Board of Trustees

Board Chair Matthew W. Clifford is the assistant vice president and dean of residence life and housing 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 and Foundation Board of Trustees as a member-at-large. Additionally, he has served as a faculty officer for circles at Jacksonville University and Wake Forest University. Matthew also current chairs the board’s Executive Committee. His current term of the board ends in June 2021.

In addition to his involvement in O∆K, Matthew is very involved with the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), where he is a 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. He is married to Joanne Clifford, and they are the parents of four children. The Cliffords live in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Sally K. Albrecht is a popular choral composer, conductor, and clinician, especially known for her work with choral movement. She was initiated into Omicron Delta Kappa at Rollins College where she earned her undergraduate degree and was active with Phi Mu, Chapel Choir and many theatre productions. She went on to earn a Master of Arts in drama and Master of Music in accompanying from the University of Miami.

An annual recipient of the ASCAP Special Music Award since 1987, Sally has more than 550 popular choral publications in print, 75 larger elementary songbooks and musicals, plus has developed 20 choral movement instructional DVDs. She has directed and staged the half-time show singers performing during two Florida Citrus Bowls, and she has conducted hundreds of honor choir events including festivals at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and The Kennedy Center. She was an accompanist for Fred Waring and has taught in the music departments at Oakland University (Mich.), Jersey City State College (N.J.), and Meredith College (N.C.). For more than three decades, she was the Director of School Choral Publications for two major educational music publishing companies, most recently for Alfred Music.

Sally’s music has been performed around the world, including at the 2009 Presidential Inauguration Ceremonies, as the Pope arrived in Philadelphia in 2015, by the 2016 Texas Elementary All-State Choir, in both Carnegie Hall and The Kennedy Center. She also composed (and co-wrote the lyrics for) “We’re Proud to Be O∆K,” the O∆K theme song.

Sally has served Omicron Delta Kappa as a member of both the Foundation Scholarship Selection Committee and the Board of Trustees. She was the proud recipient of the O∆K Pillar of Leadership Award in Creative and Performing Arts in 2014. She served as the Foundation President from 2018-19. She is the chair-elect of the Omicron Delta Kappa Society and Educational Foundation Board of Trustees. Sally is also the chair of the board’s Governance and Trusteeship Committee. Her current term on the board ends in June 2022.

Sally and her husband, composer/arranger Jay Althouse, currently enjoy living in Raleigh, N.C.

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 president for two years after taking a fifth-year before graduating. Andrew previously served O∆K as a member of the first Student Advisory Board, the Membership and Circle Standards Committee, and the Society Board of Directors as a student member-at-large. He is currently the national student vice chair and chair of the Student Advisory Board. His current term on the board will conclude in June 2021.

Andrew earned his Bachelor of Science 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.

Andrew and his wife Rachel Amity Brown reside in Lafayette, Ind.

Michael Christakis is an initiate of the Alfred University Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa, where he served as the circle’s chartering president. He was elected Province I student director in 1999, O∆K’s first-ever national student vice president in 2000, and later national vice president for Circle Standards in 2002 until his election as national president in 2012. He served as immediate past national president from 2016-19. Mike currently serves as immediate past board chair. His current term on the board ends in June 2020.

Mike is the vice president for student affairs and a professor of public service at the University at Albany where he serves as the university’s chief student affairs officer and provides leadership and vision in administering a comprehensive student affairs program which promotes the academic achievement and personal development of all students and fosters collaborative relationships among students, faculty, staff, and the community.

Since his arrival to the University at Albany in 1999, Mike has served as associate and assistant vice president for student affairs, assistant to the vice president for student affairs, assistant director of residential life, and as a residence hall director.

Mike serves on the NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education – Region II Advisory Board, co-leads the NASPA Region II Mid-Managers Institute, serves as national co-chair of NASPA’s Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Knowledge Community, and is president of the Board of Directors of the University Auxiliary Services at Albany, Inc.

He has previously served as a trustee of his undergraduate alma mater, Alfred University, vice chair of the Board of Directors of the State Academy for Public Administration, to which he was elected a fellow in 2010, president of the Alfred University Alumni Association, NASPA Region II conference chair, and chapter president of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA).

Mike received his Ph.D. in public administration and policy and his Master of Public Policy from the University at Albany’s Rockefeller College of Public Affairs. He received his Bachelor of Arts in history and political science (with honors) from Alfred University. He resides in East Greenbush, N.Y. with his wife, Christa (Alfred University, 1999), and their three daughters, Katerina, Victoria, and Anastasia.

In January 2013, Darwin was appointed national treasurer 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. He also chairs the Finance Committee.

