Feature Friday Staff Profile: Abby Margulis, Marketing and Communications Intern

The National Panhellenic Conference has five full-time staff members and interns who work daily to advance the sorority experience. Here we will introduce each staff member and let them tell you who they are and what they do in the office.  

Abby Margulis is the marketing and communications intern. She manages the advocacy efforts of TheSororityLife.com initiative, including writing newsletters, updating the website and posting to social media.  

About Abby: Abby is from St. Louis and a senior at DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind. She is the oldest of four siblings – two brothers, Will, 19, and Matthew, 16, and one sister, Ellie, 14. She also has a dog, a miniature dachshund, Elsie. 

She is majoring in English writing and minoring in media communications. After graduation she wants to work in the field of journalism/communication or in fraternity and sorority life. On campus she is the DePauw University Panhellenic Association director of communications and the Delta Gamma chapter director of electronic communications. She is also involved with the campus newspaper, The DePauw, writing for sports and taking pictures this fall after serving as editor-in-chief last semester.  

Fun Fact: I am a shoe fanatic, especially boots.

Q & A: 

1. What do you most enjoy about working at NPC? I never feel like my job is work. Each day I get excited to drive into the office to work with the amazing staff, learn new skills and be creative.
    
2.  What is one of your favorite quotes? “Mountains know the secrets we need to learn. That it might take time, it might be hard, but if you just hold on long enough, you will find the strength to rise up.” – Tyler Knott Gregson
   
   
3. When you have 30 minutes of free time, how do you choose to spend it? If I have 30 minutes to myself I will be found running outside. At DePauw one of my favorite places on campus is our nature park with all of its woodland trails. I am always running a new route, and it’s especially beautiful during the fall. If the weather is not ideal, I’ll normally find myself being productive and getting ahead in my work.
    
4. What have you gained most from being in a sorority? Being a part of Delta Gamma has not only given me amazing friends that I know I will keep for a lifetime, but it has also pushed me to extend my leadership skills outside my comfort zone and try new things. If it was not for two of my sisters, specifically, I would not be the DePauw University Panhellenic Association director of communications nor would I have learned about the NPC marketing and communications internship. By holding these two positions, in addition to one within my chapter, it has not only broadened my journalism and communication skills, but it has given me a greater understanding and love for sorority life. By becoming part of the fraternal community many doors have opened for me that I never knew were there.
    
5. What is something you do every day? I am extremely organized and always create a “to-do list” with exactly what I need to get completed that day. It can include anything from my workout, to meetings, to homework that I need to do. I love the feeling of being able to cross something off after I’ve completed it.

Feature Friday Staff Profile: Alexa Arndt, Educational Support Intern

The National Panhellenic Conference has five full-time staff members and interns who work daily to advance the sorority experience. Here we will introduce each staff member and let them tell you who they are and what they do in the office.  

Alexa Arndt is the fall 2014 educational support intern. She assists Jenny Greyerbiehl, training and curriculum design coordinator, with the creation of learning objectives and assessment tests for NPC educational programs. She also helps develop and design various presentations and comes up with new ways to deliver past presentations.  

About Alexa: Alexa is from Canfield, Ohio, and graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in both international studies and public affairs with leadership studies and political science minors. She currently attends graduate school at Indiana University, working on obtaining her master’s in higher education and student affairs. Originally she chose her undergraduate degree with hopes that she was going to join the Foreign Service and travel the world like Carrie Mathison from the television show “Homeland.” Now she looks forward to working in the fraternity and sorority life field.  

Fun Fact: A movie preview can bring me to tears.  

Q & A:

1. What do you most enjoy about working at NPC? I love working on initiatives that I know will influence the entire Panhellenic community!
2. What is one of your favorite quotes? “Live, travel, adventure, bless and don’t be sorry.” – Jack Kerouac
3. What are you most passionate about? Adventure.
4. What is your favorite book? “The Great Gatsby.”
5. What are your top five favorite things to do outside of work? Go to the movies, go on adventures, play board games with my family, craft and spend time with people I love.

Feature Friday Staff Profile: Marci Kolb, Business Operations Coordinator

The National Panhellenic Conference has five full-time staff members and interns who work daily to advance the sorority experience. Here we will introduce each staff member and let them tell you who they are and what they do in the office. 

