Dear Sorors, Affiliates and Staff,
We’ve made great progress together! We are truly on the move and we can’t be stopped! We have been intentional as we have worked to strengthen our Sisterhood. Our commitment to service is powerful and continues to have lasting and measurable impact on the world around us.
Our centennial celebration is just four short years away and I want to help ensure we are ready! As your international Grand Basileus, I, along with your board of directors and International Headquarters staff are working with individual members and our local, regional and national leadership to accelerate our development and growth as an organization. The results have been impactful! The Golden Communiqué monthly e-newsletter provides insights on all we have accomplished together since September 2016. In addition, my 16th-month report provides insights you’ll be proud to know and share. Take a look and celebrate the accomplishments that strengthen our brand and our Sisterhood.
Deciding to become a candidate again for International Grand Basileus is based on all we have accomplished together and the potential to maintain the momentum to achieve even more. Your aspirations and desires of for our Sisterhood aligned with my vision for our future. As we prepare for our Centennial Celebration, we want the same focus for Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority. A leader that is Focused on the Strength of Our Sisterhood and the Power of Service!
I will continue to focus my leadership efforts in the following areas:
Collaboration
We are strongest when we all work together, combining our talents and resources toward a common vision. I will be laser-focused on identifying opportunities for collaboration within and outside the Sisterhood. I will expand the virtual and in-person town hall meetings I established years ago to get your best ideas, creating a think tank for our Sisterhood. I will look to you, our members, leadership and staff to help me create an environment that energizes each of us, releases our creative flow and makes us all productive as we carry out the work of Sigma Gamma Rho.
Fact-based Decision Making
Sustainable change and transformation happens when we are able to take a fact-based decision making approach to Sorority business. When we face challenges or conflicts arise over which course of action to take, the road to take becomes clear when we use fact-based decision making. In 2013, your board of directors ratified a set of values statements for our Sisterhood. I bring your attention to the statement that says we will always “Embrace different perspectives. We do not compete against each other. Instead, we share an approach where all opinions and options are considered, researched, and analyzed carefully before decisions are made.” I will lead with 20/20 Vision to support processes where the answer to the question, “Where’s the data to support that idea?” is a resounding answer, “The data’s here!”
Effective Processes
Sorors, like you, I am always exploring ways to get the work of Sigma Gamma Rho done in the most effective and efficient manner possible. One of my strengths as a leader is designing and implementing effective processes that reduce duplication of efforts, rework, stress and burnout. We never want to make change for the sake of change. My leadership encourages us to pause and determine whether there is even a need for change, consider best practices and other options. I bring my insights to this office where I’ll listen to key stakeholders, review and analyze our current processes, determine what’s working, and what’s not--all with 20/20 Vision. I will ask the tough questions and will challenge the status quo. As International First Grand Anti-Basileus, I led the effort to streamline our reactivation process as part of the successful launch and implementation of our Operation R3 2022 Initiative. We embraced technology and began distributing chapter profiles electronically. And yes, we used fact-based decision making to inform our actions and measure our results.
Security and Safeguards
Our membership and financial data, and the Sigma Gamma Rho brand are important assets to the Sorority. I will work collaboratively with our leadership, staff and International Legal Advisor to protect these assets. My years of executive training and experience in the areas of risk management, governance and compliance puts me in a unique position to lead in this area. I have led countless risk assessment teams that were charged with identifying risks, creating risk management programs, and designing and implementing timely policies and procedures. These are some of my areas of responsibility in my current position of Vice President, Operational Risk Management Governance at Citibank. Sigma Gamma Rho must have a renewed focus to manage our risk. We can’t afford to put on rose-colored glasses at this time in our history. Without a risk management program which takes into account the “what if’s” and prepares for them, we can easily become distracted from our goals and objectives, dealing with crises that emerge. As your leader, I will bring 20/20 Vision to safeguarding our future.
Accountability
As I travel the country on Sigma Gamma Rho business, I am inspired by the passion and dedication of our Sorors, affiliates and staff. Often, they are investing more hours doing the work of the sorority than with their own families. When members of the team don’t deliver on their commitments, the entire organization suffers. Accountability is the guiding principle that defines how we evaluate and report on our progress, how we communicate when things go wrong, and how we define success. I ask that we hold each other accountable for what we say, do and deliver. Together, let’s put fresh eyes on our Accountability Value which states that we will always “hold ourselves accountable for our actions. We offer no excuses, we accept responsibility.” I will focus on clearing a path for all leaders to execute and deliver results with a philosophy that celebrates and rewards accountability.
SUMMARY
Each and every Soror, affiliate and staff member believes in the strength of our Sisterhood and the power of service to change and save lives. I too believe in this with all my heart and soul. I see clearly who we are now and what we will be in 2022. We have made so much progress in just a short time. As your International Grand Basileus, I have spoken often about being intentional and impactful for measurable results. Together, we have focused on more collaboration, insisted on fact-based decision making, improved our processes, made greater efforts to safeguard our brand, and continue to strengthen our resolve to hold each other accountable. We want to keep the momentum going for even greater results!
Thank you in advance for your continued support and your vote.
Sisterly,