Presently, Darwin is a faculty member in the accounting program at Long Island University and works as a New York State-licensed certified public accountant. Previously, Darwin was with the accounting firms of Ernest and Young and KPMG. He previously 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, he has served as 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 2005–06 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.  Darwin and his wife Shalon have two children, and the family resides in Passaic, N.J.

Jeffery Edwards is a 1981 initiate of the Alpha Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa at Washington and Lee University. He was appointed O∆K’s national counsel in 2016.

Jeff is a partner with the law firm of Hunton Andrews Kurth based in Richmond, Va. His litigation experience includes a variety of subject matters in different forums around the country. In addition to handling proceedings addressing general complex business disputes, Jeff has significant experience handling utility-related disputes (including the gas pipeline, telecommunications, electric, and nuclear industries; and involving regulatory, operations, and condemnation issues), post-M&A disputes, product safety issues, environmental and toxic tort matters, corporate governance matters, and real estate issues. Jeff’s work includes both advice and counseling as well as handling disputes when they arise.

Jeff is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and in Virginia federal and state courts. He is a regular participant in the Washington and Lee Legal Ethics Institute at Washington and Lee University and an instructor in Washington and Lee University Law School’s Third Year Practicum.

In addition to earning his undergraduate degree from W&L in 1978, Jeff also earned his law degree from Washington and Lee in 1981. As an undergraduate, he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. During law school, he was inducted into the Order of the Coif and was the lead articles editor for the Washington and Lee University Law Review. He was also the recipient of the John W. Davis (highest GPA) and Ring-Tum Phi (University Service) awards.

Jeff and his wife Rhonda live in Manakin Sabot, Virginia, and are the parents of two adult children.

Hameidah Alsafwani was initiated into the University of Nebraska – Omaha (UNO) Circle in November 2017. She has been active in circle activities since and attended the 2018 Biennial National Convention and Leadership Conference in Nashville, Tenn. She is currently serving as the national student vice chair-elect and as member of the Student Advisory Board. Her current term on the Board of Trustees will conclude in June 2022.

Hameidah graduated in May 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in emergency management with concentrations in the private sector and criminal justice. She is presently enrolled in a Master of Public Administration program while working as a graduate assistant in UNO’s Office of University Communications. She is also working part-time as a hotline associate in the Office of Mayor for Omaha.

During the 2017-18 academic year, Hameidah served as the vice president of the UNO student body. She worked with university administrators and faculty members in promoting school spirit and improving the overall campus experience for all UNO students and staff. She served on several committees that were focused on developing a strategy for growth and a plan of excellence. As a student, Hameidah still participates in outreach events within the university community and participates in various volunteer opportunities.

Previously, Hameidah interned with the Douglas County Emergency Management Agency where she worked on several emergency prevention projects. She still volunteers to help with emergency exercises and plans for the agency. Also, she continues to serve as a volunteer for the community TEDx program including assisting with the speaker selection, event promotion, and program coordination.

Hameidah lives, works, and attends graduate school in Omaha, Neb.

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 was elected to the Society Board of Directors in 2018. He currently serves as a trustee-at-large and chair of the Equity and Inclusivity Committee (an operating committee of the Society). His current term on the board ends in 2020.

Willie currently serves as the vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of California, Irvine, a position he has held since July 15, 2019. In his position, Willie is charged with providing oversight and direction to the Division of Student Affairs, which is comprised of clusters addressing the whole development of UCI students. These clusters include auxiliary services; student life and leadership; and wellness, health, and counseling services. The division employs more than 800 fulltime staff and 1,000 student employees. The division is dedicated to transforming the lives of the more than 35,000 students attending UCI.

Previously, Willie was the vice president for student affairs at Indiana State University. While at ISU, he also held an appointment as an assistant professor within the Bayh College of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership. The Division of Student Affairs at Indiana State provides programs and services that support the co-curricular involvement of more than 13,500 students.

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 American College Personnel Association (ACPA), Association of College Unions International (ACUI), and Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA). Willie previously served on the Board of Directors for the Association of College Unions International, the United Way of the Wabash Valley, and was member of the Terre Haute Rotary Club. He received his undergraduate degree from Mercer University in Macon, Ga. and his master’s and Ph.D. in college student affairs administration from the University of Georgia.

Throughout her education and career, Omicron Delta Kappa has remained an important part of Cie Cochran’s life. Over the past 18 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, a member-at-large on the Board of Directors, and chair of the National Advisory Council. She also re-chartered the University of Miami’s O∆K alumni circle in her service. She is a 2004 recipient of Omicron Delta Kappa’s Eldridge W. Roark, Jr. Meritorious Service Award.

