Celebrating Women's History Month | Susan Nattrass, Beta Beta-Alberta

By Archivist/Historian Diane Hall, Eta Upsilon-Drexel

During Women's History Month, we celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of extraordinary women who have left a lasting impact on society. Among these barrier-breakers are the Notable Delta Gammas, who have advanced our mission of doing good and left lasting legacies in various fields, from business and politics to arts and philanthropy. This month serves as a reminder to honor their achievements, inspire future generations, and reflect on the collective power of women who continue to shape our world.

The first modern international Olympic Games were held in the summer of 1896. The original values of the games were expressed in the Olympic Charter: encouraging effort, preserving human dignity and developing harmony. Over time, these values evolved, and today, they include celebrating friendship, demonstrating respect and striving for excellence. These ideals can be seen in Susan Nattrass, Beta Beta Alberta.

To understand what Susan accomplished, you first must understand how hard women had to fight to be equally included in the Olympics. 1900 was the first year female athletes were allowed to participate (incidentally, it was also the first year Canadian athletes participated). The events female athletes were allowed to compete in were limited. It would not be until 2012 that women were permitted to compete in all Olympic sports.

Susan helped show the world that women deserved the same opportunities in the games as male athletes. Born in 1950, she was introduced to the sport of trap shooting by her father. While her father would take her shooting with him from the age of five, he did not teach her how to shoot until the age of 12. Trap shooting involves clay pigeons being launched at a high rate of speed, mimicking a bird’s path, and the shooter attempting to hit as many as possible. Typically, five pigeons will be launched during a round.

As her skill grew, she began competing internationally in 1969. Just a year later, she was initiated into Delta Gamma. As her international reputation in trap shooting increased, Susan also developed her mind. She made the Dean’s list her sophomore, junior and senior years, then earned an M.A. in physical education and went on to teach at multiple universities.

Then, in 1976, with the Olympics being held in Montreal, she became the first woman in history to compete in the Olympics in trap shooting. This would not be her last appearance at the Olympics. As of 2012, she was among only 122 athletes to compete at six or more Olympic Games. Besides being an Olympian, Susan is also a seven-time Women’s World Trapshooting Champion, four-time Silver Medalist at World Championships and two-time Silver and three-time Bronze medalist at Commonwealth Games.

In 1977, Susan was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, and in 1981, she was named Canada’s best athlete, male or female, amateur or professional, receiving the Lou Marsh Trophy (now called the Northern Star Award).

In 1987, she completed her Doctorate in Physical Education and Sport Sciences at the University of Alberta. In 1996, she joined the Pacific Medical Center, where she worked as a medical researcher in osteoporosis. In 2007, she became the director of research, and she remained there until 2013. Today, she owns and operates the Puget Sound Osteoporosis Center, where she continues her medical research.

Is there a Delta Gamma you think should be included on our Notable Delta Gamma’s list? Submit their name for consideration by filling out this form.

Celebrating Women's History Month | Cynt Smith Marshall, Gamma-UC Berkeley

By Archivist/Historian Diane Hall, Eta Upsilon-Drexel

During Women's History Month, we celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of extraordinary women who have left a lasting impact on society. Among these barrier-breakers are the Notable Delta Gammas, who have advanced our mission of doing good and left lasting legacies in various fields, from business and politics to arts and philanthropy. This month serves as a reminder to honor their achievements, inspire future generations, and reflect on the collective power of women who continue to shape our world.

Delta Gamma’s motto, do good, calls for Delta Gammas to improve the world. Embodying this ideal is Cynthia “Cynt” Smith Marshall, Gamma-UC Berkeley, who has helped organizations address issues of discrimination, harassment, diversity and inclusion.

In 2018, the Dallas Mavericks were facing very serious problems around misogyny and sexual harassment within the organization. These issues had been going on for decades, and the team’s owner, entrepreneur and Shark Tank host, Mark Cuban, knew they had to be addressed. So, he made a call to Cynt. The two had never met or spoken before, and Cynt had never even heard of him. However, Cynt had cultivated a reputation for making meaningful changes at large organizations, and Mark wanted to do just that with the Dallas Mavericks.

