Council Comment | September 2026

In September, Fraternity Council gathered in person at Executive Offices in Columbus, Ohio, and received a warm welcome on Friday afternoon when EO staff treated us to a cookout! We loved the opportunity to spend time with some of the people we partner with throughout the year, outside our usual meetings. 

We also spent time getting to know one another better as a team through a CliftonStrengths learning exercise. Exploring our individual strengths and how they complement each other gave us a shared language for how we work together and how each of us can contribute most effectively as a Council.  

Much of our discussion around the board table centered on our strategic framework of belonging, agility and growth, which we call the BAG. These three priorities guide where Council focuses its attention and resources and how we evaluate the ideas and proposals brought to us. Each area of the Fraternity is now setting goals and initiatives to support them. Together, we’re working toward a shared vision: a Delta Gamma where belonging is universal, change is embraced and our bonds grow stronger every day. To keep that vision front and center, we’ll be adjusting our meeting agendas to make room for generative discussion: time to explore big-picture questions, emerging opportunities and new ideas, beyond the decisions in front of us.  

Here’s a peek behind the curtain at what that work looks like.  

Belonging: Building a Sisterhood Where Everyone Feels Connected, Included & Celebrated
Our goals here are to strengthen members’ sense of belonging, expand the ways they can connect across geography, life stage and membership experience, and deepen their lifelong connection to Delta Gamma. A new collegiate pulse check survey will give chapter leaders a baseline for belonging, along with member feedback they can act on. We’re also strengthening connections between collegians and alumnae and creating more ways to celebrate members through recognition and storytelling. We want every member to feel engaged and recognized through each stage of her membership, especially the transitions from collegiate life to alumnae involvement and volunteer service.  

Agility: Cultivating a Stronger, More Adaptable Delta Gamma
Agility starts with making it easier to be a member, a chapter leader and a volunteer. Our goals are to simplify systems and processes, keep our structures responsive to member needs and align resources with the areas of greatest impact. To that end, Council endorsed a Mega Chapter pilot to explore structures more responsive to the needs of our largest collegiate chapters. A revamped DG Dialogues and a new alumnae programming resource will give chapters and alumnae groups more flexibility to choose programming that fits their members. Work on our databases and dashboards will bring information together, so staff and volunteers can see chapter health more clearly and direct support where it’s needed most.  

Growth: Expanding and Retaining Membership
Growth is about welcoming more women into our sisterhood and keeping members engaged with Delta Gamma for years to come. At our meeting, Executive Offices staff presented on membership trends, including recruitment and resignation data, which help us set and measure our growth goals. Those goals include increasing the number of members pledged through Continuous Open Bidding (COB), expanding Delta Gamma to new campuses, increasing alumnae initiation and improving collegiate retention by identifying where members disengage and how we can better support them. In the next Fraternity Director appointment cycle, we’ll introduce a new alumnae director role, Director: Alumnae Strategy, to focus on growing our alumnae initiate program.  

The Director: Alumnae Engagement will move under Fraternity Programming (continuing a dotted line to the Alumnae Team) to best align with the programming goals of the entire Fraternity.   

For collegiate chapters, we’re expanding the growth system pilot to help more chapters reach Total. We’re also reviewing scholarship programming resources as a first step toward strengthening how chapters support members’ academic success.  

The next in-person Council meeting will be in the new year, when we’ll gather with the Foundation Board of Trustees for a joint meeting. 

As you look ahead to 2027, we’d love to be a part of your Founders Day celebrations. Click here to request a Delta Gamma speaker for your event.  

If you have questions or would like to connect, reach out to us at FraternityCouncil@deltagamma.org. 

In the bonds, 

Joanna, Kristina, Melissa, Leslie, Natalie, Samantha and Shenea 

Fraternity President | Joanna Rosenow Shook, Alpha Upsilon-Southern Methodist 

Council Trustee: Collegians | Kristina Magovac, Delta Eta-Cal State, Sacramento 

Council Trustee: Alumnae | Dr. Melissa Thompson, Gamma Zeta-Louisiana State 

Council Trustee: Fraternity Programming | Leslie Jean Pedigo, Gamma Nu-North Texas 

Council Trustee: Membership | Natalie Cooper Grindle, Gamma Sigma-Houston 

Council Trustee: Communications | Samantha McQuaig Siffring, Epsilon Nu-James Madison 

Fraternity Treasurer | Shenea Stephenson Strader, Eta Iota-Nevada, Reno