Leading with Values®, Pi Beta Phi’s award-winning member development program, helps collegians and alumnae develop personally, intellectually and professionally through seminars and facilitator-led conversations. Each year thanks to donors, the Foundation is able to support Leading with Values through grants to the Fraternity.

Pi Beta Phi recently unveiled a new umbrella structure for Leading with Values and under it are three premier programs: New Member Education, Critical Conversations® and Pi Phi For Life. Over the course of this fiscal year, we are going to ask resident experts to help us take a closer look into these programs. We want you to know not only how your dollars are making a difference in leadership development for our members, but also to be proud of Pi Beta Phi for leading the way in providing relevant, transformative and research-based programming for our members.

In this issue of The Bow, we are going to highlight Pi Phi’s newest program, Critical Conversations, with guest writers, Mackenzie Baker, Fraternity Chapter Services and Program Development Coordinator and Indiana Theta Gretchen Stahl Foran, Facilitator for the Critical Conversations Speaker Series.

Developing Critical ConversationsBy Mackenzie Baker, Fraternity Chapter Services and Program Development Coordinator As some issues within Fraternity and Sorority Life and on college campuses have become more prevalent and serious over the last few years, the Fraternity sought support from the membership and Pi Beta Phi Foundation to bring a prevention education program to every Pi Phi chapter. While it certainly wasn’t the first time prevention education was seriously considered at Pi Beta Phi, it was a turning point in making Critical Conversations a reality.

At convention in June, Critical Conversations was unveiled as a comprehensive approach to addressing topics such as alcohol and other substances, sexual assault, bullying, personal safety, event planning and management, and many other areas pertinent to the health and safety of collegiate members.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

An official publication of Pi Beta Phi Foundation for donors and special friends

The BowFALL 2015

2

Leading the Way through Leading with Values®

Leading the Way through Leading with Values continued on Page 3

Putting Your Trust in the Foundation

3Leading the Way through Leading with Values

4A Day in the Life with our New Executive Director

5How UIFI Helped Me Realize My Leadership Potential

6Looking into Pi Phi’s Past

8News & Notes

2 The Bow Fall 2015

Putting Your Trust in the Foundation

Earlier this year, when I was asked to join the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, I thought it was the coolest and scariest Pi Phi opportunity I’d ever had! What would I add to the group? How could I best use my skills to further the mission of the Foundation? As you can probably sense, a lot of questions were circling in my head.

When I first started volunteering for Pi Phi nine years ago, I quickly realized the joy I got in giving back to an organization that had given so much to me, so while I had some questions about becoming a Board member, I absolutely said “YES!”. By joining the Trustees, I knew I could help shape the future of our Fraternity and give new generations of women the opportunity to find their joy and passion, be it philanthropic service, leadership or lifelong friendship.

Our Board is currently made up of professionals in technology, nonprofit management, fundraising, communications and accounting. We were leaders in our chapters and alumnae clubs, have served on Alumnae Advisory Committees, Chapter House Corporations and volunteered as Fraternity officers. Several of us were Leadership Development Consultants. We all share an abiding love for Pi Phi and are passionate about philanthropy.

Like the word indicates, “trustees” are entrusted with fulfilling our mission of ensuring the future of our sisterhood. We do this by being trustworthy stewards of your gifts. That means understanding your Pi Phi passions and wishes, and taking them into consideration when we approve leadership development grants for the Fraternity, award scholarships and Emma Harper Turner Fund grants, support Read > Lead > Achieve®, fund a housing project and preserve our heritage. Our Pi Phi values, and your support, guide everything we do.

One of my Pi Phi passions is leadership development, and over the past two years I’ve been so impressed with the content and quality of Pi Phi’s leadership training for members. And from my conversations and interactions with collegians and alumnae, they are seeing the value of this training and putting it into practice in their everyday lives. Your gifts have been, and continue to be, a critical steppingstone to developing strong, capable leaders, and not just for Pi Phi, but for home, the workplace and our communities.

We know there are many charitable organizations you can (and do) support, and I want to personally thank you for choosing Pi Beta Phi. It’s an honor to serve in this role and to be a trustworthy steward of your gifts.

I’d love to hear from you! Contact me for a club or chapter visit or simply to talk about your Pi Phi passions. My email is kathyewingbot@gmail.com or you can call me at (404) 906–8970.