Marci Kolb is the Business Operations Coordinator. She oversees the database and website maintenance, executes the sponsor and exhibitor programs and handles daily office operations. 

About Marci: Marci grew up in Peoria, Illinois before attending college in Indianapolis and beginning her career at NPC. A 2014 graduate of Butler University, she majored in strategic communications with a minor in sociology. She has always been interested in nonprofit work and chose this degree to gain valuable skills for that career path. As a freshman, she went through recruitment and joined Pi Beta Phi. She spent time throughout college interning with Team in Training through the Indiana Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Fun fact: My real name is Mercedes, after the car, because it has always been my dad's favorite. 

Q & A:
1. What do you most enjoy about working at NPC? NPC is made up of a small staff, so I know all my coworkers and we are a tight-knit group. I know that I can ask anyone a question and they are always willing to help me.

2. What is one of your favorite quotes? "Never regret. If it's good, it's wonderful. If it's bad, it's experience." - Victoria Holt

3. What is a personal goal that you are working toward achieving? I am currently training for my first half marathon. I have never really been a runner, but I decided it was time to challenge myself. I will be running the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon with Team in Training in November. The cool part about running with Team in Training is that I also raise money to help find a cure for cancer. Not only am I running 13.1 miles, but I am also raising $1,000 for cancer research.

4. Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate. 

5. Where is a favorite place you have been and why? While I always love family vacations at the lake, last year I went to England for the first time and fell in love. I spent two weeks traveling around the country, visiting Stratford-upon-Avon and Bath in addition to staying a few nights in London. I traveled with a class at Butler, which included five of my sorority sisters. While I was there I met Daniel Radcliffe and got his autograph. I am so ready to go back and explore more!

Feature Friday Staff Profile: Caitlin Moulton, Panhellenic Support Coordinator

The National Panhellenic Conference has five full-time staff members and interns who work daily to advance the sorority experience. Here we will introduce each staff member and let them tell you who they are and what they do in the office. 

Caitlin Moulton is the Panhellenic support coordinator. She provides direct support to Alumnae and College Panhellenics through communications and resources, and indirect support by making sure NPC volunteers have the materials they need to guide the Panhellenics they advise. Caitlin also coordinates NPC’s "Something of Value" program and consulting team visits, among other duties.

About Caitlin: Caitlin, the daughter of a military man, grew up moving around the U.S. She has lived in eight states: Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Virginia and Wyoming. She was born in Alabama and returned to attend Auburn University. During high school she lived in Illinois, where her family still resides, and she considers Alabama and the Midwest to be where her roots lie. Her older brother, Aaron, is currently working on his doctorate at the University of Arkansas, focusing on political exiles in Latin America. 

At Auburn Caitlin studied Spanish-international trade because she enjoyed Spanish throughout high school and wanted to learn more about business and economics. She joined Zeta Tau Alpha her freshman year and served as a leadership consultant for the organization for a year and a half after college. Today she volunteers for Zeta Tau Alpha, because her passion for sorority life extends beyond her job. 

Fun fact: I have the same birthday as my mom, which I think is an easy explanation as to why we are so much alike and why she is definitely my best friend. She is an Alpha Xi Delta and also attended Auburn. 

Q&A: 

1. What do you most enjoy about working at NPC? I love working in an environment for women, about women and by women. Being an advocate for sorority life is important to me because it has shaped me as a person and as a woman. I believe in what I'm doing each day. I love my co-workers, too! We are a great team and understand each other and work together well. 

2. If you could go back in time, what year/event would you travel back to and why?
I would be fascinated to live in the early 20th century and be part of the women's suffrage movement. I'm inspired to know that sorority women had a major role in those changes. 

3. Who do you admire as a leader? I am saddened to say that one of the leaders I admire most passed away recently. Deb Ensor, former executive director of Zeta Tau Alpha, was one of the most driven and amazing women I've ever met. She truly helped shape our Fraternity into the organization it is now. She was known for inspiring others with her words of wisdom, such as "Never underestimate the power of being a woman, never underestimate the power of being a Zeta and never be surprised when greatness is expected of you." 

4. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? I don't know if I had any specific career aspirations, but I’m told I informed my parents that I would own a purple convertible and drive around fast with the top down.

5. How would your friends or family describe you? Positive. I try to maintain the best outlook I can because I believe strongly that the world is what you make of it. I keep a smile going as much as possible, and I do my best to see the best in people and situations.