Currently, Cie serves as a trustee-at-large of the Board of Trustees and as chair of the Volunteer Engagement Committee (an operating committee of the Society). Her current term on the board ends in 2021.

Cie currently owns SMT Grant and Non-profit Services and serves as an independent grant writer and non-profit liaison for organizations in the region.

Cie 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 Evanston, Ill. where she worked in the Center for Student Involvement. Cie then began a career in alumni relations and served as the director of alumni engagement for the University of Miami Alumni Association where she was responsible for the management of alumni weekend, reunions, and affinity engagement initiatives. Following her career at Miami, Cie left higher education to work as the director of development for a women’s shelter.

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. Cie currently serves on the boards for several local organizations focused on youth in the arts and the human services sector. Cie is also a proud Cub Scout Den Leader and Girl Scout Troop Leader. Cie and her husband Myles Cochran (University of Miami, 2002), along with their three children, presently live in Bentonville, Ark.

Virginia “Ginny” B. Edwards, a communications and organizational-development consultant, is a 1977 initiate of the University of Kentucky Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa. She became joined the Foundation Board of Trustees in June 2016. Currently, Ginny serves as a trustee-at-large, and her present term will conclude in June 2022.

Ginny was the president of Editorial Projects in Education, the nonprofit corporation that publishes Education Week and edweek.org, from March 1997 until she stepped down in July 2016. In the face of dramatic media disruption, she is credited with energetically evolving EPE and Ed Week over the years from a print-only publication to a thriving, financially successful 24/7 digital news operation.

Ginny also served as the editor-in-chief of Education Week – the premier “news outlet of record” for pre-collegiate education in the U.S. – from 1989-2016. The newspaper, published 37 times a year, is read by more than 200,000 subscribers and “pass-along” readers. For 20 years, she was also the editor of edweek.org, which reaches an audience of more than 1.6 million registered users, and, in 2015, she launched the Education Week Video unit to produce segments for the PBS NewsHour and other broadcast partners as well as digital video and other multimedia content for edweek.org and other online platforms.

Before joining EPE, Ginny worked for two years for the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and, for the nearly 10 years before that, was an editor and reporter at The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky.

A frequent speaker on education-policy and media issues, Ginny has served on the boards of several nonprofit organizations, including, currently, the National Writing Project; Seek Common Ground, a network of state advocacy coalitions working to improve educational prospects for all children; and TeachingWorks at the University of Michigan.

Ginny and her husband Rick Colvin recently  became residents of Savannah, Ga.

At the University of Kentucky (UK), John Herbst served as the executive director of the Student Center from 1997-2019. Previously, he was the director of student activities at UK. He has been recognized nationally as both the Outstanding Student Government Advisor (2000) and the Outstanding Student Activities Director (1985), and he has also served on the national Board of Directors of the National Association for Campus Activities. In addition to his responsibilities as director of the student center, he also serves as the University Commencement Committee Chairman and was on the university’s SACS Reaffirmation of Accreditation Team. He has also been a member of the University Student Affairs Crisis Response Team and is FEMA certified as a Campus-Community Emergency Response Team Trainer.

John has produced a number of entertainment shows for television and Lexington Gala Fundraisers, including serving as Executive Producer for “Ladies of Note,” recognized by the National Educational Television Association as first place major concert performance in a major market.

John was initiated into the University of Kentucky’s Nu Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa in 1985. He has served as the faculty secretary/circle coordinator of the circle since 1991. From 2006-10, he was a regional director for O∆K, and he was national convention chair in 2002. He has also been a member of the General Council and a faculty province director. John has also served as parliamentarian for the 2006, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2016, and 2018 conventions. John currently serves Omicron Delta Kappa as a faculty/staff trustee. His current term on the board ends in June 2020.

He is a recipient of both the Eldridge Roark Meritorious Service Award and the Cheryl M. Hogle Distinguished Service Award. He has chaired both the National Public Relations Committee and the National Awards Committee. John was a member of the National Advisory Council from 2010-16.

In his free time, John is a commercial hot air balloon pilot and enjoys travelling and spending time with his son, Marshall. He also has served as the chairman of Christian Education at his church in Lexington. John also currently serves on the board of directors of a private Christian school in Lexington, Kentucky, the community in which he resides.

Linda M. Hooks was inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa as an undergraduate at Louisiana State University, where she was student government vice president and Panhellenic president. She has served as the faculty advisor to the Alpha Circle of O∆K at Washington and Lee University since 2010. She was the member-at-large representing academe for the 2016-18 Society Board of Directors and previously serves as National Vice President. Linda is currently a faculty/staff trustee and chair of the Mission Committee. Her current term on the board will conclude in June 2021.