Ring Ching!

Alabama Gamma Kathy Wager Ewing joined the Foundation’s Board of Trustees as its newest member in July 2015. Below, she shares her passion for Pi Phi and for her newfound responsibility as a steward of donors’ gifts.

Foundation Trustee Kathy Wager Ewing, Alabama Gamma (right) with fellow Trustees Beth Torres, Illinois Zeta; Janice Worthington Lisko, Oklahoma Beta; and Kate Blatherwick

Pickert, Kansas Alpha, at convention in Chicago.

“Your gifts have been, and continue to be, a critical steppingstone to developing strong, capable leaders, and not just for Pi Phi, but for home, the workplace and our communities.”

3 The Bow Fall 2015

Leading the Way through Leading with Values continued from Page 1

Volunteers from different Greek groups and universities came together at Pi Beta Phi Headquarters in July to

go through facilitator training for Critical Conversations.

We partnered with industry leaders and experts to create research-based programming with three primary components: Webisodes, the Speaker Series, and Advisor Topic Briefs. Each component offers a unique approach to prevention education so that Pi Phis feel better prepared to reduce risk in their lives and to look out for their sisters. For example, 55 percent of sexual assault victims will first report the crime to a close friend. Critical Conversations Speaker Series program, Sisterhood, Safety and Sexual Assault focuses on practicing Sincere Friendship skills in order to offer support to victims who may confide in their trusted Pi Phi sisters. The goal of these programs is not just to educate, but to help sisters practice the concepts presented so they can be applied in real-life scenarios.

In the upcoming academic years, Pi Phi hopes to take meaningful steps toward reducing risk on an individual level and a chapter level through Critical Conversations. Just this fiscal year, Pi Phi’s Speaker Series facilitators will visit 46 chapters. Webisodes and Advisor Topic Briefs are currently available and the library of these resources will continue to grow. I hope you take pride in the prevention education your Fraternity is offering. And thank you for making it possible!

Taking Critical Conversations to ChaptersBy Indiana Theta Gretchen Stahl Foran, Facilitator I first heard about Critical Conversations at the Association of Fraternity and Sorority Advisors Annual Meeting. Pi Phi had a small reception for members and friends to talk about all the wonderful programming happening under Leading with Values. As a fraternity and sorority professional as well as an Alumnae Advisory Committee Chair, I see the things our collegians deal with every day in regards to risky situations, and I was so thrilled that Pi Phi was willing to address risk in this way. When I learned Pi Phi would be asking for volunteer facilitators for Critical Conversations, I couldn’t wait to apply. To me this opportunity was a unique way to get engaged in Pi Phi, to support and educate our women, and to use my skills as a presenter and facilitator. It just seemed like a perfect fit for me.

The Critical Conversations facilitators are both Pi Phis and nonmembers who are passionate about helping our women, and many of them are fraternity and sorority

advisors at our campuses. In July, we all met at Headquarters where we were trained by experts to deliver programming on topics such as sexual assault, alcohol and sincere friendship. Like our collegians, we actually sat through all of the programs and engaged just like we were learning for the first time. We shared vulnerable sisterhood moments with each other, had our minds blown learning new research about alcohol effects on the body and reflected on healthy relationships. We also learned tools to help make these programs effective for our members.

At times the weekend was overwhelming with the amount of information, but it was also engaging, fun and exciting. That weekend was the proudest I have ever felt to be a member of Pi Beta Phi, not only because of the amazing programs and services being brought to our members, but also because I was able to watch nonmembers and friends see the amazing things Pi Phi is doing. I left the weekend full of new knowledge and pride, and ready to share it with Pi Phis across the country.

I was lucky enough to see one of the programs during the pilot process in April, and while it was only a first trial, I saw how much effect it had on our members and their abil-ity to feel empowered to create a strong and safe sisterhood. That is why I’m most excited to be a part of this process. I want all of our women to feel that Pi Phi has given them the skills to be a smart and safe sister and friend.

A Day in the Life with our New Executive Director

4 The Bow Fall 2015

6:00 a.m.Alarm goes off. Hit the snooze button once (or twice!) before getting out of bed. Review my calendar, make coffee and get ready for work.

7:45 a.m.Leave for work. The traffic is a lot lighter than I experienced in Houston, so the drive is enjoyable. Choose a radio station based on what the day holds.

