400 Westpark Drive  |  Peachtree City, GA 30269

Trustee Tuesday: Meet Trustee Beth Denney Ward, Delta Eta

Trustee Tuesday: Meet Trustee Beth Denney Ward, Delta Eta

Up next in our Trustee Tuesday series is National Vice President and Trustee Beth Denney Ward, Delta Eta. For more than 20 years, Beth has served her Fraternity as a staff member and a myriad of volunteer roles, including four terms on National Council. Beth is a member of the 1852 Society and resides in Brentwood, TN, with her husband Scott and their two children, where she is helping to shape young minds as a fifth-grade teacher.

Beth worked for Phi Mu as a Chapter Consultant following her graduation from Georgetown College and has been instrumental to the Fraternity and Foundation’s success in more ways than one since then, including leading the strategic planning committee, a joint initiative that developed the proposal for both organizations to move to the Policy Governance Model.

“Teaching and Phi Mu volunteerism go hand in hand in my life. The skills I have gained in two decades of Phi Mu volunteerism have helped me to relate to and connect with a wide variety of women. That experience supports me as a teacher in relating to my students, their families and the content I teach. Relationships are the most enriching part of both of these facets of my life.”

Beth believes in the power of investing in Phi Mu sisterhood through the Foundation and has the opportunity to see that in action in every volunteer role she has served at the local, area and national levels.

“The Foundation has the sole purpose of supporting the highest priority in our sisterhood – those in need. Through the incredible generosity of our donors, we’re able to fulfill that need by offering academic scholarships, assistance due to natural disasters and medical emergencies, and supporting leadership and personal development programming, including the Chapter Consultant program.”

When she looks back on her time in Phi Mu, it’s the special relationships that Beth cherishes the most. Whether it’s the women she bonded within her time at Georgetown, the friends she’s made along the way as an alumna volunteer, or making a new friend when she moved to Tennessee and discovering their connection as Phi Mu sisters, there’s just something special about the ties that bind you through Phi Mu. Right now, she and National President Andie Kash, also a Delta Eta sister, are working on a Foundation fundraising campaign that is near and dear to their hearts.

“Andie and I are fundraising right now for an endowment through the Foundation to support the training and development of chapter advisers across Phi Mu in honor of our chapter adviser Sharon Henson. This effort will help build financial support for resources to support the most important volunteers Phi Mu has – the chapter advisers coaching collegiate Phi Mus. I am excited about the future opportunities the Sharon L. Henson Endowment for Adviser Development will offer to Phi Mu’s most vital support network.”

It’s an exciting time to be a Phi Mu, especially as we approach celebrating 167 years of sisterhood in March. Beth is proud of the role Phi Mu plays in helping women become and accomplish what they never knew possible through the relationships and opportunities grounded in the values of Love, Honor and Truth. When she arrives for Phi Mu’s National Convention in Orlando next summer, there are a few things she hopes to share with the membership.

“I would like all Phi Mus to feel a vested interest in the work and impact of Phi Mu Foundation so that they give regularly knowing any amount is significant. I hope all convention attendees will arrive and see Foundation materials and think, ‘I helped make that happen!’ Supporting the Foundation is supporting our Phi Mu sisters and chapters in need of financial support through scholarships, assistance, leadership and personal development programming. All donations make an impact on Phi Mu sisters.”

Trustee Tuesday: Meet Trustee Danita Morgan, Gamma Lambda

In this week’s edition of Trustee Tuesday, we’d like to introduce you to Trustee Danita Morgan, Gamma Lambda. Danita was elected to serve on the Board of Trustees last summer at the 2018 National Convention. Danita is currently president of the Gamma Lambda Chapter Association and a member of the board of directors of the Gamma Lambda House Corporation. She is very active in supporting the chapter at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Danita brings a wealth of professional experience to the Board of Trustees as a lifelong development professional. She lives in Raleigh with her husband, Chris White, and their rescue dog and cat. She is a Director of Development, Major Gifts for UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Danita’s ties to Phi Mu run deep, especially with a strong connection to her chapter and the lifelong friendships she made there. She still keeps in touch with many of her Gamma Lambda sisters, including a special sister who introduced her to the man who is now her husband.

“My decision to pledge Phi Mu was one of the most important decisions of my life, and I am devoted to my chapter and all of my sisters. It is important for me to serve on the Foundation Board of Trustees to give back on a national level to the sisterhood that has influenced my life in myriad positive ways.”

After college graduation, Danita began a successful career in nonprofit leadership and gives back to her alma mater as a mentor to media and journalism students at UNC-Chapel Hill. Over the years, two of her favorite programs have intersected more than a few times, and she’s had the opportunity to help Gamma Lambda women who are pursuing a career in media and journalism.  In fact, she’s even hired a few of her Phi Mu mentees!