Linda is professor of economics at Washington and Lee University. She teaches money and banking, principles of macroeconomics, and a senior research seminar. She has also led a travel-based seminar on the European monetary union. Her research has been published in the Journal of Economic History, Journal of Financial Services Research, Review of Financial Economics, Contemporary Economic Policy, The Group of Thirty monograph series, and Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas publications. Linda is a past recipient of an American Association of University Women (AAUW) American Fellowship for sabbatical support.

She previously worked as an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. She received her Ph.D. and Master of Arts in economics from University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).

For O∆K, Linda has served as a member of the Centennial Celebration committee and as the liaison to W&L for the Centennial Convention held in Lexington, Va. She served on an ad hoc committee to discuss the terminology used for faculty officers and on the national nominating committee. As a faculty officer, she has attended faculty-officer training sessions, drive-in meetings, and three national conventions.

At Washington and Lee, Linda has served on numerous university-wide committees including the President’s Advisory Committee for tenure and promotion and on search committees for the university president, provost, and vice president for advancement. She is faculty advisor to Panhellenic and chaired a committee on student academic support. Linda is president of the Virginia Association of Economists. In the local community, she is a member of the Endowment Board of Directors for Manly Memorial Baptist Church, volunteers at the local elementary and middle schools, and is president of the Storm swim team booster club. Linda and her two sons reside in Lexington, Va.

Michael (Mike) James is a 1995 charter member of the Harding University Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa. He directed and organized this new circle at the urging of Dr. James F. Carr, whose strong O∆K roots were formed at Florida State University. He has served as circle coordinator since that date, except for five years while serving Harding in Greece. Mike has also served O∆K as national regional director and as a member of the National Advisory Council. He received the Eldridge W. Roark Meritorious Service Award in 2008. He was appointed to the Society Board of Directors in 2018. Mike currently served as a faculty/staff trustee, and he is chair-elect of the Mission Committee. His current term on the board ends in June 2022.

Mike is currently serving Harding University as dean of the Honors College, directing the curriculum, faculty, and student activities. More than 1,100 honors students comprise this group from among the 6,000-member student body. He actively participates in the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) and the six-state regional Great Plains Honors Council (GPHC), where he currently serves as president-elect. He also directs the Fellowship Advising Office, promoting the selection of national prestigious fellowships and scholarships, and is a member of the National Association of Fellowship Advisors (NAFA). In the summer, Mike directs the highly-successful “Honors Symposium” of four two-week sessions for rising high school seniors.

Academically, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from Harding, a Master of Science in mass communication from Arkansas State University, and a Ph.D. in communication from Florida State University. He has served as faculty member, department chair, program director, and dean during his tenure. He currently holds the rank of distinguished professor of communication, granted to him after receiving the Distinguished Teaching Award on three occasions. Prior to his current role as dean, Mike served as the director of the Harding University, Greece (HUG) program. With his wife, Beth, he directed all aspects of this semester-abroad program with travels (three per year) to Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, Israel, and other countries in Europe from a home base in Porto Rafti, Greece. Mike is a former officer in the Army Corps of Engineers with service in Germany, England, and the U.S.

Mike is the organizer for newly formed TEDxHardingU, having received their first TED license in 2017. The successful inaugural event contained seven life-oriented presentations, and forms the basis for the 2018 event slated for November 13. In preparation and training for the event, Mike was invited to attend “TEDGlobal 2017” in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.

Mike is a member of the Searcy Rotary club, serving as secretary and president-elect. He is a member of the President’s Development Council and Provost Council at Harding. He mentors the student-led “Honors Council” and serves a men’s club, Chi Sigma Alpha (XEA) as sponsor and mentor. Mike is a leader in his church, loves to travel, and is an avid photographer, having photographed more than 2,500 weddings and thousands of portraits from his private photography business. He is an FAA-licensed drone pilot and prepares many videos for publication Though not playing much currently, he loves golf. He and his wife, Beth, have four married children that supply them with eight lovely grandchildren to help nurture. The Hardings reside in Searcy, Ark.

Richard (Rich) S. Johnson is a native of Richmond, Va. His affiliation with Omicron Delta Kappa began with his friendship with former O∆K National President Dr. Steve Bisese of the University of Richmond. Rich’s initial involvement included assisting with real estate issues in connection with the relocation of the national headquarters to Lexington, Va. Additionally, he had a significant role in the development and execution of the fundraising campaign to purchase the Lexington train station for O∆K’s headquarters. The executive director’s office bears his name, and he has continued to provide advice and counsel in relation to the building including a recent study establishing the protocols for preserving and maintaining the historic facility. Rich joined the Board of the O∆K Foundation Board of Trustees in 2016. He presently serving as a trustee-at-large, and his current term will conclude in June 2021.