8:00 a.m. Enter the Foundation office and greet the team. With four meetings scheduled, it’s going to be a busy day! I spend a “power” 30 minutes responding to emails, sending out an agenda for our next Foundation staff meeting and touching base with a staff member about an upcoming committee conference call.

8:30 a.m.–12 p.m. Work, work, work. Meeting, meeting. After my second meeting, I sign and write notes on donor thank-you letters. This is one of my favorite parts of my job … it’s right up there with signing scholarship and Emma Harper Turner Fund grant checks.

NoonEat a quick lunch at my desk. Review a mailer we are sending to donors to show them the impact of their gifts. Meet with two staffers to discuss the strategy and story for an upcoming appeal.

2:00 p.m. Head to the boardroom for a 150th Celebration meeting. Staff members and volunteers share updates on their portion of the planning ... there is a lot going on! Get updates on the Ring Ching Roadshow and where Pi Phi will be headed in the coming months. Discuss donor visits and how the travels might be able to overlap.

3:30 p.m.Call Foundation President Beth Sordi to plan the agenda for an upcoming Board of Trustees call.

4:30 p.m. Pop downstairs to talk with Fraternity Executive Director

Juli Willeman about our strategic plans, Headquarters business and College Weekend.

5:00 p.m. Get back to my office and answer a few emails. Straighten up my desk — it looks like a tornado blew through since this morning! Leave the office and head to the gym.

7:00 p.m.Arrive home and make myself some dinner. Catch up with my parents or a friend via Skype. Do some laundry and some last-minute packing. I’m heading out of town for some Pi Phi donor visits over the next few days. I’m so excited to meet these fantastic women in person!

10:00 p.m. Read a chapter from the book on my nightstand, currently Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, struggle to keep my eyes open for Jimmy Fallon’s opening monologue on the The Tonight Show and then, lights out.

Executive Director Hallee Winnie

Michigan Gamma Hallee Winnie joined the Foundation in June, having previously served as the Executive Director for the Houston Division of March of Dimes, where she focused on mission delivery and fundraising, as well as staff, volunteer and program management. She received her Masters of Public Administration from the University of Missouri-Kansas City with an emphasis in Organizational Behavior and her Bachelors in Interdisciplinary Studies in Social Science from Michigan State University. As an undergraduate, Hallee served the Michigan Gamma Chapter as Vice President of Social Advancement and Chapter President. After graduation, she served as a Leadership Development Consultant.

To connect with Hallee, email hwinnie@pibetaphi.org or call (636) 256–1357.

Ever wonder what a typical day looks like for our new ED? We asked Hallee to help the Foundation document a “day in the life.”

5 The Bow Fall 2015

How UIFI Helped Me Realize My Leadership PotentialBy Maryland Gamma Emily Karcher Two hundred and thirty-four miles, three hours and thirty- four minutes, two states, and one downpour after beginning my journey from home to the Undergraduate Interfraternity Institute® (UIFI), I began to consider what the experience would be like. Upon my arrival, I walked into a huge sorority house on Indiana University’s campus with other Greek leaders from across the country, unsure of myself and my credibility.

Four days later, I walked out of the same house and traced my drive back home with a new network of nine close friends, four mentors, and over 80 “allies” in the struggle of creating positive change within the Greek community. I left with a deeper sense of my personal values, a better understanding of both the positive and negative perceptions of Greek life, and a rekindled passion for creating positive change through empowering others.

My UIFI journey was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. A distinguishing feature that sets the UIFI program apart from other leadership conferences is its immersive nature. Through a series of general sessions with the full 80 participants, “chapter meetings” of 8–10 students, team-building and leadership activities, and 1-on-1 discussions with program leaders, my notion of leadership was modified and clarified. Honest conversation, independent journaling, and taking time to reflect immediately following activities was thought-provoking, eye-opening, and most of all, fun. It was awesome to hear each student’s unique perspective and figure out how it tied to my organization, my chapter, and me as a member of Pi Beta Phi. What brought us together — participants and program leaders alike — was a universal goal to better ourselves and devote what we learn to helping shape an

improved identity of Greek life on our campuses throughout the country. That commitment — to positive change, a greater cause, and beloved values — was the thing I realized all Greeks share.

