Next in the Trustee Tuesday series we’re introducing Trustee Delicia Bryant Arnold, Kappa Omega. Delicia was elected to the Board of Trustees during the 2016 National Convention and is currently serving a four-year term through 2020. After spending several years as a collegiate department volunteer and contributing to the Foundation as a member of the 1852 Society, Delicia felt compelled to get more involved in fundraising on behalf of the many women growing and developing through the programs offered by the Fraternity.

“Knowing that Foundation donors help fund many of our signature leadership and educational programs, I wanted to serve on the Board of Trustees to ensure that generations to come would have access to scholarships, emergency aid, and leadership programming. I also wanted to help share the message that giving back is part of who we are as Phi Mu members and continuing that commitment beyond their college years is important.”

As a former Area Membership Director for the Delta area and current Advisory Council member at the Kappa Chapter, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Delicia enjoys staying connected to the Phi Mu collegiate experience and keeping her finger on the pulse of the issues facing sorority women on campuses today. Over the years, she’s seen first-hand the benefits that women gain from their Phi Mu membership – everything from academic scholarships to help them further their studies to pivotal leadership experiences that accelerate their path to successful careers. Watching Phi Mu women rise above challenges because of the opportunities Phi Mu has offered them inspires Delicia to stay laser-focused on the type of support she would like to see the Foundation provide to encourage future growth.

“My vision is for every chapter to have a scholarship and leadership endowment through the Foundation that can be used for members to attend Phi Mu leadership programs or any leadership development programming offered in their community. In harmony with that, I would also like to see an alumnae endowment for our alumnae members to take advantage of local leadership programming. Helping to secure funding for lifetime leadership opportunities that will help our women meet their full potential is something that motivates me every single day!”

After graduating from the University of South Alabama, Delicia headed to law school at the Mississippi College School of Law and spent nearly 20 years as a practicing attorney in Knoxville, where she lives with her husband John and daughter Abbey Clare. In her role as a member of the Development and Finance/Investment committees of the Board of Trustees, Delicia is able to leverage her legal experience to elevate the Foundation’s efforts to support our sisterhood.

“As an attorney, my background helps me provide a better understanding of non-profit status and the ability to explain to others many financial and legal situations that can protect the Foundation and its investments. Combined with the lessons I’ve learned in Phi Mu on how to communicate and get along with people of all backgrounds and beliefs, my career has taught me how to be a passionate advocate for what I believe in, while also being an active listener and compromising with others for the good of the organization.”

With all of that passion and fervor, it’s no surprise that when it comes to picking just one Foundation campaign that ranks as number one in her books, Delicia chose 18 Hours & 52 Minutes of Giving. She says she loves the excitement and energy on the day of giving and that being able to see the immediate results from the generosity of our donors is her favorite kind of adrenaline rush!

 “Creating a culture of philanthropy through annual events like the day of giving and our grant programs is critical to the Foundation’s success. Giving back to Phi Mu should feel like returning a favor that was done for all of us. If the Foundation could grow its endowments and increase the number of grants it makes each year to invest in more Phi Mu women, chances are those women would pay it forward by giving back … and that could be game-changing for the future of Phi Mu.”

If you were following Phi Mu Foundation on social media on Super Bowl Sunday, then you already know that Trustee Jen Wu is pretty special on and off the field! A graduate of Armstrong State University (now known as Georgia Southern University-Armstrong Campus), Jen is the Associate Director of Operations –Suites at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, and was instrumental in helping the stadium prepare for Super Bowl LIII.

When Jen isn’t making magic happen behind the scenes at Mercedes Benz Stadium, you can find her spending time with her pups Lucy and Mimmy Wu (more to come on that later) and dedicating her time to volunteering with Phi Mu. Jen served as the National Vice President of Collegiate Relations on National Council from 2006-2010 and was elected to the Foundation Board of Trustees at the 2018 National Convention in Las Vegas. Jen’s breadth of Phi Mu experience combined with her storied career in providing premium customer service experiences gives her a unique perspective to her role as Foundation Trustee.

“I view my Phi Mu involvement as *part of* of my career, rather than separate from my professional life. Being a Phi Mu volunteer has taught me many valuable lessons that have crossed over into my career and vice versa. In many ways and in some Karate Kid fashion, many things have come more naturally in my career because of my Phi Mu involvement. Whether trying to recruit the best women for our collegiate chapters or seeking a candidate for a management position – conversational skills, carefully weighing the attributes of a candidate, prioritizing the needs of the company (chapter inventory, anyone?) and so much more are talents that began to develop within Phi Mu first.”

Jen is a member of the 1852 Society, the Foundation’s premier annual Giving Program because she knows first hand how investing in women as leaders can come full circle. After Jen graduated from Armstrong State, she continued her education at the University of Georgia and she served as a Graduate Counselor for nearby Mu Chapter at Brenau University and later for Gamma Gamma Chapter at Queens University of Charlotte. In this role, she helped train chapter leaders to effectively manage their operations and programming, increasing efficiencies and building sisterhood at the same time.

“Phi Mu has provided me with so many opportunities at both the collegiate and alumnae levels – everything from training resources and leadership opportunities to interpersonal skills and professional development. In gratitude, I have always worked to pass those gifts on to other women in my Phi Mu volunteer roles. I view my role on the Foundation Board of Trustees as the ultimate way to create opportunities for other women. As direct support to the mission and ideals of the Fraternity, it is our privilege to be able to provide some means to transform vision into reality.”

While Phi Mu has grown leaps and bounds over the last few decades, Jen enjoys the small but meaningful ways we’re able to connect as a sisterhood. One of her favorite traditions is sending Caring Carnations at National Convention and other leadership conferences where sisters come together to learn and support one and other. In fact, when her collegiate chapter at Armstrong State was recolonized in 2014, sending Caring Carnations to her Kappa Omicron sisters at the following convention felt pretty amazing.

“I love Caring Carnations! Sending them is such a special way to acknowledge women individually at Convention while at the same time, providing us with a fun opportunity to be connected at large-scale events like Convention. Giving and receiving Caring Carnations puts a smile on everyone’s face; they’re like small symbols of love and friendship that come from the relationships you’ve made in Phi Mu over the years. And it’s great because sending Caring Carnations is an affordable way for everyone to honor our sisterhood and support the Foundation at the same time.”

Speaking of honoring special sisters, did someone mention Lucy and Mimmy Wu? If you know Jen, then chances are you’re already a super fan of her pups Lucy and Mimmy. Adorned in pink collars and bows, Lucy and Mimmy are ‘Insta-famous’ as Phi Mu sisters and friends follow their adventures from Charlotte to Savannah to Atlanta and everywhere in between. Lucy and Mimmy are also unofficial Phi Mu Foundation Social Media Advocates as they played a special part in helping to spread the word about the Foundation’s 18 Hours & 52 Minutes of Giving in October. (‘Unofficial’ advocates only because paws make it hard to write your own Instagram posts.)

When the Board of Trustees make their way to Orlando for Phi Mu National Convention in 2020, Jen wants to leave the mark that the Foundation is investing in a future where women are equipped to be thinkers, leaders, doers, and compassionate citizens; a future where young women are empowered and built up and provided with the tools to be successful, influence change, and impact acceptance. And to back that effort, Jen hopes to announce that the Foundation has created opportunities for every collegiate and alumna member to give back and that we’ve hit a record number of donors in the biennium!