Since Dec. 2002, Rich has been chairman, president and chief executive officer of The Wilton Companies, a real estate investment company which owns, leases, and manages a diverse portfolio of real estate investment assets located in Va. and N.C. From 1985 to Dec. 2002, Rich served as president of Southern Financial Corporation of Virginia, president of Southern Financial Title Corporation, and co-owner of General Land Company of Virginia, Inc.

Rich has been active with alumni activities at the University of Richmond for many years and in many capacities. He has chaired the Alumni Association of the Robins School of Business as well as its annual fund. He served on the Board of Associates and subsequently on the Board of Trustees where he chaired the Student Development Committee where Dr. Bisese was the liaison to the board. He has served for many years on the Business Management Committee of the University as well. He is especially supportive of the Robins School of Business and the Spider Club.

Rich is a member of the Board of Directors, Executive, ACER, ALCO and Compensation Committees of First Community Bancshares, Inc., and First Community Bank. He also is a trustee emeritus of the University of Richmond, past director of the State Fair of Virginia, Inc., director emeritus of Ducks Unlimited, Inc., past director of Ducks Unlimited Canada, and as past director and past chairman of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Economic Development Authority of the City of Richmond, Va. Rich received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Richmond and a Master of Science from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Rich and his wife Joyce have two daughters and two grandchildren.

Rich Pirrotta is a frequent speaker, seminar leader, and teacher on the topics of leadership, strategy, motivation, e-business, and environmental management. He has been a member of the National Speakers Association, the leading organization for professional speakers, since 1999. His topics draw from his experiences as a line executive, management consultant, and teacher over the last 20 years. Rich is a senior operational leader, with a bias for action and a record of accomplishment for delivering outstanding business results in manufacturing, technology and e-commerce. He has broad, cross-organizational experience in strategy and strategy execution, management, finance, and operations, and has worked in over 30 countries. He is equally comfortable participating in strategic discussions with top-level management or working shoulder-to-shoulder with line personnel to get a job done.

Rich holds a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Business Administration in financial management and operations management from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Rich has served in a variety of positions: as a vice president of a division of a Fortune 50 company, general manager of an e-commerce startup that grew from five to 200 employees, senior manager with the mergers and acquisitions practice of Deloitte & Touche, senior manager in the manufacturing practice of Deloitte Consulting, and in product development with Procter & Gamble, where he earned a U.S. Patent on Pringle’s Potato Chips. He has deep functional experience in strategy development, operations, and transformational change, and he has served as a board member of six companies in various stages of growth. Most recently, Rich was involved with his own firm in consulting to businesses from the startup stage to $400 million in revenue.

With more than 20 years of experience in manufacturing, technology, and restructuring, Rich is a senior operational leader, with a bias for action and a record of accomplishment in delivering outstanding business results. He has broad, cross-organizational experience in operations, strategy, turnaround, management, and finance, and he has worked in more than 35 countries. He is equally comfortable leading or participating in strategic discussions with top-level management or working shoulder-to-shoulder with line personnel to get a job done.

Rich has served in president, vice president, COO, and CFO roles as a line executive, as well as spending ten years with Deloitte, first with their management consulting practice in Detroit, and later, with their mergers and acquisition practice in New York. As a consultant and adviser, he has contributed significant value to companies such as General Motors, RJR Nabisco, United Technologies, Merck, and Chevron.

Rich has also served as COO and CFO for a cloud based financial technology provider. He previously served in consecutive roles as president of Fastener Advance Products, COO of Enterprise Automotive Systems, and president of Vogel Industries, three Tier 1 precision component manufacturers ranging in size from $15 – $70 million. Each required growth, restructuring, and turnaround expertise in Michigan’s difficult economy. One of the companies required an orderly liquidation of the business, and Rich led the organization to a full $20 million payout of the lender’s position. His prior experience also includes serving as a vice president of a systems integration division of British Telecom.

Rich has deep functional experience in transformational change and strategy development, and he is a frequent speaker and seminar leader. He has taught in MBA programs at Wharton and the University of Michigan. He previously served as chairman of Wharton’s Global Alumni Association, with responsibility for an alumni network of more than 85,000 graduates.

He is an initiate of the Pennsylvania State University Circle where he also served as circle president. He served as O∆K’s National Treasurer from 1992-98 and Foundation Treasurer from 2011-16. He also served as a member of the O∆K Society Board of Directors from 1998-2000. Rich is a 2000 recipient of O∆K’s Eldridge W. Roark Jr. Meritorious Service Award. He previously served as a trustee of the Omicron Delta Kappa Foundation. Currently, Rich is a trustee-at-large, and his present term will conclude in June 2020.