Born in Birmingham, Alabama, her family relocated to California when Cynt was an infant. After facing physical abuse by her father, her mother took Cynt and her siblings and left. Cynt mother put high value on education. According to Cynt, “My mother put a math book on one hand and the Bible in the other.” Her strong work ethic and academic aptitude lead to her receiving a full scholarship to the University of California, Berkely where she studied business administration and human resources management. She also became the university’s first Black cheerleader.

After college Cynt worked as a local supervisor for AT&T and began climbing up the corporate ladder. Despite her success, Cynt felt she had to suppress parts of herself at work. She avoided wearing bright colors in her work clothing, styling her hair in braids or talking too loudly. Even her preferred name, Cynt, was challenged by upper management and often not used by her colleagues.

After becoming president of AT&T North Carolina, Cynt decided she would no longer suppress her authentic self at work. In 2015, she was promoted to senior vice president of human resources and chief diversity officer. Thanks to the strategies she implemented to make AT&T an inclusive workplace, it was named one of Fortune’s 100 Best Places to Work for the first time.

In 2017, she left AT&T to start her own consulting firm. In 2018, she got that phone call from Mark Cuban. She began her work at the Dallas Mavericks by simply listening to the employees and scheduling one-on-one meetings to learn about their lives. She increased the number of women in leadership positions to 50% and people of color to 47%. In December 2024, Cynt retired from her position as CEO but continues to consult for the organization. Read more about Cynt in the ANCHORA.

Is there a Delta Gamma you think should be included on our Notable Delta Gamma’s list? Submit their name for consideration by filling out this form.

Celebrating Women's History Month | Jackie Martin, Rho-Syracuse

By Archivist/Historian Diane Hall, Eta Upsilon-Drexel

During Women's History Month, we celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of extraordinary women who have left a lasting impact on society. Among these barrier-breakers are the Notable Delta Gammas, who have advanced our mission of doing good and left lasting legacies in various fields, from business and politics to arts and philanthropy. This month serves as a reminder to honor their achievements, inspire future generations, and reflect on the collective power of women who continue to shape our world.

Cecilia Barber Martin was born in Braddock, Pennsylvania, in 1903. It is unknown how she acquired the nickname Jackie, but it became the name most people know her by. By the time she was seven, the family had relocated to Washington, D.C. From an early age, she was breaking barriers. One story goes that she convinced the administration of her elementary school to let her be the first female student to take an industrial arts class. The school acquiesced, but only because she would also take a home economics class.

After graduating from high school in 1921, she worked for a year to save money for school. In 1922, she was accepted into Syracuse University on a sports scholarship and chose pre-law as her major. And she pledged Delta Gamma! Unfortunately, her scholarship did not cover all her expenses. Even though she worked multiple jobs, she was unable to make enough money to continue at the university for more than a year.

Jackie had excelled in basketball, track and rifle. This helped her land her first job after she left school when she joined the Washington Times as the women’s sports editor. This made her the first woman to be hired as a sports editor for a major metropolitan daily newspaper. She also worked as the society editor for Underwood & Underwood Photo News Service, where she began to learn about professional photography. Over the next several years, she worked at several newspapers, coached a girls’ basketball team, trained for the half-mile at the Olympics (she was injured at tryouts) and joined the Newspaper Women’s Club.

In 1933, Ruth Bryan Owen, Kappa Nebraska, was appointed as the first female chief of mission as head of the U.S. embassy for Denmark and Iceland. Jackie traveled with her to Copenhagen as an unofficial press attaché. Her career was taken to new heights with the outbreak of World War II and the formation of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps. Jackie was the WAAC’s first official photographer and public relations officer. In 1944 she traveled to Italy as a war correspondent, taking over 4,000 photographs of the war. After the war, she became chief of the photo operation for the Marshall Plan. The Marshall Plan was the United States initiative to aid the economic recovery of Western Europe.

Throughout the 1960s, she was heavily involved with Delta Gamma, serving as a public relations consultant. For the 1964 Convention, she created an extensive exhibit titled This is Delta Gamma. She received many awards in her lifetime, including the George Arents Medal, a War Department Certificate of Merit and, in 1962, the Order of the Delta Gamma Rose.

Is there a Delta Gamma you think should be included on our Notable Delta Gamma’s list? Submit their name for consideration by filling out this form.

