More than 600 collegiate chapter officers came together in Dallas, Texas, April 12-14 for our annual Collegiate Leadership Conference. Made possible by donors to Tri Delta’s Foundation, CLC includes role-specific training workshops and community cohorts. Plus, our collegiate leaders absorbed insights from keynote speakers, celebrated their achievements, danced, sang and left with new knowledge, inspiration and friendships.
CLC Central was the place to congregate all weekend between sessions. It was the perfect space for socializing, asking questions at the help desk, learning about Tri Delta Housing, donating Tri Delta’s Foundation, getting swag from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, shopping Tri Delta apparel with Cornerstone Impressions and creating content in front of our spectacular backdrop!
We invite you to relive the fun with us and then keep reading for a day-by-day recap of CLC 2024.
FRIDAY
Executive Office and Museum Tour
Buses were on hand and busy shuttling women to and from our Executive Office as they toured the Ginger Hicks Smith Museum & Archives. These tours are designed to deepen collegiates’ understanding of our rich history and the efforts undertaken to safeguard and preserve our archives while introducing them to our dedicated Executive Office staff who work tirelessly behind the scenes to support Tri Delta and their chapters daily.
Kickoff
It was an energetic kickoff by CLC host and Tri Delta’s Program Development Specialist Lexi Leggs, Millikin! We heard from Fraternity President Megan Shaw James, Millsaps, who introduced our new Chapter Success Model (with more information to come for our collegiate officers and volunteers). Plus, we celebrated four collegiate chapters who had the best participation in our recent Collegiate Experience Survey: James Madison, California/Merced, Knox and Stephen F. Austin.
Keynote Session With Tara Renze and Tri Delta Leaders
Emotional intelligence practitioner, entrepreneur, speaker, blogger and author of “Be Who You Came to Be” Tara Renze joined us for a Friday evening keynote and panel. She encouraged our young leaders to embrace their unique paths to success and happiness by focusing on fulfillment, eliminating comparison and pursuing audacious butterfly goals—the bold dreams that push us out of our comfort zone and lead to extraordinary achievements. After her keynote, four collegiate leaders, Madison Byrket, Knox, Theresa Callaghan, Delaware, Georgia Johnson, California/Berkeley, and Courtney Joyner, Louisiana State, joined Tara for a discussion of what fulfillment means to them, what makes their chapters unique and their own butterfly goals.
Fireside Chat: Let’s Talk About Hazing
Tri Delta staff members Dr. Mari Ann Callais, sr. director of strategic initiatives, and Lucy Morlan, sr. director of chapter support, took the stage for an intimate fireside chat about the difficult yet critical topic of hazing. Through an interactive session, our leaders reviewed the definition of hazing, the actual or potential impact, peer pressure and power dynamics and were encouraged to communicate what they learned with their chapter members back home. Everyone walked away with a greater understanding of the vital importance of putting an end to hazing, as well as the abundance of resources and support from Executive Office staff and volunteers.
SATURDAY
Delta Demos
Delta Demos is a favorite part of each year’s CLC, providing an opportunity for our chapters to share their ideas for programming, operations, recruitment, public relations and marketing and more through an interactive showcase. It’s science fair meets Tri Delta innovation! Chapter leaders were able to learn from each other and take home concrete and actionable ideas to improve their own chapters.
Denim and Pearls Party Sponsored by St. Jude
St. Jude really knows how to throw a party—and our collegians certainly embraced the denim and pearls theme! From face painting and friendship bracelet making to the dessert stations, the event was filled with fun activities.
But it wasn’t all boot-scootin’ and line dancing. St. Jude’s Cameron Donlin announced that Tri Delta has raised an astonishing $98 million so far in our 25-year partnership! And we’re on track to hit our ambitious goal of $100 million by June.
SUNDAY
Welcome, Epsilon Omega!