Rich, his wife Kat Phillips, and their son reside in Franklin, Mich.

Jonah Robison is a 2016 initiate of the Clemson University Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa. He served as his circle’s president during the 2018-19 academic year, and as circle vice president the year prior. At the national level, Jonah serves as a student trustee on the Omicron Delta Kappa Society and Educational Foundation Board of Trustees. He is also a member of the Student Advisory Board and the Mission Committee. His current term on the Board of Trustees will conclude in June 2020.

Jonah recently completed his undergraduate studies in bioengineering and economics at Clemson University. He now works as a patent and technology analyst at Neo IP in Durham, North Carolina. He eventually plans to attend law school and pursue a career in medical product management and commercialization.

He led the Clemson Circle in increasing its reach of charitable giving for scholarships and grants, distributing more than $40,000 to students and organizations that make a difference in the Clemson community, as well as establishing a Clemson-specific endowed scholarship through O∆K. Jonah was also an active member of student government, serving as an assistant attorney general on the student Judicial Board, as a member of Clemson LEAD Forward, as the director of professional development for the Clemson chapter of Rotaract, and served as a representative for students for administrative hearings, including those for Title IX. Jonah has also presented research on low-cost prosthetic devices at several national conferences.

Before joining Neo IP, Jonah held a variety of internships focused on bringing products to market. Jonah worked as a biomedical design intern at the Medical College of Wisconsin and a regulatory affairs intern at Zimmer Biomet Inc. He also completed a co-op at Clemson’s technology transfer office. Additionally, Jonah has conducted marketing work at the Clemson Light Imaging Facility and served in product management and marketing roles for Thermo Fisher Scientific.

Andristine Robinson is a 1999 initiate of the St. Mary’s College of Maryland Circle and served as its founding faculty secretary/circle coordinator. From 2002-06, she served as the Province III faculty director. Andristine also served the Society as the national vice president for extension from 2006-12. Over the years, she has chaired the Resolutions Committee, the Committee on Extension, and the Ritual Review Ad Hoc Committee. Her past and current committee memberships include the Scholarship Review and Selection Committee, Joint Audit Committee, Executive Director Search Committee, Budget and Finance Committee, National Leader of the Year Committee, and the Membership Task Force.

Andristine received the Meritorious Service Award in 2003, and the Cheryl M. Hogle Distinguished Service Award in 2014. She became a member of the O∆K Foundation Board of Trustees in 2016. She is presently a trustee-at-large, and her current term will conclude in June 2020.

Andristine is currently the director of governance and diversity in the Office of the President at Prince George’s Community College (PGCC). In this role, she assists the president in establishing an agenda for the effective and efficient operation of the college. This includes coordinating institutional projects on behalf of the president and/or the chief of staff. Andristine provides major administrative support for the college’s governance system, the college-wide forum, and serves as PGCC’s chief diversity officer. She chairs the Commencement, Cultural Diversity, Interfaith and Community Service, and Civic Action committees for the college. In 2008, Andristine received the Administrator of the Year Award; and in 2014, she received the President’s Medal – the highest award that can be received by an employee.

Professionally, she is a member of the American Association for Access, Equity, and Diversity (AAAED), the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), the American Association of University Women (AAUW), the Maryland Community College Diversity Roundtable (which she co-chairs), the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), and the North American Association of Commencement Officers (NAACO). Andristine currently serves as a member of the Advisory Board for Women in Maryland Higher Education (WIMHE). She is also a member of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE).

While at PGCC, Andristine also served as the director of institutional initiatives and director of student services operations as well the interim dean of College Life Services. Prior to this, she worked as the assistant dean for student programs at St. Mary’s College of Maryland and as the associate dean of students/assistant vice president for student affairs at Lincoln University (Pennsylvania). Andristine began her work in higher education at West Virginia State University in residential life.

Andristine’s community involvement includes the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. for which she is the president for the graduate chapter in Calvert County, Maryland. She is a 2014 graduate of Leadership Prince George’s and continues to volunteer for the organization. Andristine is the historian of the D.C. Metro Alumni Chapter of Lincoln University which sponsors activities for the community and new students attending the university.

She has served on the following boards: Leadership Prince George’s, Friends of Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum Board of Directors, Women in Maryland Higher Education Executive Board, and The St. Mary’s Ballet, Inc. Board of Directors. She also served for a number of years as a volunteer for the Southern Maryland Light the Night Leukemia Walk Planning Committee for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Maryland.

