The second annual Panhellenic Academy kicks off in just a
week, and one of the first exciting experiences awaiting attendees is "The
Talks." Six men and women from a wide range of personal experiences will
come to Indianapolis to demonstrate the power of a story. Each presenter has a
personal story that shaped their lives and taught them a lesson, and their
lessons can apply to all types of leaders. Read about our speakers and learn a
little about their background before meeting them in person next week.
Krystal Clark
"The Best I Can With What I Have"
Krystal lives in Nashville, Tn. She’s from Portsmouth, Va.
and made her way to Tennessee after time in Maryland and North Carolina. After
spending eight years working with fraternities and sororities, she now gets to
live her dream of being a leadership educator. She started her blog, Peculiar Pearl in 2008 and at the same time began using Facebook as a motivational and
inspirational tool. She speaks. She facilitates. She writes. She creates. She believes wholeheartedly in side hustles.
When she is not working, she serves as an active member of the Nashville
community. Her biggest role is in Junior League of Nashville of which she will
serve as president in 2017.
Krystal says "Lose Yourself" by Eminem is her
fight song, red is her power color and the one adjective she would use to
describe herself is ambitious. "I have big dreams and they mean nothing if
I'm not determined to get them accomplished." Some of her beliefs include:
living and leading from your strengths, being a little bit better than she was
yesterday, Brene Brown, Oprah, desk dancing, fresh notebooks, biscuits, leopard
print as a neutral, belly laughs, reading, not going out on Friday nights, her
family, unicorns, live music, the power of women, blackgirlmagic, it’s not the
hand you’re dealt but how you play your cards, sitting in the front row at your
life and - unless you show her otherwise - she also believes in you.
Joshua Driver
"Doing Things the Hard Way - and Worth Every Minute"
Josh has served on several local non-profit boards and as a
lead advisor for national campaigns focused on equality. A lifelong Hoosier,
Josh attended Purdue University to pursue a career in medicine. After a chance
encounter to help a local healthcare non-profit seek a better return on
fundraising efforts, Josh developed several technologies that focus on
achieving success without the need to spend extra resources. He continues to be
very active in the non-profit industry, raising over $42,000 for the Leukemia
and Lymphoma Society in just 10 weeks, and $30,000 for SCORE.org – a national
non-profit that provides free consulting for startup businesses.
Josh resides in Indianapolis with his partner Jeff and their
two rescued English Bulldogs – Maggie and Mr. Humphries. Josh draws his
inspiration from people who do things for others without incentive. He thinks
our world would be so much better off if we made selflessness a priority. He is
the founder of Open for Service, and also works as a technology and small
business startup consultant.
Karen Katz
"March Madness"
Karen Katz is the chief executive officer of Phi Delta
Epsilon International Medical Fraternity and an initiate of Chi Omega from the
University of Evansville. She volunteers for Chi Omega on the national
recruitment team and serves as a recruitment advisor the chapter at the
University of Miami. Karen lives in Chi Omega alumnae chapter president in
Miami, Fla. She served as the fraternity/sorority advisor at Florida
International University (FIU) for four years where she started volunteering
for numerous national fraternities. She advises the Sigma Phi Epsilon chapter
at FIU. Currently, Karen lives in Hollywood, Fla. with her husband and loves to
travel.
Karen's favorite quote is “We are the music makers and we
are the dreamers of dreams" from Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. She feels
it characterizes her philosophy on life because she believes we can create our
own journey. Karen's favorite thing about her career is that she is constantly
inspired and challenged by her students. She feels proud of their
accomplishments, learning moments and capabilities. Outside of being with her
family, when she leaves chapter meetings, recruitment workshops or five days of
non-stop formal recruitment, she feels blissful.
Darren Pierre
"Joy in a New Beginning"
Darren Pierre, Ph.D., serves as the Assistant Director of
Student Involvement at the University of Chicago, and a part-time faculty
member at Loyola University Chicago. Darren recently published a book entitled
The Invitation to Love: Recognizing the Gift Despite Pain, Fear and Resistance.
His book chronicles one man's spiritual journey in practicing forgiveness and
recognizing love despite various barriers. Darren's research largely centers on
understanding the transformative power that derives from people having the
courage to live out their truth. He has spoken across the United States on the
ideals of integrity, authenticity, and living a life of purpose.
Darren says he is inspired by people who move beyond fear to
make great things possible for themselves and others. His favorite quote is
"The ache for home lives in all of us the safe space where we can come as
we are and not be questioned," spoken by Dr. Maya Angelou. He loves this
quote because he feels it is what we are all looking for, and that it is what
men and women who join our chapters are looking for - the space where they can
come as they are and not be questioned.
Stephannie Bailey
"Under the Influence"
People are Stephannie’s passion. She built her career around
strengthening and leading high performance teams while fostering a
collaborative culture of innovation and continuous development. She has worked
in wide range of sectors from automotive to healthcare to membership
association management, and she has an extensive background in training and
development, which stretches across these sectors. For the past 10 years,
Stephannie has been focused in non-profit management, strategically building
organizations from the ground up while also re-energizing historic
organizations. This past year she worked for a boutique, corporate consulting
firm focused on driving success for Fortune 500 sales teams. In January she
returned to the fraternal world as she assumed the position of Senior Director
of Philanthropy at Delta Upsilon Educational Foundation.
Stephannie has served on the Association of
Fraternity/Sorority Advisors Board of Directors, co-chaired the Professional
Development committee for the Fraternity Executives Association and has
received the Delta Upsilon Interfraternalism Award for her work on the
President’s Task Force. Stephannie and her husband, Cliff live in Fishers, Ind.
and know their most important work is raising their daughter, Emma.
Josh Orendi
"No Passion? No Problem. Just Get Pissed Off!"
Since joining Alpha Sigma Phi at Bethany College in 1996,
Josh Orendi has been focused on one goal: helping fraternities and sororities
grow with a higher quantity of higher quality members. Josh is the co-founder
of Phired Up Productions and TechniPhi (the technology company that runs
CampusDirector, ChapterBuilder and MyVote). He is the owner of Innova Greek
Marketing company, the author of Good Guys, a best-selling book on fraternity
recruitment and the industry expert on fraternity recruitment and expansion.
Josh lives in Carmel, Ind. with his wife Denise, daughters Autumn Grey and
Athena Mae, and their big drooling English Mastiff named Rogue.
Josh's favorite thing about his career is Innovation. When
people he cares about are dealing with a big problem, he says the wheels in his
head start to turn. He loves creating business solutions that help solve real
problems - especially when they help better the fraternity/sorority community.
