Psi Leadership Conference

You are looking at a photo of the 2010 Executive Members of Kappa Alpha Theta Fraternity (UW - Madison, Psi).  If you know even one of them, you are a fortunate person.  These women have a high quality to them and their character.  Before the 14th, I knew very little of each of them, but now feel incredibly glad to know more of their personalities and have had a tiny little bit to do with them getting prepared for an incredible experience in their leadership roles within the organization.

I am the Advisory Board Chair of Kappa Alpha Theta Fraternity, Psi Chapter.  It is my college chapter when I was a student at UW-Madison in the early 90s.  It is a social organization whose ideals are deep, meaningful and lifelong.  I am grateful to be a part of this organization and to be able to lend some of my strengths and experiences to these up and coming leaders.  

The conference was something I'd learned about from an advisor training I'd attended with the organization last summer in Dallas.  It was inspiring, giving me words to explain what I feel in my heart toward Theta and what it stands for (to me).  I was renewed in my commitment when I realized I could emulate the idea of hosting a small conference for the chapter's leaders setting them up for the offices they've been selected to hold this year.  

Let me say, I do like MOST meetings (ones I organize and ones I attend).  I'm not sure if it's that I like to "be in the know" or if I enjoy being around people with a like-minded focus or if it's just that I like to be bossy; but this kind of thing is actually very exhilarating to me.  I learned about the potential of this event in June of 09 and went hardly a week without talking about how to make it happen with someone, anyone...okay, everyone.  

First, I had to get my husband to buy in.  Remember, we're still a fairly newly married couple (see first post of blog) and I'm gearing up to organize and facilitate a 3 night, 3 day conference in a city away from my family.  He would be holding down the fort with me away and I know that's not his favorite thing.  So, let's just say, until I got the okay from him (aka, "the man") there was no need to proceed with conversations and thoughts about this.  It took some convincing and some prayer, but he came up with a solid "yes".  This is a big deal seeing as though he doesn't have any personal relationships or understanding of those in the Greek Community and likely - like many others - only hear the negative things reported or believe the stereotypes that they hear.

Let's be honest, if I'd told you I was in sorority when you first met me, would I have fit your idea of what that meant? 

Didn't think so...

Anyway, once we agreed upon a date that worked for us as a family and matched the college/school schedule and their taking the office - the planning began!

Let's just say June - January was a lot of starts and stops, detours, crossroads, thoughts about quitting, disinterest, lack of motivation and spurts of excitement, votes for approvals, budget requests, shopping around for discounts, writing agendas, inundating communications to the collegians and advisors about the topic and especially prayer.  I knew that with my life and so many transitions, I would NOT be able to pull this off on my own sheer will & determination.

I really enjoy the process of the planning and pulling things together...the details of something like this...it's, it, um, let's see...it's just "fun".  I guess I'm spending a lot of time writing about this as I think I'm still trying to find out what I wanna do when I grow up.  This magnitude of training and planning came naturally to me.  Few other topics make as much sense to me - did I mention that I was the Advisory Board Chair back in the late 90s early 00s?  It's a language that makes a lot of sense to me...

Don't roll your eyes, I'm serious, there's something incredibly invigorating about this for me.

We were busy.  There were meetings and activities and very good food (Casa Del Sol & Laura's house...yummy!). There was time for questions, difficult discussions and decision making.  There was laughter as well as tears.  Music and sleeping in.  Bonding between the collegians with one another and even collegians and advisors.  There was even a hilarious incident of "leaving a man behind".  I am so confident, that even though I ought to be napping rather than typing this, that this conference was worth the lack of sleep, time with my family and missing some of my favorite alone/down-time.

I hope that the one weekend commitment will pay great dividends.  Time will tell; while waiting, so grateful that Theta IS for a lifetime.