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Call for Nominations: Board of Trustees – 2026

Leinin on January 12, 2026

Nominations for positions on the Phi Mu Foundation Board of Trustees are now open!

Self-nominations for the Board of Trustees are due by February 2, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT. For more information on what serving on the Board of Trustees entails, please click here for the position description and/or view the Foundation’s Trustee Election Policy here.

Trustee Position Description
Trustee Election Policy

Dear Sisters,

Nominations for positions on the Phi Mu Foundation Board of Trustees and the Phi Mu Fraternity National Council are now open. Information related to these opportunities and the process can be found below. 

Eligibility

Phi Mu Foundation Trustee

  • Be a member of Phi Mu Foundation and an alumna member in good standing with Phi Mu Fraternity
  • Be willing to become a member of the 1852 Society or Wesleyan Society Giving Program upon election as a Trustee
  • The term of office is four (4) years 

Phi Mu Fraternity National President

  • Alumna member in good standing
  • Have served at least one term as a member of National Council within the previous three (3) biennia
  • The term of office is two (2) years

Phi Mu Fraternity Vice President

  • Alumna member in good standing
  • Have previously served as a National or Area Officer, Fraternity Committee member, or on a Phi Mu special committee, working group or task force.
  • The term of office is two (2) years

Process

Phi Mu Fraternity and Phi Mu Foundation accept self-nominations from eligible candidates. All self-nominations are to be submitted via the Joint Nomination Form, which can be found here. This is a Google Form, so you will need to sign into a Google account to upload files (this is a Google requirement). Self-nominations are due by February 2, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. PT. 

Additionally, Phi Mu Fraternity will also accept nominations for eligible candidates to serve as Vice President or National President. Nominations are due by January 26, 2026. Sisters who are nominated will receive notification that they were nominated by another member and will be provided the link to complete the self-nomination application. To nominate a candidate for National Council, click here. 

The Foundation and the Fraternity are collaborating on the nomination process. All individuals who are interested in being a candidate for the Foundation or the Fraternity will complete the same Nomination Form. Within the Nomination Form, candidates will indicate interest for Fraternity National President, Fraternity Vice President and/or Foundation Trustee.

When completing the Nomination Form, candidates will need the following:

  • Resume/CV
  • Contact information for three (3) references

A preview of the questions on the Joint Nomination Form can be found HERE. 

Timeline

Important dates for the rest of the process are listed below:

  • January 26: Fraternity Nomination Form due to nominate another member for National Council
  • February 2 at 11:59 p.m. PT: Joint Self-Nomination Form Due
  • February 3: Executive Directors for both organizations verify candidates’ eligibility
  • February 9: Candidates confirm interest in continuing to move forward
  • February 10: Feedback is requested from Fraternity National and Area Officers and members of the 1852 Society and Wesleyan Society Giving Programs
  • February 10: Nominating Committee(s) request additional information from candidates (if desired/needed)
  • February 20: Additional information from candidates, if requested, is due
  • February 20: Feedback form closes
  • February 20-March 5: Candidate interviews take place (virtually)
  • March 6-7: Fraternity Nominating Committee meets
  • March 8-9: Foundation Nominating Committee meets
  • March 11: The Slate of Candidates for each organization will be announced by this date
  • March 12: Nomination by Petition Forms, for National Council positions, are available from the Fraternity Executive Director and for Trustee positions from the Foundation Executive Director by this date (only candidates who participated in the nomination process may petition)
  • March 26: Nomination by Petition Forms due for Trustee positions
  • March 30: Foundation Executive Director announces petition candidates, if any
  • April 16: Nomination by Petition Forms due for National Council positions
  • April 30: Fraternity Executive Director announces petition candidates, if any
  • July 1-5: Board of Trustee and National Council elections held at the 2026 National Convention

Learn More

To learn more about the scope and responsibilities of these elected positions, please visit this Foundation website page and this Fraternity website page.