Celebrating Women's History Month | Christine Clifford, Beta Chi-Denver

By Archivist/Historian Diane Hall, Eta Upsilon-Drexel

During Women's History Month, we celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of extraordinary women who have left a lasting impact on society. Among these barrier-breakers are the Notable Delta Gammas, who have advanced our mission of doing good and left lasting legacies in various fields, from business and politics to arts and philanthropy. This month serves as a reminder to honor their achievements, inspire future generations, and reflect on the collective power of women who continue to shape our world.

One of the founding values of Delta Gamma was hope. The first Delta Gamma badge was the H pin, which stood for hope. Christine Clifford, Beta Chi-Denver, embodies the power hope can have even in the most trying circumstances. A driven entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker Christine’s accomplishments have come in the face of personal health challenges.

In 1994 Christine was a married mother of two and working as the Senior Executive Vice President of SPAR Marketing Services. Then the news came that she was diagnosed with stage III metastatic breast cancer. At that time, the 5-year survival rate for women was around 20%.

As well-wishes, gifts and messages of support poured in Christine realized she had not received one thing that made her laugh. She began drawing and writing, with a focus on humor, about her diagnosis. Not long after, she boldly walked into a local Barns and Noble and pitched an idea to a clerk: books of humor about cancer. The clerk’s horrified response did not deter Christine.

Believing laughter could help the healing process, she quit her corporate job and became a full-time author. Of the eight books she has published, five have been about her battle with cancer. Her first book, Not Now I’m Having A No Hair Day, was published in 1996. She then founded her first company, The Cancer Club, to offer resources and support to those diagnosed with cancer. She then started The Christine Clifford Celebrity Golf Tournament, the proceeds of which are donated to breast cancer research. In 2013, her cancer returned and while in treatment, she wrote the book Laugh 'Til It Heals: Notes from the World's Funniest Cancer Mailbox.

Outside of her work in support of those who have been diagnosed with cancer, Christine also offers support to those going through divorce. In 2010, she founded Divorcing Divas with a friend. In 2011, they partnered with a shelter in Minneapolis for abused women. Today, she owns and operates Christine Clifford Enterprises. She has received numerous awards for her work including receiving the Order of the Delta Gamma Rose in 2002.

Is there a Delta Gamma you think should be included on our Notable Delta Gamma’s list? Submit their name for consideration by filling out this form.

Celebrating Women's History Month | Jessica Matthews, Zeta Phi-Harvard

By Archivist/Historian Diane Hall, Eta Upsilon-Drexel

During Women's History Month, we celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of extraordinary women who have left a lasting impact on society. Among these barrier-breakers are the Notable Delta Gammas, who have advanced our mission of doing good and left lasting legacies in various fields, from business and politics to arts and philanthropy. This month serves as a reminder to honor their achievements, inspire future generations, and reflect on the collective power of women who continue to shape our world.

“If ever there was an innovator, she's it.” Said Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States of Jessica O. Mathews, Zeta Phi-Harvard. A dual citizen of the United States and Nigeria, a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School, and an innovator in sustainable energy, Jessica’s work is awe-inspiring, and her accolades are numerous. She was named Scientist of the Year by the Harvard Foundation in 2012, Innovator of the Year by Black Enterprise in 2013, one of the Forbes magazine’s 30 Under 30 in 2014, and one of Inc. magazine’s 30 under 30 in 2016.

Before all the awards and global praise, she was an undergraduate student at Harvard. While visiting Nigeria for her aunt’s wedding, Jessica saw how consistent access to electricity was a problem for many people. Later, she recalled, “Regardless of your socioeconomic status in Nigeria, several times a day, you can expect to lose power… .And I think for me, it really hit a point of frustration I recall at my aunt's wedding, and that day we lost power and outside of my aunt's house we had a diesel generator running and I remember feeling like I was choking.”

One day, Jessica was paired with another student for a class project. Drawing on her experience at her aunt’s wedding, they created the SOCCKET, a soccer ball that stores energy. This led to Jessica founding Uncharted Play in 2011, a company to create energy-generating products. The company later changed its name to Uncharted and is now a software-as-a-service (SAAS) sustainable infrastructure company that creates solutions to improve the efficiency and accessibility of energy, water, air, transit and connectivity infrastructure. Jessica’s leadership doesn’t stop with Uncharted. In 2016 she founded the Harlem Tech Fund with the mission to, “serves Harlem community members through education and career support in STEM, innovation, and entrepreneurship.” She also co-founded KDDC to develop a hydropower dam in Nigeria.

