Over 150 members submitted applications to serve on Kappa Delta’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. The National Council appointed 14 members who will join Committe Chair Michelle Robinson McNulty to lead the efforts to make Kappa Delta more inclusive and accessible.

“Kappa Delta’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee is multigenerational and includes a broad array of Kappa Deltas from every corner of our organization,” said Chair Michelle Robinson McNulty. “We are committed to discovering biases and barriers which impact the opportunities and membership experiences of Black women, Indigenous women and women of color as well as those with varying religious identities, ability statuses and sexual orientation.” Check out the 15 new members of Kappa Delta’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee below!

Michelle Robinson McNulty (Beta Mu-Bowling Green State); initiated 2006

Assistant Director of New Student Connections at the University of South Florida

“Diversity, equity and inclusion work is critical to Kappa Delta. It is time to make systemic and sustainable changes within our organization. My hope is to increase access into Kappa Delta on all college campuses, develop member education focusing on DEI for new members, collegiate and alumnae members, and gain a comprehensive understanding of our organization’s membership and how the current culture of our collegiate and alumnae chapters are affecting the retention of each member.”

Brianna Blackshire (Eta Beta-Bradley); initiated 2010

Trading & Campus Recruitment Lead at Optiver US

“Kappa Delta has always been committed to real issues and inspiring our members to tackle them. Diversity, equity and inclusion are relevant, personal issues that members, regardless of skin color, feel the impact of. It is critical that we open this discussion, recognize our bias and inspire change to continue to be leaders in the sorority world and relevant to today’s membership. I currently work full-time as a recruitment lead in the trading industry where I lead diversity initiatives through our campus recruitment process and ensure our assessments give each candidate the same opportunity to put their best foot forward. Outside of work, I use my social media platform and personal blog, opens in a new windowBB On A Budget, to share resources, open discussions about Black Lives Matter and educate my primarily white audience about the experiences of people of color.”

Lakeisha Phillips (Eta Epsilon-South/Sewanee); initiated 2019

Student; Co-Director for Hiring and Multicultural Recruitment & Retention for the Arcadians Program

“It is important that we, as a organization, move away from the narrative of being a predominately white sorority, and now is a perfect time to do so. DEI work will serve as the stepping stone to diversifying our sisterhood and ensuring that all women feel welcome. This work will allow our organization to find the best way to recruit more women from a variety of backgrounds. Understanding the history is an important part of changing the narrative. Therefore, as a member of this committee, I hope to dive into Kappa Delta’s racial history and use our organization’s past as a learning tool to move us forward. We can only change the narrative of our sorority through facing our history and ensuring it no longer defines us.”

Lucy Dang (Zeta Omega-Memphis); initiated 2015

Operations Coordinator, Kappa Delta Foundation

“Kappa Deltas pride ourselves on being a part of a women’s empowerment organization that builds confidence and inspires action. To stay true to who we claim we are as an organization, we must make Kappa Delta a safe space for people of all backgrounds and identities. DEI is critical to ensuring that access and membership in Kappa Delta is equitable and inclusive to all women who wish to join. I hope that my contributions will create an opportunity for sisters to learn about implicit bias, systemic racism and how to be anti-racist. Lastly, my hope for this committee is that we build a foundation for Kappa Delta to assess all areas of its operations for opportunities to increase diversity, equity and inclusion.”

Susan M. Drange, Ph.D. (Omega Chi-Cornell); initiated 1979

Associate Vice Provost and Executive Director of Programs, Faculty Development and Diversity  at Stanford University

“As a member of the DEI committee, I hope to bring my educational, personal and professional experience to bear upon the issues that face Kappa Delta in the current moment. I would like to do what I can to make sure that current and future sisters and alumnae do not feel embarrassed or excluded by any portion of the Kappa Delta experience. I hope to see our sisterhood filled with women from all identities and backgrounds, thriving and growing to become future leaders who can bridge the schisms we see in society today. The interactions we experience in college shape us for the rest of our lives, and our sisterhood has the opportunity to inculcate values of diversity, equity and inclusion during these crucial college years.”

Jacklyn Bruce, Ph.D. (Phi Epsilon-Colorado State); initiated 1994

Associate Professor, AEE Director of Graduate Programs at NC State University

“Kappa Delta has so much to offer women. But for many, our sisterhood is unattainable, not because they don’t meet our high standards of membership, but because of the long-held beliefs (implicit and explicit) of who belongs in our Greek letter organizations. Our silence and inaction related to equitable recruitment practices has been tacit acceptance of the exclusion of many. My hope is that I can work with this committee of outstanding women to intentionally examine and take action related to policy and practice at all levels, including and most especially recruitment and member education, opening our circle in ways that our founders articulated, to all those who are willing to strive for that which is honorable, beautiful, and highest.”

Kim Lewis (Eta Eta-Northern Kentucky); initiated 2008

Senior Liaison-Employee Engagement, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital – ALSAC

“I served Kappa Delta National Headquarters as a leadership development consultant and an in-house staff member for over six years, working to enhance the membership experience and promote the power of sorority. I now have the privilege to serve another incredible mission at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Through my work as a fundraiser, I am able to see the impact of superior care in an inclusive and thoughtful healthcare institute. Sororities can provide incredible opportunities for college women, and personal growth and development is the greatest of them all. It is our responsibility to create an experience where all women feel seen, appreciated and celebrated.”

