Each year, Omicron Delta Kappa recognizes six outstanding student leaders as National Leaders of the Year. The Society selects one student to receive the Gen. Russell E. Dougherty National Leader of the Year Award, which comes with a $4,000 prize. This honor is named in memory of Gen. Russell E. Dougherty (University of Louisville, 1947). Gen. Dougherty was a one-time staff member with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He also served in the U.S. Air Force as commander in chief of the Strategic Air Command and director of strategic target planning.
The Society also recognizes a student in each of the five pillars of campus life celebrated by O∆K: academics and research, athletics, service to campus and community, communications, and creative and performing arts. Each of these individuals receives a $1,000 award. No award was given in the creative and performing arts pillar this year.
Click on each name below to open their profile.
Joseph Pool | Gen. Russell E. Dougherty National Leader of the Year
Joseph Pool
Rollins College, 2023
Joseph Pool of Plantation, Florida, has been named the 2025 Omicron Delta Kappa (OΔK) Gen. Russell E. Dougherty National Leader of the Year.
Pool is a 2023 initiate of the Rollins College Circle. He is a junior with a 3.97 GPA, majoring in public policy and political economy with minors in ethics and global health.
Drawing inspiration from his Moroccan heritage and family traditions, he founded Breaking Bread, one of the fastest-growing student organizations on campus. Through its “Monthly Eating” and “Dinner Discourse” events, Breaking Bread fosters cross-cultural understanding, civil debate, and connection among students from diverse backgrounds. His innovative approach earned funding from Interfaith America and national recognition, including being named a “CommUnity Champion” by WESH 2 News and featured in Central Florida Public Media.
He was awarded the prestigious Ginsburg Fellowship and led efforts to implement the Central Florida Pledge, an initiative uniting civic, religious, and business leaders against intolerance. He co-hosted an interreligious Festival of Light, which brought together students from different faiths to celebrate shared values, using food as a bridge for dialogue and understanding. These efforts are complemented by his research on culinary diplomacy, which he presented at the Parliament of the World’s Religions and will be published in the Bloomsbury Handbook of Religion and Food.
As Student Government Association President, he represents students to trustees and administrators, oversees an $80,000+ budget, and spearheads dining, safety, and communication reforms. Beginning as a First-Year Senator, he advocated for vegan, kosher, and halal options in campus dining, passed legislation on increased access and transparency for students, and successfully lobbied the Faculty Curriculum Committee for American Sign Language to count toward Rollins’ foreign language requirement.
Pool is currently enrolled in MIT’s MicroMasters in Data, Economics, and Design of Policy program, focusing on data, economics, and policy design. He served as a political analyst for Biasly, where he applied AI tools to evaluate bias in political reporting. He serves as President of the Rollins Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa and as a BRAID Fellow through Interfaith America.
Jenna Zamil | National Leader of the Year - Academics and Research
Jenna Zamil
University of Houston, 2022
Jenna Zamil of Pearland, Texas, has been named the 2025 Omicron Delta Kappa National Leader of the Year for Academics and Research. Zamil is a 2022 initiate of the University of Houston Circle and graduated in May 2025 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, a minor in Medicine and Society, and a 3.99 GPA.
Zamil has published multiple first-author, peer-reviewed journal articles covering COVID-19 awareness among Middle Eastern and North African communities, mental health during the pandemic, sociodemographic determinants of hay fever, and skin cancer knowledge in adolescents, and she has presented her findings at respected academic conferences and university symposia.
She participated in competitive research fellowships, including the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) at the University of Houston and the Partnerships for Careers in Cancer Science and Medicine program at MD Anderson Cancer Center, where she researched pancreatic cancer, gaining hands-on experience with immunohistochemistry and tissue analysis.
Zamil served in multiple leadership roles in the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA), most recently as Co-Chair of the Professional Development Committee. She organized educational panels, study events, and workshops to support peers pursuing careers in medicine. She also integrated her research with advocacy, organizing campus events to raise awareness about sun safety and skin cancer prevention.
A committed servant leader, Zamil volunteered with the “Draw YOUR Story” art therapy program for seniors, conducted creative storytelling sessions with patients at a memory care facility, and served as a mentor for Arab refugee and immigrant high school students through the Incubator of Racial Equity in STEM Education (IRESE) Fellowship. Fluent in Arabic, she served as a medical interpreter for Arabic-speaking refugees, assisting them in navigating healthcare settings.
Zamil is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and has received awards such as the Enron Merit Scholarship, Eckhard Pfeiffer/Carolyn Farb Scholarship, and the Honors College Outstanding First-Year Student Award.
Lian Peach | National Leader of the Year - Service to Campus and Community
Lian Peach
Salisbury University, 2023
Lian Peach of York, Pennsylvania, has been named the 2025 Omicron Delta Kappa National Leader of the Year for Service to Campus and Community.
Peach is a 2023 initiate of the Salisbury University Circle. She graduated in May 2025 with a 3.95 GPA and a bachelor of arts in political science with minors in economics and quantitative analysis.
