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.”