The Fraternity is hosting a webinar for interested candidates to learn more about the role of National Council, the work they do, the Fraternity’s governance model and the nominations process itself on Tuesday, January 20 at 8:00 p.m. ET. Please register here. 

Thank you in advance for your interest in serving Phi Mu. If you have any questions, you can reach us at nominations@phimu.org.

Yours in Our Bond, 

Pamela Gaines (Southern Methodist)

Foundation Nominating Committee Chairwoman 

Karey Neville (Western Kentucky)

Fraternity Nominating Committee Chairwoman

 

 

Foundation Nominating Committee

Pamela Gaines (Southern Methodist)

Erin Cole (American)

Karey Neville (Western Kentucky)

Ashley Olive (Alabama)

Emily Thornton (Mercer)

 

Fraternity Nominating Committee

Karey Neville (Western Kentucky)

Pamela Gaines (Southern Methodist)

Andie Kash (Georgetown College)

Jill Mahar (Southern Arkansas)

Ashley Stafford (Ole Miss)

Joan Wallem – A Lifetime Phi Mu

Leinin on December 18, 2025

Joan Wallem - A Lifetime Phi Mu

By Joan’s Husband Paul

I drove Joan to Rush at the University of Illinois. We had just graduated together from high school and had been going together for a year.

It was 1952. She was to be my future wife, but that week she was excited to join Phi Mu’s Delta Beta chapter. I had decided to go to the U of I also, so we could be together. We had four great years on campus, and I spent a lot of time at her chapter house. We married right after graduation.

Joan has been gone two years now. We were together for 73 years. I believe she would want new pledges and actives to know how much Phi Mu meant throughout her lifetime.

She was firm in her belief that graduating Phi Mu’s should become involved in alumni chapters and help to counsel incoming chapter members. Through the years she felt the highlights of her life was watching young women set their goals high after she had encouraged them.

She felt strongly about what she could do as a Phi Mu Alumni. Our first two years of marriage were spent in Hawaii during my Army service. She joined the Honolulu Alumni Chapter and helped with fund-raising.

Next came my corporate transfer to Watertown, Wisconsin. She drove monthly to be Involved with the Milwaukee Alumni chapter. Two years later was my transfer to Madison where Joan founded the first Alumni chapter and served as their first President.

Through the years she was always excited about the help these chapters gave to active collegiates on college campuses. Our next corporate move was to Peoria, Illinois where she founded a new Alumni chapter and served as President. Following that I was transferred to our Chicago headquarters and Joan became active in the large suburban Alumni chapter. Some major projects were involved.

After four years I resigned to buy a dealership and we moved to Rockford, Il for the rest of our married life. She joined the Rockford Alumni Phi Mu chapter and served twice as President. This was the sixth Alumni chapter where she had been a member…..Also she began her involvement at the national level.

Her roles as she progressed through state and national jobs were as follows:

1976 Phi Mu State Day Chairman
1982-84 National Council NPC Delegate
1984-86 National Council Extension Director
1986-88 Phi Mu Foundation Secretary
1988-92 Foundation 2d Vice President
1992-94 Philanthropic Activities Chairman
1994-96 Foundation Treasurer
1996-98 Foundation President
Joan then became part of the steering committee to create the new Phi Mu National Headquarters
2002 National Council recognized Joan as Outstanding Alumni for Phi Mu
2004 Joan became Chairman of 1852 Society

At the time of her death in 2023 Joan had been an active part of Phi Mu for 70 years. She had attended 22 national conventions. Phi Mu’s throughout the U.S. were her closest friends. She believed that Phi Mu had represented a huge positive impact on her life, along with the satisfaction of helping a lot of young women find their potential. She believed that her greatest contribution in life came from helping collegiate believe In themselves and set high goals.

She was the “Miracle” in my life during 73 years together. I will always be proud of what she accomplished, as are her three children.

