National President Matthew W. Clifford is Associate Dean of Students and Director of Campus Life Projects at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. In his role at Wake Forest, Matthew handles student conduct, crisis management, and community response. Additionally, Matthew leads assessment efforts for the Division of Campus Life at Wake Forest.

Previously, Matthew served as director of residence life at Wake Forest and director of residential life at Jacksonville University in Fla. He has also worked in residence life at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Matthew’s involvement in O∆K started at Davidson College, where he was inducted as a student member. He has previously served on the Society Board of Directors as Member-at-large. Additionally, he has served as a faculty officer for circles at Jacksonville University and Wake Forest University.

In addition to his involvement in O∆K, Matthew is very involved with the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), where he is immediate past co-chair of the Student Leadership Programs Knowledge Community. Additionally, he currently serves as the vice president for marketing and communication for the Southern Association of College Student Affairs. Having presented at numerous national and regional conferences, Matthew has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of College and University Student Housing and the College Student Affairs Journal.

Outside of O∆K, Matthew is very involved in his community. In 2015, he was selected to receive a Winston<40 Leadership Award, recognizing 20 leaders under 40 years old in the Winston-Salem community. He is President of Friends of Sherwood Forest, a nonprofit foundation that provides support for neighborhood schools. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in English from Davidson College, a Master of Education in higher education and student affairs from the University of South Carolina, and his Doctor of Education in higher education from the University of North Florida.

Andrew Brown is a 2012 initiate of the Grand Valley State University Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa. During his time there, he was able to serve as circle [resident for two years after taking a fifth-year before graduating. Andrew previously served ODK as a member of the first Student Advisory Board and a member of the national Membership Committee. Currently, he is a Student Member-at-Large on the Society Board of Directors, a member of the National Advisory Council, and a member of the Student Advisory Board.

Andrew earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Grand Valley State University in 2014 with a double major in psychology and philosophy. As an undergraduate, he worked as a peer educator, leading outreach programs and conducting surveys to raise awareness of mental health issues on campus and promote the University Counseling Center. He also worked as a lead writing consultant in the Writing Center, collaborating with students to improve their skills as writers, while also mentoring other consultants and leading professional development workshops. He also completed a one-year internship as a leadership and service intern, where he worked with Office of Student Life staff to plan, provide, and improve leadership and community service programs. Additionally, Andrew presented more than 15 conference sessions, professional development workshops, and outreach programs at local, state, regional, and national conferences.

Currently, Andrew is a full-time graduate student in the counseling psychology doctoral program at Purdue University. As a recipient of the Frederick N. Andrews Fellowship, he works as a teaching and research assistant, teaching two different classes and collaborating on several research projects related to grief and loss. His personal research focuses on understanding the college student experience of romantic breakup, and how guided writing interventions can be used to reduce the risk of negative outcomes like increased risk of depression or decreased academic performance. Additionally, Andrew is a member of the Counseling and Development Graduate Student Organization, is the vice president of the Graduate Organization for Educational Studies, and is the Purdue representative on the Student Committee of the Indiana Psychological Association. In the spring of 2016, he worked with Foundation Board of Trustees member Terry Kungel to re-charter the Century Circle at Purdue. He serves the Century Circle in an advisory role, giving guidance to the students of the Executive Board as well as the faculty advisor and circle coordinator. Before graduating from his program, Andrew hopes to choose between a potential career in academia as a professor, working as a licensed counselor, or becoming involved in using psychological research to influence and lobby public policy.

Darwin C. Jones is a manager in EY’s Transaction Advisory Service Tax practice, based in N.Y. He has extensive experience in tax compliance and deal execution as well as the planning and structuring of transactions for public and privately held clients. Prior to joining EY, Darwin worked with KPMG International and Advisory Services to provide strategic transaction consulting to clients at various stages of the business life cycle; specifically, assisting clients with driving revenue, increasing market efficiency from concept through realization and quantification of value to be created and execution services to maximize realized value. Darwin is a certified public accountant licensed in New York State.