If I were asked to count the number of invaluable things I learned at UIFI, I would be overwhelmed. I learned many skills and gained much advice, not only for leading and managing teams, but also for resolving conflicts, persuading naysayers, and motivating apathetic members. I know that with the knowledge I gained at UIFI I will be a stronger leader, and have a greater impact and legacy on my chapter, Maryland Gamma, than I could have ever hoped to before.

To Pi Beta Phi Foundation’s generous donors who made this experience possible for me, I am incredibly grateful. Attending UIFI has sparked in me a newfound interest in Panhellenic and interfraternal collaboration, ignited a deeper passion for leadership and rekindled my confidence in my own ability to create change. Because of the Foundation’s commitment to education, leadership, and ensuring the future of our sisterhood, I know I am on my way to becoming the leader and woman that Pi Beta Phi has called me to be.

Maryland Gamma Emily Karcher (left) attended the Undergraduate Interfraternity Institute with other Greek leaders from across the United States. The institute included small and large group workshops and a community service project at a

community garden.

“I left with a deeper sense of my personal values, a better understanding of both the positive and negative perceptions of Greek life, and a rekindled passion for creating positive change through empowering others.”

Looking into Pi Phi’s Past

6 The Bow Fall 2015

About once a month, New York Alpha Fran DeSimone Becque travels from her home in southern Illinois to Pi Beta Phi’s Headquarters in Town & Country, Missouri to work in Pi Phi’s Archives. As Historian and Archivist for Pi Beta Phi, Fran is tasked with collecting and preserving our history at HQ. We recently asked her a few questions about her work. Our findings? Fran has one of the coolest jobs around!

Q: How did you become Pi Phi’s Historian and Archivist? FB: Alabama Alpha Annette Mitchell Mills was appointed Pi Phi’s first Archivist in 1989. When she made the decision to retire from the post, I was a Director. Oklahoma Beta JoAnn Minor Roderick and her Grand Council appointed me to take Annette’s place. Working in the Archives helped me learn much more about Pi Phi’s history. When Marilyn Ford retired from being Historian in 2003, I had just stepped down after serving as a Director for 10 years. Grand Council combined the positions of Historian and Archivist and appointed me to serve in that capacity. Living close to Headquarters makes it easy for me to drop in and work in the Archives without much advanced planning.

Q: What was the first big project you tackled once those roles were combined?FB: My first big project was the publication of Hearts That Are Bound by the Wine and Silver Blue, the coffee-table book published in 2005. I also scanned the pictures and edited them. The layout was done by award-winning graphic designer Karen Boone, a Kentucky Alpha. Her chapter sister, Elisabeth Long Young, facilitated the connection and although Karen and I never met in person, it was so much fun to work with her on the design of the book.

Q: If you could meet one Pi Phi, who would it be and why?FB: Michigan Alpha Elizabeth Clarke Helmick. She was an amazing woman, decades before her time. Her husband, Eli, was an Army officer, and she joined him abroad in his posts. She was originally a Patroness of the Michigan Alpha Chapter when her husband taught Military Science at Hillsdale College. As a young wife and mother, she enrolled in the college so she could become a member of Pi Beta Phi. She served as Pi Phi’s Historian and wrote the 1915 History of Pi Beta Phi Fraternity (available on Google books). It was she who gave the ultimatum to the

Gatlinburg men to the effect of “get us the land today or we are all packing up and leaving.” Not many women would confront a group of men like that in the early 1900s, but she did. And I am convinced she meant it. Vermont Beta Grace Goodhue Coolidge is a very close second.

Q: Are there any Pi Phi artifacts you want to find? FB: I would like for someone to donate one of the Newcomb pottery pieces that were given by the Louisiana Alpha Chapter to chapter members as wedding presents. An original I.C. pin worn by a Founder would also be a wonderful surprise.

Q: What should people do with something that might be able to go to Archives? FB: They can contact me at historian@pibetaphi.org and tell me about it. Q: What are some of your favorite pieces currently in Archives? FB: The Edison recording that founder Inez Smith Soule made as a greeting to the 1915 convention in Berkeley tops the list. Several years ago we were able to have it digitized and a greeting from Inez opened the convention.

Looking into Pi Phi’s Past Continued on Page 7

New York Alpha Fran DeSimone Becque serves as Pi Beta Phi’s Historian and Archivist

The recipe card box that was a fundraiser for the Indiana Delta Chapter is another find. It contains a recipe card from Grace Coolidge.