Peach’s signature initiative, the Period Power Project, addressed period poverty in Wicomico County, Maryland. As a Presidential Citizen Scholar, she co-designed a civic engagement project that connected local middle schools with menstrual health resources. In partnership with Wicomico County Public Schools and Aetna Better Health, she launched educational campaigns, secured grants, distributed 1,000 hygiene kits, and created sustainable pathways for ongoing access.
On campus, Peach held roles such as chief of staff for the Student Government Association, where she coordinated operations, mentored directors, and strengthened organizational effectiveness, and Vice President of Food for the Flock, Salisbury’s food pantry, where she managed a team of 40+ volunteers, expanded access to basic needs resources, and facilitated outreach programming to combat food insecurity.
As Treasurer of FLARE, Salisbury’s Planned Parenthood Generation Action chapter, she helped install and manage 32 menstrual product dispensers across campus through a partnership with Aunt Flow. She served as co-editor-in-chief of Laridae, Salisbury’s undergraduate research journal. She published research on gender equity and civic health, with conference presentations at the National Collegiate Honors Council and the National Conference of Undergraduate Research.
She interned with the Lieutenant Governor of Maryland and the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, supporting high-level policy development and outreach. She also served as a policy lead for Dear Asian Youth, where she led national advocacy initiatives and coordinated events that brought youth activists into dialogue with legislators.
Olivia McCurdy | National Leader of the Year - Communications
Olivia McCurdy
National Circle, 2024
Olivia McCurdy of Springfield, Illinois, has been named the 2025 Omicron Delta Kappa National Leader of the Year for Communications.
McCurdy is a 2024 initiate of the National Circle. She graduated in May 2025 with a 3.83 GPA and a bachelor’s degree in digital arts and culture and journalism, advertising, and media studies-advertising/public relations and media studies concentration, and an honors college degree with distinction from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.
McCurdy has distinguished herself through leadership, service, and strategic communication. She served as vice president of chapter development on the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) National Committee. In this role, she designed initiatives supporting over 300 PRSSA chapters nationwide, including planning the national community service project in partnership with Dress for Success.
McCurdy has held leadership positions within her university’s PRSSA chapter, including vice president and vice president of social media. She also served as the director of communications and vice president of the Ad Club.
As a marketing and social media intern at several organizations — including Summerfest, the nation’s largest music festival; Bader Rutter, a leading B2B marketing and advertising agency; the UWM Union Marketing Team; UWM Digital Arts and Culture Program; UWM Off-Campus Resource Center; and the Springfield Youth Performance Group Foundation — McCurdy developed and led digital campaigns, expanded audience engagement, and promoted civic participation.
She was vice president of marketing and communications for Planned Parenthood Generation Action at UWM, organizing student-led events to promote reproductive rights and social justice. She also worked as a campus organizing fellow for The Wisco Project, mobilizing student voters around the 2024 elections.
As an officer in the Digital Arts and Culture Student Organization, McCurdy made meaningful contributions to student representation and curriculum development. She has also earned recognition as a research assistant through UWM’s Support for Undergraduate Research Fellows (SURF) program. She is an active member of Phi Beta Kappa, Lambda Pi Eta, and Alpha Lambda Delta honor societies.
Greta Miller | National Leader of the Year - Athletics
Greta Miller
Johns Hopkins University, 2024
Greta Miller of Park Ridge, Illinois, has been named the 2025 Omicron Delta Kappa National Leader of the Year for Athletics.
A 2024 initiate of the Johns Hopkins University Circle, Miller graduated in December 2024 with a 3.91 GPA and a degree in environmental science and a minor in applied math and statistics.
As captain of the nationally ranked JHU women’s basketball team, Miller’s leadership style emphasized servant leadership. From coordinating logistics and bringing extra gear to managing communications and scheduling, her efforts have contributed to a culture of unity and excellence, reflected in her team’s top national rankings and individual honors, including First Team All-Conference and Second Team All-Region recognition.
As President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), she led 60 representatives across more than 20 varsity teams. Her tenure was marked by impactful initiatives, such as orchestrating Johns Hopkins’ first athletics-led campus blood drive, which exceeded donation goals by 170%, and organizing the Fall Bash, an event connecting local elementary school children with athletes.
Miller also served as Scholar-Athlete Director for Blue Jays LEAD, Johns Hopkins’ leadership development program for athletes. She guided monthly workshops and programming for captains and athletes, fostering cross-team collaboration and skill-building.
Her community outreach extends to Baltimore’s youth. Miller coaches with the Volo Kids Foundation in Baltimore, coaching at basketball clinics and school visits to build connections between the university and local students.
In addition to her athletic and service commitments, Miller researched climate resilience through the Baltimore Social-Environmental Collaborative, installing weather stations and analyzing data to address urban heat and environmental justice. As an intern with REV LNG, she applied her scientific knowledge to real-world sustainability challenges, managing permit compliance and financial tracking for energy projects.