Andristine earned her Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Lincoln University, graduating cum laude, and her Master of Arts in guidance and counseling (with a specialization in college student personnel) from Marshall University.  Andristine and her husband Lewis reside in Huntingtown, Md. and have two adult children and have five grandchildren.

Gene Siegal is a 1974 initiate of the University of Louisville Circle having been elected in his senior year of medical school. He was first appointed to Omicron Delta Kappa’s National Advisory Council in 2016 and has subsequently served on its Volunteer Engagement Task Force.  Gene currently serves as a trustee-at-large, and his current term will conclude in June 2022.

Gene is the Robert W. Mowry Endowed Professor of Pathology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and since January 2018, he has served as the interim chair of its Department of Genetics. He holds secondary appointments as a professor of Genetics, Surgery and Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology also at UAB. In the quarter of century prior to that he was the director of its Division of Anatomic Pathology, executive vice-chair of Pathology, and the interim chair of its Department of Pathology.

He is an experimental and diagnostic musculoskeletal pathologist whose research interest for over three decades has been focused in cancer biology. Gene’s clinical research interests have centered on studies of bone tumors and related conditions, a field in which he is a recognized world authority. For many years, he served as chair of the Osteosarcoma Pathology Committee of the Pediatric Oncology Group and he continues as an expert reviewer to its successor organization, the Children’s Oncology Group in the area of pediatric bone tumors including Ewing’s sarcoma.

Gene also holds the rank of senior scientist in the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center and multiple other centers on campus. Prior to coming to UAB, he was a faculty member at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Gene completed his undergraduate work at Adelphi University in New York, in addition to his M.D. from Louisville, he has a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and holds a certificate from the University of North Carolina Flagler School of Business Administration. He completed post-graduate studies at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine, the National Cancer Institute, N.I.H., and the University of Minnesota. Gene is a fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, London as well as a member of Phi Beta Delta, the Honor Society for International Scholars, and Alpha Omega Alpha, the medical honor society, along with multiple other honors.

He has published in excess of 700 peer-reviewed manuscripts, book chapters, abstracts and other professional writings along with multiple books. Gene is the former senior associate editor of The American Journal of Pathology, is one of the section editors for Bone and Soft Tissue Pathology for the Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, is the executive editor of the Journal of Cytology and Histology in addition to being the current editor-in-chief of Laboratory Investigation.

Gene is well known for his commitment to diversity and his faculty and trainees encompass a rich spectrum of individuals of all genders, races, religious backgrounds, and ethnicities. This is all the remarkable for the fact that it was accomplished in a part of the nation and in a city which was at the heart of the struggle for civil rights. Since 2015, he has served as an Internal Advisory Board Member of the Morehead School of Medicine/Tuskegee University/UAB CCC Partnership.

Finally, he is a past president of the Arthur Purdy Stout Society of Surgical Pathologists, past chair of the Publications Committee of the CAP, past chair of the Fellow Council of the American Society of Clinical Pathology, and past chair of the Intersociety Pathology Council. He has served or is serving on the Executive Committees of the Association of Directors of Anatomic and Surgical Pathology, the American Society for Investigative Pathology, the Internal Skeletal Society, the International Society for Bone and Soft Tissue Pathology, and the American Society of Clinical Pathology. Earlier, he shared with M.J. Pitt the Farrell Prize of the International Skeletal Society and was named the American Society of Investigative Pathology’s Robbins Distinguished Educator. In 2017, the College of American Pathologists awarded him their Lifetime Achievement award.

Marc Slotnick was initiated into Omicron Delta Kappa while he was a student at the University of Miami where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts and later obtained his law degree. He is a trustee-at-large, and his current term will conclude in June 2021.

Marc is a partner of Bailey & Slotnick, PLLC a member of Bailey & Wyant, PLLC in Charleston, W.Va. In this role, his practice focuses on residential and commercial real estate matters throughout the State of West Virginia; wills, trusts, and estate planning; corporate entities; and contracts.

Marc has presented various seminars before lawyers, real estate agents, and the general public on topics including “Advanced Directives;” “Real Estate Attorneys in West Virginia;” “Computers in Real Estate Law;” “Short Sales;” “Wills and Estates;” “A Guide to Estate Planning;” “What is a Contract;” “Ethics for Realtors: Fiduciary Duties and Other Responsibilities;” “REO Closings and Indemnity Letter” and “The New Closing Disclosure [or Let’s Wait Another 3 Days].”