Q: What would Pi Phi’s founders think of our organization today? FB: I suspect they would be very impressed. Remember most of them were teenagers when they founded the organization. They founded I.C. and then went on with their lives. In the late 1890s and early 1900s, the ones who attended convention saw what the organization became. Missouri Beta Alice Weber Johnson, former Grand President, spoke about meeting some of the founders at her first convention and she said they were passed around like fine chocolates.

Q: What makes you excited about Pi Phi’s upcoming 150th celebration in 2017? FB: Just thinking about our history and how far we’ve come is fascinating to me. The world the founders lived in was so different from the world our newest members were born into. Today’s college student has never known a time when people were not connected by electronic gadgets. The founders did not have indoor plumbing or electricity when they became students at Monmouth College.

And yet, our 12 founders are connected to the youngest of the new members who signed bid cards this fall. I find that quite remarkable!

7 The Bow Fall 2015

Looking into Pi Phi’s Past Continued on Page 7

The above recipe card box and recipe card from Grace Coolidge are located in Pi Phi’s Archives.

THANK YOU FOR A GREAT YEAR!

$1,525,911 INVESTED IN SCHOLARSHIPS, LEADERSHIP, EMERGENCY GRANTS, LITERACY, HERITAGE & HOUSING

$350,700 Awarded in Academic Scholarships

Visit pibetaphifoundation.org/FY15highlights for a listing of donors from the 2014–15 year.

$50,000 for Sisters in Need through the

Emma Harper Turner Fund

100,000Books for Children through Read > Lead > Achieve®

MORE THAN

4,995 Foundation

Donors

19,500 Collegians supported through Leadership Development

That’s every collegian!

♥ ♥

Looking into Pi Phi’s Past Continued from Page 6

2014–2015

Shared Vision of Pi Beta Phi To be recognized as a premier organization for women by providing lifelong enrichment to its members and contributing to the betterment of society.

MissionPi Beta Phi Foundation enables the Fraternity to realize its mission and ensures the future of our sisterhood.

ValuesIntegrityPhilanthropic PassionFraternal and Community CommitmentTrustworthy Stewardship

Board of TrusteesPresidentBeth Seidelhuber Sordi, California Kappa Vice President FinanceJanice Worthington Lisko, Oklahoma Beta Vice President Development Jan Kincaid Clifford, Indiana Delta SecretaryMary Rakow Tanner, Maryland BetaTrusteesKathy Wager Ewing, Alabama GammaVivian Long, New York EtaKate Blatherwick Pickert, Kansas Alpha Rena Rodeman Thorsen, Maryland BetaBeth Torres, Illinois ZetaEx Officio Paula Pace Shepherd, Texas EpsilonLisa Gamel Scott, Colorado AlphaPresident EmeritaAnn Dudgeon Phy, Texas Alpha

StaffExecutive Director Hallee Winnie, Michigan GammaPrograms & Operations DirectorBetsy West McCune, Missouri AlphaDevelopment Director Jenny Miller Pratt, Indiana AlphaFinance DirectorRosemary Barczewski Marketing & Communications DirectorJill Pampel Development Specialist IIJoanna SellFoundation Assistant Amber Moore

NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDSt. Louis, MOPermit No. 811154 Town & Country Commons Drive

Town & Country, Missouri 63017

Do you know a sister who is struggling?The Foundation provides grants to sisters in need through the Emma Harper Turner Fund. Grants are available for both collegians and alumnae. If you know a sister who is facing a financial challenge due to job loss, health crisis, natural disaster or other life circumstance, please encourage her to learn more and apply on our website at pibetaphifoundation.org/apply/emma-harper-turner-grants.

Special Impact Grant Applications Due November 15The Foundation will give five $10,000 grants this fiscal year to nonprofit organizations working in literacy. The application is available online at pibetaphifoundation.org/specialimpactgrants. Each applying organization needs one sponsor who is a member of Pi Beta Phi.

Scholarship Applications Due February 15 The online applications for undergraduate scholarships, graduate fellowships and alumnae continuing education scholarships will be available online starting November 15 at pibetaphifoundation.org/apply/academic-scholarships. Applications are due February 15!

News & Notes

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