“I enjoy mentoring students on their journey to realizing what the future holds for them. It’s such an incredible time in their lives when they are learning and growing every day, and helping to guide them through these formative years is an exceptional experience.”

Danita is passionate about educating Phi Mu members about all of the ways they can give back, and feels like there is truly a way for everyone to make a difference. There’s a common misconception that if you can’t make a major gift, then you can’t make an impact, and that’s simply not true. With four annual giving programs and efforts like the M3 Campaign and 18 Hours & 52 Minutes of Giving, there are a variety of gift options for every member to support the Foundation.

“In my opinion, one of the best ways for everyone to give back to Phi Mu is by making a planned gift to the Foundation. There are multiple planned giving options, and the Foundation staff can assist you in making the best choice for you and your family. A planned gift leaves a beautiful legacy that contributes to the ongoing success of all our Phi Mu sisters.”

Members who document a planned gift with the Foundation become members of the esteemed Fidelity Society and are honored on the Foundation website and each year in the Foundation’s Annual Report. In addition to being a member of the 1852 Society annual giving program, Danita is also a Fidelity Society member.

Over the next biennium, Danita is striving for the Foundation to not only meet all of its fundraising goals but also to elevate Phi Mu Foundation Scholarship Recipients so that our members can learn how their contributions are helping these women change the world through the work they’re doing in their communities.

If you would like to read a few of the Phi Mu Foundation Scholarship Recipient testimonials shared at last year’s convention, you can read them here: Dr. Jennifer Rhatigan, Charlene Collazo Goldfield.

 

Trustee Tuesday: Meet Trustee Jennifer Jardine, Beta Tau

We’re back after the holiday break and excited to pick up where we left off with our Trustee Tuesday series! To kick off the New Year, we’re introducing Trustee Jennifer Jardine, Beta Tau. Jennifer is a member of the 1852 Society and has a long-standing history on the Board of Trustees, first being appointed to the board in 2014 while she was a member of National Council, and later elected to serve on the board in 2016. Prior to her roles on National Council and the Board of Trustees, Jennifer volunteered as a Chapter Adviser, Area Membership Coordinator and has been active in many leadership roles with the Tidewater Alumnae Chapter.

Jennifer joined Phi Mu at Drexel University where she was one of just a handful of women pursuing a degree in electrical engineering. Being a member in Phi Mu provided her with the opportunity to meet and become friends with other women on campus and share a common bond of sisterhood.

“Being a member of Phi Mu has provided me with so many opportunities. The friendships I have made with Phi Mus in my own chapter and from other chapters around the country have been wonderful and are life long!”

Following in the footsteps of her own chapter adviser Nancy Campbell, Beta Phi, Jennifer has mentored many collegiate women during her time in Phi Mu. Connecting with collegians and helping them to recognize their full potential is one of the reasons Jennifer enjoys the Foundation’s annual M3 Campaign. In her role as a Trustee, Jennifer travels to collegiate chapters along the East Coast prior to the campaign’s kickoff in March to meet with various collegiate chapters and educate them on the importance of giving back to Phi Mu.

 

“Investing in Phi Mu Foundation is like investing in yourself. With each dollar we raise, we’re empowering Phi Mu women through the Fraternity’s leadership programs, providing undergraduate and graduate scholarships, and granting emergency funds for members who need it the most. I want to make sure that when I visit with collegiate chapters to talk about participating in the M3 Campaign, that they understand that they are making a huge impact on their fellow members with the funds they raise.”

Through her career as an Electrical Engineer for the Department of Navy, Jennifer has come to rely on much of what she’s learned in Phi Mu – using her voice and leading others and leveraging her strong facilitation skills – to work on some of the Navy’s most groundbreaking projects like their newest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford.  Throughout her career, Jennifer has traveled the world, visiting different countries and meeting up with Phi Mu sisters in places like Bahrain and Japan.

“One of my favorite pastimes is linking up with Phi Mu sisters in all of the incredible places I get to travel to for my job. The most amazing part of ‘life after college’ in Phi Mu is that through volunteering, I’ve met so many sisters who I would have never crossed paths with otherwise. Now I have friends all over the country – and all over the world – and we all have one thing in common: Phi Mu sisterhood.”

With her demanding career and busy travel schedule, there are many reasons Jennifer could find that would keep her from volunteering with Phi Mu, but she says there is nothing more rewarding than investing in her Phi Mu sisters. When we come together for the 2020 National Convention in Orlando, Jennifer wants the headline of the Foundation Business Session to read that the Foundation is touching the lives of Phi Mu women each and every day!