In this edition of Trustee Tuesday, we’re pleased to introduce to you Past National President and Trustee Robin White Fanning. No stranger to the Board of Trustees, Robin served as Chairman of the Board from 2006-2010 as part of her duties as National President and was elected to serve as a Trustee in 2016. If you’ve had the chance to meet Robin, you know her genuine passion and pride in Phi Mu is what drives her to continue to volunteer for the organization that she holds so dear.

“My collegiate years were truly the best of my life and Phi Mu was a major part of that experience. Phi Mu was my home away from home and my sisters were (and still are) like family! I serve as a Trustee today because I want others to have the same excellent experience that I had.”

Robin and her husband met while she was a member of the Beta Iota Chapter at Clarkson University, and later, they relocated to Michigan and put down roots and raise their two sons. As a full-time mom to her children and National Council member, she was thankful for the flexibility to travel the country, visiting collegiate chapters and alumnae volunteers as they worked together to usher Phi Mu into a new era of developing members into confident, vibrant leaders.

“For the seven years I spent on National Council as Vice President Collegiate Operations and as National President, Phi Mu was my full-time job! I spent many days each month traveling during those years and was lucky to have the support of my husband, babysitters and sons as we juggled everything.”

Later when Robin transitioned off of National Council and her sons were grown, she went to work as a retail manager for Vera Bradley. While she never thought of herself as a sales professional, she soon realized that her years of serving  Phi Mu had prepared her well for her newfound career.

“Looking back on my years of volunteering, I was ‘selling’ the Phi Mu experience to many women during that time. I never really thought about it in that way until I began drawing the parallels between that and the work I was doing at Vera Bradley. There, I was selling a product and mentoring staff members just as I had done for our Phi Mu women.”

As a member of the 1852 Society, Robin understands the important role each of us plays in investing in the future of Phi Mu and she’s seen the good work of our donors come to life in more ways than she can count. One of her favorite memories from her tenure on National Council was the Campaign for Phi Mu, which brought the dream of a new Phi Mu National Headquarters building to life.

“Phi Mu Foundation is investing in women as leaders, which in turn brings success to their careers and to their communities. For more than 166 years, Phi Mu has had an impact on women as they seek educations from campuses across the country. We are their first experience of adult networking and offer opportunities for lifetime enrichment. When you give back to the Foundation, you’re helping others have the benefit of the experience and privilege we call Fraternity.”

When we asked Robin what she’d like to share from the stage at the Foundation Business Session at National Convention in 2020, simply put, she said, “Let’s raise the most money we ever have for Phi Mu women!”

Next up on our Trustee Tuesday series is Phi Mu National President and Foundation Chairman of the Board Andie Kash, Delta Eta.  Following her election as National President this summer at convention, Andie also assumed the position of Chairman of the Board for Phi Mu Foundation. In this role, she works alongside the Foundation President and Executive Director to lead the Foundation into the next biennium. Andie lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with her husband and three children.

Andie graduated from Georgetown College and worked for Phi Mu as a Chapter Consultant from 1993-1994. What began as a year spent traveling across Phi Mu America turned into a storied career of volunteering for Phi Mu, including serving on National Council for a total of 10 years and on the Foundation Board of Trustees for four years prior to her election as National President. Andie is a long-standing Foundation Donor and member of the 1852 Society and believes strongly in the power of giving back.

“Phi Mu has given me so much that it is important for me to give back. While there are many fantastic ways the Foundation supports the Fraternity and our members, to me, one of the most important things we can do is to help make college more affordable for our members through academic scholarships.”

Throughout the years, Andie has been instrumental in transforming Phi Mu into an organization equipped to meet the needs of today’s modern woman. Among her many accomplishments, she played a key role in growing the Fraternity through collegiate chapter extension plans and helped develop and implement Phi Mu’s 2003 and 2013 strategic plans. She achieved all of this while also running her family’s business as the Chief Executive Officer and President of HI-FLOAT®.

“I run a family business and that is exactly how I think of Phi Mu! My professional experience and Phi Mu experience share many of the same challenges and I see the parallels on a daily basis. Phi Mu has made me a better business leader, and my job at HI-FLOAT has prepared me to lead Phi Mu.”

When we asked Andie what she’d like to see headlining the Foundation Business Session at the 2020 Phi Mu National Convention, she circled back to her passion for helping to reduce the financial burden on women seeking a college education: “When I look out at all of the women in the 2020 Convention body, I’d like to announce that the Foundation is granting a record number of scholarships that are helping our members  get the education they deserve without the heavy debt that can come from student loans.”

Next up on our Trustee Tuesday series is Phi Mu Foundation Corporate Secretary/Treasurer Jennifer Chapman Joyner, Alpha Iota. Known better to her Phi Mu sisters as “JJ,” she was elected to serve as Corporate Secretary/Treasurer by her Trustee peers this summer following Phi Mu National Convention, and is responsible for overseeing the financial operations of the Foundation, in addition to recording the Board of Trustees minutes. JJ is a member of the 1852 Society and lives in Columbus, Georgia with her husband and daughter. She works at Columbus State University as the Assistant VP of Alumni Engagement and Special Events.

“I didn’t realize I had a passion for meeting new people and event planning until I was the membership director in college. That totally changed my professional trajectory! I don’t think anyone in college even thinks about a career in alumni engagement and university advancement (or knows about it), but if you love higher education this is a growing field and I’ve been privileged to work in it for 20 years. Plus, if you are lucky like me, your institution will have a Phi Mu chapter there you get to help and support.”

From Mercer University to Columbus State, and several chapters in between during her time as an Area Membership Director, Area Membership Coordinator and current Membership Adviser, JJ has had an incredible impact on hundreds of women early on their Phi Mu journey. And one thing she’s shared with them from the very beginning is that Phi Mu is for more than just four years and that as an alumna, you should give back where your time and talents allow.

“Phi Mu has always been my top philanthropic priority and by serving on the Foundation Board of Trustees, I get to see first hand how my support and time has benefited our members in numerous ways that will affect them for their lifetime. I can’t think of anything more rewarding than that!”

In a world where so much of what you see on social media can be disheartening, the Foundation is finding ways to promote positivity and sisterhood – a reminder of what binds us together at our core – through many of its campaigns throughout the year. The annual M3 Campaign, 18 Hours & 52 Minutes of Giving and the #insPHIred campaign have all encouraged members to take to their keyboards to share the passion and pride they have as Phi Mu women.

“When I look back on some of the highlights of the past year, I can’t help but think about how much I love our day of giving! It is amazing to watch my social media flood with alumnae and collegiate members talking about why they cherish our sisterhood and support Phi Mu Foundation. It is 18 hours and 52 minutes of complete joy!”

Through her time as a Phi Mu volunteer, JJ has seen the direct impact that gifts to the Foundation can make on a woman’s life. Whether it’s watching an emerging chapter leader blossom after attending Phi Mu Leadership Institute, or hearing from a working mom who’s headed back to school because of a Foundation scholarship, JJ knows the tremendous difference a contribution to the Foundation can make in the lives of our members.

“Phi Mu Foundation’s sole purpose is to support our members and the Fraternity. Supporting the Foundation provides opportunities to further our members’ education through scholarships and leadership training, connects us to our history and supports our members in dire situations. The Fraternity offers extraordinary opportunities for our members; imagine what we could do if everyone made Phi Mu Foundation a top philanthropic priority!”

Much like Pamela, when we asked JJ what she would like to see as the Foundation’s banner headline at the 2020 National Convention, she is excited about the next campaign for Phi Mu! She hopes by 2020, the Foundation can announce fantastic progress toward our fundraising goal.