In January 2013, Darwin was appointed to the Omicron Delta Kappa Society Board of Directors as national treasurer and to the Omicron Delta Kappa Foundation Board of Trustees. In his role as national treasurer, Darwin is responsible for the oversight of Omicron Delta Kappa Society’s financial management strategy and the continual development of the organization’s strategic goals. In addition to strategic planning, his responsibilities include: administration of all fiscal matters within the organization, facilitating the annual budget process with the Finance Committee and national headquarters personnel and to ensure the compliance of audit, tax and various regulatory policies and procedures.

Since 2010, Darwin has served as co-chair of the New York State Society of CPA's (NYSSCPA) COAP Program Advisory Board. COAP is a five-day summer program for high school juniors and is designed to recruit young minorities into the CPA profession. COAP provides an invaluable preview of college life, and the program encourages high school students to think beyond college and learn about a career in the business world.

Additionally, Darwin serves as a distinguished member of the Young Leadership Circle of the New York State Society of CPAs, member of KPMG’s African-American Network Advisory Board, and member of the American Institute of CPAs Student Recruitment Committee and Minority Scholarship Task Force.

A 2004 initiate of the University at Albany Circle, Darwin served as the 2005 – 2006 circle president. Darwin earned his Bachelor of Science in accounting from the University at Albany and a Master of Science with distinction in Taxation and Finance from Long Island University – Brooklyn.  His current term on the O∆K Foundation Board of Trustees expires in 2016.

Cynthia “Cie” Cochran earned both her undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Miami where she also started her career in higher education.  Early in her career, Cie worked in the Department of Student Activities and Leadership Programs.  She continued her work with students and leadership development at Northwestern University in Chicago where she worked in the Center for Student Involvement.  Cie then began a career in alumni relations and currently serves the Director of Alumni Engagement for the University of Miami Alumni Association.  In her current role, she is responsible for the management of alumni weekend, reunions and affinity engagement initiatives.

Throughout her education and career, ODK has remained an important part of Cie’s life.  Over the past 14 years, her involvement has ranged from serving as a circle president, a term as the East Caucus Student Representative for the Society Board of Directors, a member of the Council of Regional Directors for Region 1 and vice chair of that group for one term.  She has also served as a faculty secretary.  She re-chartered the University of Miami’s ODK alumni circle.  Cie believes strongly in the mission of ODK and has always valued her involvement with the organization.  She is a 2004 recipient of ODK’s Eldridge W. Roark, Jr. Meritorious Service Award.

In addition to attending as many Miami Hurricane football games as possible, Cie enjoys reading, spending time with her family and volunteering in the community.

Willie L. Banks Jr. is in initiate of the University of Georgia Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa and served as an advisor to the circle for a number of years. He is currently affiliated with the Indiana State University Circle and serves as a member-at-large for the Society Board of Directors.

Willie serves as the vice president for student affairs at Indiana State University, a position he has held since May 2015. He also holds an appointment as an assistant professor within the Bayh College of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership. As the chief student affairs officer, Willie reports directly to the university president. The Division of Student Affairs provides programs and services that support the co-curricular involvement of more than 13,500 students. As part of his responsibilities, he is charged with providing oversight for the Charles E. Brown African American Cultural Center, Office of the Dean of Students, Student Counseling Center, Student Activities and Organizations, Hulman Memorial Student Union, Campus Recreation, Fraternity and Sorority Life, Student Conduct and Integrity, Residential Life, Dining Services, and Multicultural Services and Programs.

Prior to joining Indiana State University, Willie worked for Cleveland State University in Cleveland, Ohio for three and a half years in a variety of positions, including associate dean of students, interim assistant vice president for student affairs, and interim vice president for student affairs. He previously worked at the University of Georgia for more than 18 years in a variety of positions within the Division of Student Affairs including as director of the Tate Student Center and Campus Life and associate dean of students for intercultural affairs.

During his time at the University of Georgia, Willie held graduate faculty status with the College of Education and served as an instructor for a number of courses within the College Student Affairs Administration (CSAA) program, including College Student Ecology, Issues in Student Affairs Administration, and College Student Affairs Interventions.

Professionally, Willie is involved with ACPA, ACUI, and NASPA. Additionally, he serves on the Board of Directors for the United Way of the Wabash Valley and is a member of 100 Men Who Care of Terre Haute, Indiana. Willie received his undergraduate degree from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia and his master’s and Ph.D. in college student affairs administration from the University of Georgia.