Meet the #Academy15 Team – “The Talks”

It’s almost time for the inaugural College Panhellenic Academy. In one week, Panhellenic officers from the U.S. and Canada will travel to Indianapolis to grow in panhellenic spirit and skill. On the first night, #Academy15 will open with “The Talks” – words of empowerment and inspiration for fraternity and sorority members from eight experienced guest speakers. Much like the style of TED Talks, our idea behind “The Talks” is to highlight how our experiences and stories can teach a lesson to future leaders. Meet the minds behind “The Talks” and get ready to hear special messages of encouragement to start the flow of creativity.

Ginny Carroll

Ginny Carroll is passionate about building capacity and empowering women. Not only does she have her own consulting business that focuses on helping non-profit organizations build capacity, but she also founded a charitable organization – Circle of Sisterhood Foundation — that works to provide opportunity through education to girls and women around the world. Ginny is a strong proponent of the fraternity and sorority experience, evidenced by several national awards presented to her for fostering positive change to advance the fraternal movement.




Jessica Gendron Williams

Jessica Gendron Williams is the CEO of Phired Up. She's funny (just ask her). She's also smart, bold and passionate about fraternities and sororities. Jessica attended Eastern Illinois University and then Indiana University. She is pushing the fraternity/sorority movement to change more lives ... and change the world. 







Jamie Manuel  

Jamie Manuel is a graduate of Ball State University and a member of Phi Gamma Delta. After graduating with his MBA from the University of Oxford, he founded ::ourscript, a company that leverages the power of groups and prescription exercise to increase sustained participation in fitness programs.







Chris Smithhisler

Chris Smithhisler graduated from Hiram College with a bachelor’s degree and from Western Illinois University with a master’s degree. She is currently the director of character education for Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority. She lives in Zionsville, Ind., with her husband, Pete, and twin daughters Olivia and Hadley.




Mat Forrest

Mat Forest began his career in governmental affairs in the West Palm Beach, Fla., Mayor’s Office, serving in three different administrations. For almost a decade, Mat submersed in local government operations, marketing and media campaigns, public speaking, project management and the production of festivals and events. He joined the state lobbying firm of Ballard Partners in 2007 and works with clients in a variety of fields including local governments, gaming, arts and culture, tourism and transportation. 




Tina McIntosh

Tina McIntosh, current president and CEO, founded Joy’s House, an adult day service, in 1999 at the age of 27. Today, Joy’s House serves families of greater Indianapolis and is a vital, thriving not-for-profit organization serving thousands of families. Tina has been honored with numerous awards, her most prized being Graduate of the Last Decade from Ball State University, Starkey Entrepreneurial Woman of the Year, Circle of Merit from Ball State University’s College of Science and Humanities and being named as one of Indianapolis Business Journal’s 40 Under Forty.




Steve Latour

Steve Latour is the chief executive officer of Sigma Tau Gamma Fraternity which is headquartered just outside Kansas City, Mo., in Warrensburg. He previously worked as the vice president for Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity and as the senior director of development for the Alpha Sigma Phi Foundation. In his role with Sigma Tau Gamma, Steve has made it his personal mission to visit each of the fraternity's 68 chapters. He's already halfway there!





Erin Fischer

Erin Fischer is the owner and CEO of the Leadership and Training Studio. She has spoken in 45 states, recruited in Hungary, volunteered in Hawaii, taught in Brazil and has been on stages with thousands of people in the audience, all with the focus of developing people while building teams and organizations. Erin’s forum is the stage, but her focus is super-cognitive skills. She wants to support the growth of people by giving them time to think, reflect and gain new knowledge.

Feature Friday Staff Profile: Gina Griffin, Office Assistant

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.

Gina Griffin is the NPC office assistant. She spends her days multitasking as the receptionist as well as updating the website and working with document administration and reports. Of course, she is also privy to several tasks falling under “other duties as assigned.”

About Gina: Gina is from Indianapolis. She has been happily married for 20 years and has three daughters ages 14, 12 and 8. Her family has two dogs and three cats. She attended Ball State University where she received her bachelor’s in telecommunication video production, a field she found fascinating.

Fun Fact: I love hot peppers and spicy food! I grow different types of hot peppers every year and love cooking with them.

Q & A:

1. What do you most enjoy about working at NPC? Definitely working with the nice ladies in our office.
   
2. If you could pick one adjective to describe yourself what would it be? Detail-oriented
   
3. What is one of your favorite quotes? “There are always two choices, two paths to take. One is easy. And its only reward is that it’s easy.” - Anonymous
   
4. When you have 30 minutes of free time, how do you choose to spend it? Reading or hanging out with my family.
   
5. What was the first concert you attended? Neil Diamond

Feature Friday Staff Profile: Nicki Meneley, Executive Director

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. 

Nicki Meneley is the executive director for the National Panhellenic Conference and the National Panhellenic Conference Foundation. She works closely with the NPC Board of Directors and Executive Committee to ensure the organization is working to achieve its mission in alignment with the strategic plan, and supports the Foundation trustees in their development efforts. 

About Nicki: Nicki spent her undergraduate years at Purdue University where she earned a bachelor of liberal arts, majoring in industrial organizational psychology and minoring in supervision and sociology. After traveling as a consultant for Alpha Chi Omega for two years, she returned to school at Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis for a certificate in event management while she continued working for Alpha Chi Omega headquarters. Nicki also received a master’s of public affairs with a concentration in nonprofit management from IUPUI while working for the Purdue Alumni Association. She became NPC’s first executive director in March 2010.

Q & A:

1. What do you most enjoy about working at NPC? It continues to be an exciting time here. There are great opportunities on the horizon for our member organizations and the Conference. I enjoy working with my co-workers and the numerous volunteers who are engaged with NPC.
    
2. Who do you admire as a leader? Anyone who lives their passion. Ginny Carroll comes to mind. She is passionate about changing women’s lives for the better and she used her time, talent and resources to create the Circle of Sisterhood Foundation, which has made an incredible impact on young girls and women by providing them access to education.
   
   
3. What is your favorite book? "Carry On, Warrior: Thoughts on Life"
   
4. What are your top five favorite things to do outside of work?
   a. Spend time with my twin boys and my husband
   b. Go camping
   c. Read
   d. Visit with my friends and family
   e. Travel
    
5. What are your favorite quotes?
   a. There is rarely a traffic jam on the extra mile.
   b. Life loves to be taken by the lapels and told “I’m with you kid.” – Maya Angelou
   c. If everything seems under control, you’re not going fast enough. – Mario Andretti

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.