Stefanie Zimmerman Gray (Epsilon Iota-Missouri); initiated 2003

Senior Manager of Donor Relations at the University of Missouri

“We have historical issues we must address and overcome. Creating an intentional space where women of different races, ethnicities and religions feel welcome and safe is incredibly important for an organization that seeks to instill confidence and action in women. This includes dismantling traditions and practices we have historically espoused and really evaluating every practice of the organization to make sure we’re meeting our true goals and not perpetuating more of the same.”

Alivia Roberts (Delta Omega-Mississippi State); initiated 2014

Press Assistant, Committee on Energy & Commerce, Democratic Staff, U.S. House of Representatives

“I desire to use my personal experience in Kappa Delta to ensure that every future woman of color feels valued for her differences as a member beyond Bid Day. Being an alumna of Kappa Delta is so much bigger than me, and I want to see us flourish as a sorority that truly reflects and embodies its values from the inside out. With that being said, I believe it is imperative that I use my knowledge, college experiences and related professional life experiences to help direct the trajectory of my beloved sorority by helping develop and implement a DEI curriculum for all chapters to use.”

Natalie Rooney (Epsilon Iota-Missouri); initiated 2009

Associate Director, Office of Admissions at Oregon State University

“Since completing my master’s degree in higher education, I have more than five years of experience working with college students in new student orientation programs and admissions/visit programs at Oregon State University. In addition, I sit on a national DEI committee for my professional association and frequently present at national conferences leading discussions on whiteness and white supremacy in higher education. DEI work has always mattered, but it is especially important right now given the context of our country’s current climate regarding racial injustice. I am excited to finally see our organization committing to doing the hard but necessary DEI work. We owe it to all of our sisters, particularly our Black sisters, sisters of color, LGBTQ+ sisters and sisters of all ability levels, to lean in and do the work, to acknowledge Kappa Delta’s past, including exclusionary policies and to change them.”

Grace Tabor (Beta Alpha-Virginia); initiated 2018

Student; Beta Alpha Chapter President

“As a historically exclusive organization, it is imperative that we continue to develop, change and criticize ourselves in order to foster a sisterhood that honestly welcomes all women. I admire KD so much for its mission to build confidence and inspire action, and this is a great time to utilize the tools that we’ve gained through this sisterhood to help us grow. Greek life organizations across the country are being forced into the spotlight and confronted with their prejudiced histories. It is our duty as KDs to set an example and work tirelessly towards reform to truly create a greater and better Kappa Delta.”

Lindsey White Peterson (Lambda-Northwestern); initiated 2005

Lead Consultant – HR Talent and Change Innovation Team at Target

“Since graduating from Northwestern University, I have worked for Target headquarters holding many roles across different areas. I currently lead the career development workstream for our African American Employee Resource Group to develop tools, resources, events and programming for our Black, Brown and ally employees. I also represent Target in my seat on the board of Twin Cities Black Affinity Network Development Day (TCBANDD) that provides bi-annual personal and professional development programming for our BIPOC community in the Minneapolis metropolitan area. Being biracial (my father is Black and my mother is white), I have directly experienced and witnessed the racism, inequality and frustration that the Black and brown communities have felt for centuries. I can use that experience as well as my experience growing up in a predominately white community to help build that educational programming.”

Carly Griffith Hotvedt (Nu-Oklahoma State); initiated 2002

Director of Tribal Enterprise at the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative at the University of Arkansas School of Law

“I hope to influence internal policy regarding recruitment and retention to diversify Kappa Delta in demographics, thought and culture. Through service on this committee, I hope to share my perspectives as a Cherokee citizen working in Indian Country and reflect the values of community and responsibility to each other, which are common threads in tribal mores. Advancing DEI work is critical to the survival and long-term success of Kappa Delta. By fostering an environment of openness and inclusion, Kappa Delta can identify and select women to empower each other and themselves through shared experiences.”

Samantha Mosby (Eta Eta-Northern Kentucky); initiated 2005

Associate Executive Director, YMCA of Greater Cincinnati

“DEI work is so important for Kappa Delta because if we want to sustain this sorority for years to come, we must address these present day issues. We must make sure that present and future members see us as an equitable organization, or we will not continue to attract the members we want to be a part of this organization. I hope to accomplish a change in this organization in which DEI is at the forefront, that every policy, every procedure is viewed through our DEI lens of thinking.”

Rose Sall (Alpha Omicron-Queens/Charlotte); initiated 2019

Student; Alpha Omicron VP-Finance

“Kappa Delta strives to inspire confidence in each member as well as those around us. A part of being confident is being comfortable in who you are and your surroundings. The DEI Committee is critical to helping form these safe environments and educating members on how to keep these environments a safe space open to different beliefs, growth and futuristic ideas. I hope to create a system that will help our sisters build and create bonds that allow them to further their knowledge about religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, spirituality, etc., of the sisters around them.”

For more information on Kappa Delta’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, click opens in a new windowhere.