A video on YouTube is titled “Joan Wallem, A Lifetime Phi Mu”. It can be seen by entering “Joan Wallem Phi Mu Tribute”.

– Paul Wallem

18 Hours & 52 Minutes of Giving: March 4, 2025

Leinin on February 4, 2025

Phi Mu’s 173rd Founders Day is right around the corner, and we’ll be celebrating this milestone anniversary with our annual 18 Hours & 52 Minutes of Giving! Founders Day is the perfect day to give back to Phi Mu with a gift to invest in the lifetime development of women.  

 

Here are a few ways you can get involved in supporting 18 Hours & 52 Minutes of Giving on March 4: 

  • Volunteer with our Social Media Advocate team and help spread the word about 18 Hours & 52 Minutes of Giving. 
  • Join the Day of Giving Leadership Circle with a gift of at least $500 to help us inch closer to our goal of raising $110,000 in 18 Hours & 52 Minutes!  
  • Become a Challenge Champion by establishing a special challenge to be featured on the day of giving. Challenges can be secured with a gift of $1,852 and can be split by up to 4 people. Deadline for challenges is Friday, February 28. 
  • Make a Gift to the day of giving! You don’t have to wait until March 4 to make a general gift to 18 Hours & 52 Minutes. The website will be open on February 25. We’ll update this article with the link on that day. 

 

If you have any questions or would like more information on how you can be a part of 18 Hours & 52 Minutes of Giving, please contact Director of Development Angel Sorochak. 

 

Contributions to 18 Hours & 52 Minutes of Giving benefit the Annual Fund, which ensures the Foundation can maintain healthy operations, while also empowering the Board of Trustees to grant funds for academic scholarships, leadership and educational programs, emergency member assistance and the preservation of our Fraternity’s history. Contributions to Phi Mu Foundation are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.  

Click here to read our Privacy Policy and Donation Disclosures 

 

Follow us @PhiMuFoundation on Facebook, Instagram and X for more updates leading up to the big day! 

CMN Hospitals Internship Stipend Application Open – 2025

Leinin on January 6, 2025

Phi Mu Foundation is excited to offer the “Happy” Parker Lowden Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Internship Stipend to a Phi Mu collegian. The Foundation provides a stipend for 150 hours of service in connection with a CMN Hospitals Development Office, CMN Hospital, or CMN Hospitals National Headquarters.  Service may take place during the school year, in the summer, or in an interim session between semesters.

How will the Children’s Miracle Network Internship Stipend benefit me?

The internship stipend promotes career networking skills, provides work experience, and encourages local Phi Mu involvement with CMN Hospitals, Phi Mu’s National Philanthropy.  The intern may be pursuing a major in any subject, such as journalism, medicine, public relations, business, etc.

What are the criteria for the award?

  1. Applicant must be an initiated Phi Mu in good standing.
  2. Applicant must submit a resume that includes Phi Mu experience, work experience, and academic activities.
  3. Applicant will coordinate with CMN Hospitals personnel to develop a plan for service, which will include goals and objectives, applicant’s career plans, and specific tasks to reach the established goals. She will also demonstrate work to promote/organize a campus/community fundraising event.
  4. She will submit a statement of how this internship will promote her career goals and what she hopes to gain from the experience.

How do I apply?

  • Click here to download and complete the application. Attach the completed form with supporting documentation to ktofanelli@phimu.org. 
  • Include the following items:
    • Resume (include Phi Mu experience, work experience and academic activities).
    • A statement of how this internship will assist with future career plans.
    • An endorsement letter from the CMN Hospitals personnel who will serve as your supervisor.
    • A plan for service, which should be developed with CMN Hospitals personnel, and includes goals and objectives as well as specific tasks to reach the established goals.
    • Progress of work on organizing a campus/community fundraising event.

All items must be emailed to:

     Kristin Tofanelli

     Attn: CMN Hospitals Internship Stipend

     ktofanelli@phimufoundation.org

Applications are due March 15.