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.