is providing all of them with a positive role model and mentor.
National/Regional Advisor – Jessica Frank
Serving as the collegiate district officer for Temple, Jessica always takes the time to check in individually with her chapter officers to provide support and friendship. When the chapter hit roadblocks trying to plan its spring retreat, she not only offered ideas and advice but, more important, emphasized the work and effort they had put in was appreciated. She provides a helping hand when an officer is struggling and offers her time to help the chapter succeed.
Collegiate Chapter Advisor – Mare Kemp
As the membership experience advisor for Temple’s Epsilon Phi Chapter, Mare’s knowledge of Tri Delta is unmatched. With everything she does, she makes sure the membership experience team knows they are important and contributing greatly to the chapter. Honest and positive, Mare has gone out of her way to create personal and meaningful relationships with the entire chapter.
Collegiate Chapter Advisor – Kaylee Keith Shields
Kaylee serves as the alumna advisor for the University of Nevada’s Theta Theta Chapter. A strong problem solver, she offers guidance, creates accountability systems, and helps officers see their individual and team potential. She patiently puts in countless hours mentoring and supporting members and officers to do their best work every day, reminding them how capable they are of doing their jobs.
Alumnae Chapter Officer – Amy Morrissette Davis
While serving as alumnae chapter president for the Little Rock, Arkansas Alumnae Chapter, Amy took the opportunity of the pandemic to develop a plan of what she wanted her alumnae chapter to look like in the future. She used the period of social distancing for reflection and action. While COVID-19 created a challenge for many, the chapter gained momentum quickly and the number of members participating in events more than doubled over previous years.
Alumnae Chapter Officer – Mindy Svorny-Moore
While serving as the collegiate-alumnae relations officer for Mt. Diablo, California, Alumnae Chapter, Mindy has established and continues to build a solid working relationship with her Pi Chapter counterpart. She has organized multiple snack drop-offs for the collegiate members throughout the year, coordinating the collection of delicious snacks from local alumnae and delivering them to a very thankful chapter!
House Corporation Officer – Janet Leong Contreras
Janet’s financial savvy as Pi Chapter House Corporation Treasurer was so appreciated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under her leadership, the house corporation built up a strong financial foundation allowing the house to survive during the difficult lockdown times with a low number of live-in residents. Fellow board members highly appreciate her financial forecasting skills, which have been critical through the last two difficult years.
Brave, Bold and Kind – Noelle Steele
As the president of Tri Delta for CHLA, Noelle has made a positive impact on Tri Delta by reinvigorating Tri Delta’s oldest affiliated organization that partners with pediatric cancer research. Last year, under her lead, Tri Delta for CHLA raised $32,000 for the Summer Oncology Research Fellowship at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
Excellence in Member Experience – North Dallas Alumnae Chapter
The North Dallas Alumnae Chapter had a successful biennium, growing its membership to more than 100 for the first time! The chapter went out of its way to provide a variety of opportunities for members to serve, learn, laugh and give back, adapting their activities so that a member can find an activity that speaks to them. They also supported their local collegiate chapter at Texas/Dallas with a Pansy Pal mentorship program.
Congratulations to our runners-up: Indianapolis, Omaha and St. Louis alumnae chapters
Excellence in Collegiate Connection – San Jose, California Alumnae Chapter
The San Jose Alumnae Chapter supports not one, but FOUR area collegiate chapters. They pair collegians with alumnae for a Pansy Pals program, and the chapter also supports all collegiate chapters with their recruitment efforts—including the all-important role of providing snacks!
Congratulations to our runners-up: Franklin and Richmond alumnae chapters
Excellence in Service to Others – Lincoln, Nebraska Alumnae Chapter
The Lincoln Alumnae Chapter supports many local causes and charities, including Glow Big Red day for the University of Nebraska, United Way Day of Caring and Day of Action. Their members volunteer for the National High School Rodeo and participate in Nebraska women’s leadership network, while also helping develop commuter and recreational trails as members of Great Plains Trails.
Congratulations to our runners-up: DuPage and South Orange alumnae chapters
Excellence in Philanthropy with Purpose – Mt. Diablo, California Alumnae Chapter
This year, the Mt. Diablo Alumnae Chapter organized their own St. Jude Walk. Outside of fundraising for St. Jude, their members also engage in a variety of projects to support their community, including food and clothing donations.
Congratulations to our runners-up: Arlington, Texas, and Rochester, New York alumnae chapters
Excellence in Innovation – Charlotte, North Carolina Alumnae Chapter
The Charlotte Alumnae Chapter has created an array of innovative programs incorporating technology. They utilize a Google form for members to select 10 books for their Book Club each year. This year at the chapter’s holiday party, they used an iPad and walked around the room so that members who were participate virtually would still feel included! As an additional engagement piece, they’ve incorporated “Zip Code Ambassadors” to invite members in a certain zip code to dinner or happy hour.
Congratulations to our runners-up: Metro Detroit and Tarrant County alumnae chapters
Eleanor Dorcas Pond Award – Atlanta Alumnae Chapter
The Atlanta Alumnae Chapter continues to provide hybrid and in-person events to boost attendance. Their creative chapter programming has included a Downton Abbey exhibit, Tate House mansion tour and Computer Museum of America. Philanthropy is also a focus, as they endowed two Tri Delta’s Foundation scholarships and have collectively raised more than $2.5 million for CURE.
Eleanor Dorcas Pond Award – Cleveland Alumnae Chapter
The Cleveland Alumnae Chapter supports three collegiate chapters across the state, providing good luck care packages for finals. They also volunteer with local charities, shelters and child development programs, and the chapter’s service events are among the most popular with members. Their programming includes craft nights at the local library.
Eleanor Dorcas Pond Award – Dallas Alumnae Chapter
The Dallas Alumnae Chapter supports and promotes Tri Delta-owned businesses in their area, and the chapter gave a special painting called “The Hidden Pearl” to the 2020 and 2021 graduating classes who couldn’t have in-person Circle Degrees. And, during the pandemic, they saw success with shifting their wildly popular Cookies and Castles fundraising event to create a drive-through Winter Wonderland.
Eleanor Dorcas Pond Award – Minneapolis Alumnae Chapter
The Minneapolis Alumnae Chapter started a new campaign with their Sister Assistance Policy to assist members who are experiencing financial difficulties with paying their dues. They have members supporting Lions Club, vaccine clinics and the Red Cross, and the chapter donated security cameras to a collegiate chapter who tragically lost a member.
Eleanor Dorcas Pond Award – Toronto Alumnae Chapter
The Toronto Alumnae Chapter hosts a Blue Circle program that encourages young alumnae who have been out of college for less than five years to reconnect with Tri Delta. Their membership roster includes exceptional community leaders for churches, women’s organizations, libraries and shelters. And they offered virtual programs to members, not only in Toronto, but across Canada.