Jessica’s work on global infrastructure and accessible power sources will be felt for generations around the world. Her work embodies Delta Gamma’s motto: do good.

Is there a Delta Gamma you think should be included on our Notable Delta Gamma’s list? Submit their name for consideration by filling out this form.

Celebrating Women's History Month | Mary Gladwin, Eta-Akron

By Archivist/Historian Diane Hall, Eta Upsilon-Drexel

During Women's History Month, we celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of extraordinary women who have left a lasting impact on society. Among these barrier-breakers are the Notable Delta Gammas, who have advanced our mission of doing good and left lasting legacies in various fields, from business and politics to arts and philanthropy. This month serves as a reminder to honor their achievements, inspire future generations, and reflect on the collective power of women who continue to shape our world.

Born on December 24, 1861, in Stoke-upon-Trent, England, Mary Gladwin immigrated with her parents to the United States at the age of seven and settled in Akron, Ohio.

Mary attended Buchtel College (now the University of Akron), where she was initiated into Delta Gamma in 1883. At the time, most institutions of higher learning did not accept female students, but Buchtel was founded as a co-educational institution. Mary graduated in 1887 with a bachelor of philosophy degree and spent several years teaching physics and chemistry. In 1893, she moved to Boston and trained as a nurse at Boston City Hospital. This decision changed her life and led to her helping people worldwide.

The era was one of much conflict, with the United States involved in multiple wars worldwide. In 1898, the United States intervened in the Cuban War of Independence (1895 – 1898) to support Cuban independence from Spain. This led to the outbreak of the Spanish-American War (1898), and Mary, serving as a Red Cross volunteer, traveled to Cuba to provide aid. Then, the Philippine-American War (1898) broke out as Philippine nationalists resisted their annexation to the United States. Mary once again provided help to those in need. Just a few years later, the Russo-Japanese War (1904 – 1905) began, and Mary traveled to Hiroshima, Japan, to provide service.

After the Russo-Japanese War, Mary remained in the United States, serving in a number of different nursing positions, including Superintendent of Beverly Hospital in Massachusetts and Superintendent of Women’s Hospital in New York City. In 1913, she returned to Ohio to direct Red Cross nursing services following a devasting flood that struck Dayton, Ohio. After the flood, she worked for several different organizations, including serving as the Superintendent of Nurses at City Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, President of the Ohio State Nurses Association and Director for the American Nurses Association.

With the outbreak of World War I, Mary once again traveled across the world to provide aid. She served in Belgrade, Serbia, where she helped care for some 9,000 soldiers. After the war, she briefly returned to the United States before returning to Serbia to help with relief work.

Later in her life, Mary was the Director of Nursing Education at St. Mary's Hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Director of the School of Nursing at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota.
Throughout her life she was bestowed many awards for her service. These included: Spanish-American War Medal, Japanese Life Membership in the Imperial Red Cross, Japanese Imperial Order, Japanese Imperial Red Cross Medal for special service, and Japanese Medal for General Service, Serbian Order of St. Sava, Serbian Royal Red Cross, Cross of Charity, Russian Imperial Medal and Ribbon of St. Anne. And, in 1920, the first year it was given, she received the Florence Nightingale Medal. She was one of only six recipients from the United States that year.

Is there a Delta Gamma you think should be included on our Notable Delta Gamma’s list? Submit their name for consideration by filling out this form.

Celebrating Women's History Month | Trina Roy, Beta Pi-Willamette

By Archivist/Historian Diane Hall, Eta Upsilon-Drexel

During Women's History Month, we celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of extraordinary women who have left a lasting impact on society. Among these barrier-breakers are the Notable Delta Gammas, who have advanced our mission of doing good and left lasting legacies in various fields, from business and politics to arts and philanthropy. This month serves as a reminder to honor their achievements, inspire future generations, and reflect on the collective power of women who continue to shape our world.