Feature Friday Staff Profile: Emily Kile, Office Administrator

The National Panhellenic Conference has five full-time staff members and interns who work daily to advance the sorority experience. Here we will introduce each staff member and let them tell you who they are and what they do in the office. 

Today is Emily Kile’s last day working for NPC before she heads to law school at the Indiana Maurer School of Law in Bloomington this fall. Emily started as the marketing and communications intern at NPC in the fall of her junior year at Butler University. As marketing and communications intern, she worked extensively with marketing and managing TheSororityLife.com initiative and with various other NPC communications projects. In May she graduated and began work as the office administrator for the summer. Emily is also the Fraternal Government Relations Coalition intern. As the FGRC intern, Emily has been working on developing a social-media strategy for the FGRC and has prepared various toolkit items for fraternities and sororities to use to promote the work of the coalition.

About Emily: I am from Greenfield, Indiana, but I consider Indianapolis my home. I am the oldest of four siblings. My younger brother Erik will be a junior at Wabash College this fall, my younger sister, Erin, is a senior in high school and my youngest brother, Ethan, is a freshman in high school. I also have two dogs—a golden retriever named Emma and a mixed breed named Ellie—and a cat named Wilson.

At Butler University I majored in English literature and minored in strategic communications. I was a student worker in the Office of Admission for four years and loved it. Among other responsibilities, I gave tours to prospective students. I joined Kappa Kappa Gamma as a freshman and served on various committees throughout my four years as an active member. I also served as vice president of standards for a one-year term.

I’ll be in law school for the next three years. I’m not entirely sure what area of law I want to practice, but I’m looking forward to starting that next adventure and figuring it all out. I am hoping to move back to Indianapolis when I graduate and practice law somewhere in the city.

Fun facts: I had braces for seven years, and I have never broken a bone.

Q&A:

1. What do you most enjoy about working at NPC?
The people who work here are so inspiring. We all work here because we love what we do and we believe in the sorority experience. It is so powerful to be surrounded by people who share your values and who understand where you’re coming from. Even though we all have different sorority affiliations, our experiences and attitudes are pretty similar. I learn something new every day.

2. Describe what your perfect day would be like?
My perfect day would start with a homemade breakfast on my porch while reading the news or catching up on whatever book I’m reading. I love to cook for my family and friends, so the day would feature a huge barbecue at my parents’ house, including hanging out by their pool and ending with cooking s’mores in their outdoor fire pit. I also love driving my convertible, so my perfect day would have to include a drive somewhere with the top down in weather that isn’t too hot or too cold.

3. What is one of your favorite quotes?
“There are nine innings in a baseball game.”

It sounds silly and obvious, but this one comes from my dad. He’s a huge baseball fan, and his mantra is that no matter what the score is in the 6th or 7th or 8th inning, it doesn’t matter because nothing is over until it is really over. It’s my motivation to keep trying when things get difficult. Until the 9th inning is completed, you never know what can happen.

4. What is your favorite restaurant in Indianapolis and favorite dish to get there?
Napolese Pizzeria! I love the whole Patachou family line of restaurants, but Napolese is my current favorite. I usually try a different pizza every time I go, but Elliot’s Pie is one of my favorites.

5. Favorite place to vacation? 
My family loves Disney World! We go there pretty often. My family also loves baseball, so I have been to almost every Major League Baseball stadium in North America.

6. What have you most gained from being in a sorority?
I feel like I am part of something much bigger than myself. I come from a very Panhellenic family and knew about sorority life growing up, but it wasn’t until I joined one myself that I really started to understand what sorority membership is all about. Working at NPC has helped me with that, too. Now, when I get together with my family and everybody starts talking about their fraternity and sorority memberships, I feel like I’m a part of that, even though we don’t all share the same affiliation. 

Sorority life has made me a better person. I have been held to a higher standard because I belong to something bigger than myself. My sorority membership has made me more aware of my potential and of my actions and their impact.

Feature Friday Staff Profile: Jenny Greyerbiehl, Training and Curriculum Design Coordinator

The National Panhellenic Conference has five full-time staff members and two interns who work daily to advance the sorority experience. Here we will introduce each staff member and let them tell you who they are and what they do in the office.