The welcome was warm and inviting for 26 members of our Epsilon Omega Chapter, who were initiated into Tri Delta Saturday. Sunday’s session featured applause and cheers by all our CLC attendees for our new sisters and the official installation of the chapter by our Fraternity President.
These brave, bold women, students at Kenyon College in Ohio, wanted to start a new chapter on their campus that would prioritize kindness, respect and integrity. After they narrowed down a few National Panhellenic Conference organizations they wanted to partner with, four of the women reached out to Tri Delta directly. Our founding on being kind alike to all, as well as our service opportunities, spoke to them—and we were invited to open our 197th collegiate chapter.
Support Through Scholarship
Friends and family of past Panhellenic leader and former Tri Delta Fraternity President Kathleen Davis Nye, Iowa, established a scholarship to celebrate newly established Tri Delta chapters. These scholarships recognize academic achievement, celebrate campus involvement and consider financial need.
At CLC 2024, Tri Delta’s Foundation awarded $1,500 in scholarships to two members of Epsilon Omega Chapter. Congratulations to Sydney May, a sophomore majoring in psychology and Spanish, and Stephanie Chang, a junior majoring in arts in sociology and art history. Sydney spends countless hours supporting students with learning disabilities and loves to share her gift of song. She was instrumental in bringing Tri Delta to Kenyon. In her personal statement she shared, “At the heart of my commitment to Delta Delta Delta, I am keenly aware … that I will be a part of this organization for life. I will live my life instilled with the principles of being brave, bold and kind alike to all forever.”
Stephanie has earned numerous honors and awards for creative writing. She serves as the editor-in-chief for the Sunset Press and contributes to the Adroit Journal, Kenyon Collegian and the Kenyon Review. In her application she shared, “I am excited by the opportunity to share my passions with other members and foster an environment of creative collaboration and mentorship. I aim to cultivate a chapter culture where every voice is heard, and every sister will graduate from Kenyon College with her horizon broadened through genuine bonds that never leave her.”
Thanks to the incredibly generous donations from our members, including an alumna who offered a matching gift, we were able to raise an additional $2,495 over the course of the weekend to support the ongoing work of the Foundation.
2024 Sarah Ida Shaw Award
Named after our beloved Founder, the Sarah Ida Shaw Award stands as Tri Delta’s most prestigious individual collegiate honor. Our recipients are not only leaders but also role models, both on their campuses and within their communities. They embody the core values of Tri Delta, demonstrating selfless leadership, fostering strong sisterhood bonds and promoting unity within their chapters. The exceptional quality of nominees for this award this year was truly remarkable!
During Sunday’s closing session, we celebrated our 2024 Sarah Ida Shaw Award Winner Caroline “Callie” Heckman, Georgia. In her acceptance speech, Callie said, “The gift that Tri Delta has given us is a group of women to make the impossible possible, the complicated simple and foster the genuine female friendship that will keep us moving forward. It is up to us to continue to cultivate these precious relationships that will carve our path ahead. We must remind each other of all the reasons we are important to one another, emphasize just how loved we all are and celebrate the differences that fuel our individuality.”
Read more about Callie and our Sarah Ida Shaw Award runners-up.
Chapter Excellence Awards
Throughout the weekend we honored the collegiate chapters that excel across nine different categories, including academic excellence, philanthropy, diversity and inclusion, and community partnerships. Big congratulations to Theta Gamma Chapter at the University of Oklahoma, winners of our highest collegiate chapter award. Read more about this chapter and the remarkable accomplishments of all our award winners, continuing to make a positive impact on their campuses and in their communities.
Closing Session With Dr. MAC
CLC 2024 closed on a high note with a special session by Dr. Mari Ann Callais and her guitar! The room was filled with unity and harmony, as attendees sang along to “Stand By Me,” “This Is Me,” and more. Most important, our collegiate leaders were reminded to live our Tri Delta values every day and use our Ritual as a roadmap.
Until next year!
Delta Love!