Have you seen any of these movies: Shrek (2001), Madagascar (2005), King Kong (2005), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), The Dark Knight (2008), Inception (2010), Inside Out (2015), Coco (2017), Incredibles 2 (2018), Toy Story 4 (2019) or Soul (2020)? If you have, then you have seen the work of Trina Roy, Beta Pi-Willamette. She is currently the Senior RenderMan Engineer for Pixar Animation Studios. What is RenderMan? It is, “a photorealistic 3D rendering software produced by Pixar Animation Studios.” This technology has been an integral part of Pixar’s production for three decades.

Trina's passion for computer graphics started early in life. In high school, her hobby was creating homemade music videos. She earned a bachelor of science in computer science from Willamette University in 1988 and then attended the University of Illinois, Chicago, where she earned a master of science in electronic visualization. While attending UIC, she worked as a research assistant in the university’s internationally recognized interdisciplinary Electric Visualization Laboratory (EVL). While there, she collaborated with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA). After graduation, Trina worked for Silicon Graphics, Inc., PDI/DreamWorks, Weta Digital, and Double Negative Visual Effects, and finally, she joined Pixar in 2013. You can learn more about all the films she has worked on her IMDb page.

Trina has also been heavily involved in reaching out and inspiring young women to join the STEM field by participating in various conferences and talks. In 2015, she spoke on a panel for the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing (the world’s largest technical conference for women), at GeekGirlCon in 2016, she was part of a five-member panel called “The Women of Pixar” and in 2018 she participated in SIGGRAPH (an annual conference focused on computer graphics). She was also the program co-chair of the Digital Production Symposium in 2019 and 2020.

Is there a Delta Gamma you think should be included on our Notable Delta Gamma’s list? Submit their name for consideration by filling out this form.

Celebrating Women's History Month | Kyra Phillips, Alpha Nu-USC

By Archivist/Historian Diane Hall, Eta Upsilon-Drexel

During Women's History Month, we celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of extraordinary women who have left a lasting impact on society. Among these barrier-breakers are the Notable Delta Gammas, who have advanced our mission of doing good and left lasting legacies in various fields, from business and politics to arts and philanthropy. This month serves as a reminder to honor their achievements, inspire future generations, and reflect on the collective power of women who continue to shape our world.

Kyra Phillips, Alpha Nu-USC's, journalism credentials started at an early age when in the fourth grade she created a school newspaper. This set her on the path to becoming an award-winning journalist who has covered many of the day's biggest stories. Her resume reads like a real-life Lois Lane full of travel, adventure and hard-hitting investigative journalism.

Joining CNN in 1999, she anchored several segments, including CNN Newsroom. She covered the September 11 attacks and did four tours reporting in Iraq, where she covered a wide range of stories, including the Baghdad School for the Blind. On the home front, her investigative journalism has included examining racism in small-town Louisiana (for which she received an award from the Society of Professional Journalists) and investigative reporting around sexual assault at West Point Academy. In 2012, she moved to HLN, where she anchored Raising America with Kyra Phillips. In 2018, she became an Investigative Correspondent for ABC News. Other noteworthy accomplishments include extensive S.W.A.T training, training with TOPGUN School and spending a month in Antarctica to follow the explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton’s path.

Kyra has been bestowed many awards, including the Atlanta Press Club's National Reporter of the Year for 2007, two Peabody awards, six Emmy awards and two Edward R. Murrow awards for investigative reporting. Given by the Radio Television Digital News Association Edward R. Murrow awards are described by the RTDNA as, “Among the most prestigious in news, the Murrow Awards recognize local and national news stories that uphold the RTDNA Code of Ethics, demonstrate technical expertise and exemplify the importance and impact of journalism as a service to the community. Murrow Award-winning work demonstrates the excellence that Edward R. Murrow made a standard for the broadcast news profession.” Awards are given based on the RTDNA Code of Ethics. These include three overarching principles 1) truth and accuracy above all 2) independence and transparency and 3) accountability for consequences.

Outside of her professional life, Krya is involved in several non-profit organizations: Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, Fisher House Founders, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors and Global Down Syndrome Foundation. She has also published a book titled The Whole Life Fertility Plan. Today, Kyra continues her work as a journalist and is the proud mother of twins.

Is there a Delta Gamma you think should be included on our Notable Delta Gamma’s list? Submit their name for consideration by filling out this form.