Jenny Greyerbiehl, training and curriculum design coordinator, assists in the creation and revision of educational programs and resources for collegiate and alumnae members. Get to know who Jenny is inside and outside of the office.

  
Here's the serious stuff:

I have a bachelor’s degree in organizational communication from Alma College in Michigan and a master’s in college student affairs administration from the University of Georgia. I have served as a presenter and/or small-group facilitator for programs including NPC’s “Something of Value,” the North-American Interfraternity Conference’s IMPACT and UIFI, sessions of LeaderShape, Campuspeak's Recruitment Boot Camp, the Association of Fraternal Leadership & Values Central Conference, the South Texas Panhellenic Conference and Beta Theta Pi’s North Central Keystone Regional Leadership Conference. In addition, I have volunteered in many roles with my member organization, Alpha Xi Delta, and currently serve as the national academic director.

Here's the "fun" stuff:

• I live in Indianapolis with my Shih Tzu, Fibi.
• I have an identical, mirror, twin named Jessica.
• My favorite places to vacation are Saint Joseph, Michigan in the summer and Abacos, Bahamas, in the winter.
• I love the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Lions, but my favorite sports team is the Georgia Bulldogs (particularly in football). Go Dawgs!

What do you love most about your job?
There are so many things. I love developing programming in the hope that it will positively affect those who participate. I love my co-workers, especially my supervisor, Nicki: she is supportive and encouraging and inspires me every day.

What is one of your favorite quotes?
"You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them." — -Maya Angelou

If you had to work on only one project for the next year, what would it be?
Finding a way to survive by being a beach bum!

When you have 30 minutes of free time, how do you choose to spend it?
Reading a good book.

If you could go back in time, what year/event would you travel back to and why?
I would go back to my last overseas vacation, which was to Africa on a safari. It was hands down the best vacation I've ever been on. (Just for fun, I've attached two of my favorite pictures!)

You can see what the @NPCWomen staff is up to by following #npcstaffadventures on Instagram and Twitter.

Staff Profile: Kyle Fowler, Educational Support Intern Summer 2014

The National Panhellenic Conference has five full-time staff members and two interns who work daily to advance the sorority experience. Here we will introduce each staff member and let them tell you who they are and what they do in the office. 

Kyle Fowler, educational support intern, has just completed his six weeks with NPC, so learn about him and what he’s been doing. 

What you do at NPC:
I assist Jenny Greyerbiehl, training and curriculum design coordinator. I create learning objectives and assessment tests for online webinars, develop and design presentations for various presentations NPC delivers at conferences, and come up with new ways to deliver past presentations.

About Kyle: 
I recently turned 23. I was born in San Diego, but consider Plymouth, Ohio, my hometown as I lived there from the third grade on. I graduated in May of 2013 from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, with a degree in public relations and minors in marketing and psychology. I am a member of Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity. During my senior year and after graduation, I worked as an event planner for the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation.

In the fall, I'll be attending Kent State University, Ohio, to pursue a master’s in higher education and student personnel. I’ll also be working at the University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio, as a dual fraternity and sorority life and residence life graduate assistant. 

Fun fact:
I have a tattoo. It's on my shoulder, and it's the word "peace" in eight different languages that create a peace sign.

What do you most enjoy about working at NPC?
I learn several items every day I'm here, and working here never really feels like "work."

Describe what your perfect day would be like? 
My perfect day would be going downtown to the park to explore and hang out with my friends or going to the zoo. Love the zoo.

What do you expect out of the next two years?
For the next two years, I'll be in graduate school, so I expect to learn a lot about not only the profession but myself as well. I also expect to have my ways of doing things or thinking to be challenged and to grow from those experiences. In addition, I'm hoping by the end of the two years I'll have had several internships/experiences in the fraternity and sorority life world to help me learn more about some of the major issues and hopefully be working at a college or university as a fraternity/sorority advisor!

If you could pick one adjective to put on a resume to describe yourself what would it be?
Dedicated.

What are you most passionate about?
I'm passionate about having a positive impact on the fraternal movement. I'm passionate about educating and developing students in skills they can't learn in the classroom. I'm passionate about keeping fraternities and sororities around for a very long time. I'm passionate about Harry Potter and Halloween.

You can see what the @NPCWomen staff is up to by following #npcstaffadventures on Instagram and Twitter.