Professionally, Marc is a member of the American Bar Association; West Virginia State Bar; West Virginia Bar Association; The Florida Bar; American Land Title Association; ALTA State Legislative/Regulatory Action Committee; West Virginia Bar Association Probate Committee; West Virginia State Bar Association; and affiliate member of Kanawha Valley Board of Realtors. He is an agent for First American Title Insurance Company; Chicago Title Insurance Company; Old Republic National Title Insurance Company and WFG National Title Insurance Company. He was a past president of Kanawha Valley Board of Realtors Foundation Board of Trustees and past chairperson of the West Virginia Bar Association, Real Estate Division.

In addition, Marc is the president of Federated Jewish Charities of Charleston, Inc., a member of Jewish Federations of North America Network Advisory, and past president of B’nai Jacob Synagogue, Charleston, W.Va. Marc and wife Ellen live in Charleston and have two adult daughters.

Jeff Stone is a 1977 initiate of the Auburn University Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa. While at Auburn, he served as President of the Student Government Association. Jeff resides in Birmingham, Alabama, with his wife, Linda (Auburn University, 1977). The Stones have three children and four grandchildren. Jeff became a member of the ODK Foundation Board of Trustees in 2016. He currently serves as a trustee-at-large and as chair of the Development Committee. His current term on the board ends in June 2022.

Jeff currently serves as Executive Vice President for Birmingham based general contractor, Brasfield & Gorrie. In his current role, Jeff oversees field operations and corporate support functions for approximately $4.0 billion in annual construction revenues, 37 operating divisions, and projects in 22 states, while serving on the company’s Executive Board. As a member of the Executive Board, Jeff assists in mapping marketing and financial strategies for future growth. Brasfield & Gorrie is one of the nation’s largest privately held construction firms with projects in multiple market sectors including commercial, healthcare, industrial, and civil construction.

Jeff has more than 40 years of construction experience with Brasfield & Gorrie, including 10 years of managing competitive bid and negotiated healthcare and commercial projects ranging up to $85 million. Prior to becoming Executive Vice President, Jeff was Manager of the Healthcare Division, Vice President of Operations, Regional President, and Chief Operating Officer responsible for more than $900 million in projects.

Jeff helps shape future construction and engineering leaders through his deep involvement at Auburn University, where he served as chairman of the Auburn University Foundation. Jeff is a member of Auburn’s 1856 Society, the Petrie Society, the Engineering Keystone Society and the Engineering Campaign Leadership Team. He is the former chairman of the Auburn Alumni Engineering Council. Jeff received the Distinguished Auburn Engineer Award in 2012 and was inducted into the State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame in 2014. In 2019, Jeff was recognized by the Auburn Alumni Association with its Lifetime Achievement Award.

In addition to his company and industry leadership, Jeff devotes much of his time to civic and philanthropic efforts. These efforts were recently recognized by the United Way Tocqueville Society with the Mervyn H. Stern Award, for the most significant contribution to the success of a United Way Campaign (2015). In 2019, Jeff served as Campaign Chairman for the United Way of Central Alabama.

He is a former chairman of Samford University’s Board of Overseers and is a member of the Birmingham Southern College Norton Board. Jeff also currently serves on the board of the United Way of Central Alabama, the Rotary Club of Birmingham, and The Crippled Children’s Foundation. He is a member of Canterbury United Methodist Church where he serves on the church council and on the board of the Canterbury Foundation.

Additionally, he has served on the boards of the American Red Cross, the Civic Club Foundation, REV Birmingham, and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, where he was recognized as its Living and Giving Honoree in 2011. Jeff is a Past President of the Birmingham Sunrise Rotary Club and a Paul Harris Fellow. He is also a graduate of Leadership Birmingham and Leadership Alabama.

Sandra “Sandy” B. Thurmond is a 1987 initiate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa. Sandy serves as a trustee-at-large, and her current term will conclude in June 2022.

Sandy is the vice president of primary care services at Children’s of Alabama and as such is responsible for responsible for the operations and development of Children’s primary care network Pediatric Practice Solutions (PPS), as well as for maintaining and improving relationships with pediatricians around the state of Alabama. She began working with PPS in 1995 at the time it was created, and PPS has grown to 13 offices located around Alabama which provided approximately 337,000 patient visits in 2018. Children’s of Alabama is a private, not-for-profit medical center, and it is the only medical center in Alabama dedicated solely to the care and treatment of children. Since 1911, Children’s of Alabama has provided specialized medical care for ill and injured children, and it is ranked among the best pediatric medical centers in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. With more than 2 million square feet, it is one of the largest pediatric medical facilities in the United States.

After completing her administrative residency at Children’s of Alabama in 1988, Sandy held administrative positions in both operations and facilities and worked with strategic planning.

Sandy is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and is a certified member of the Medical Group Management Association. She serves on the Board of Trustees, Executive Committee and is President-Elect of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Alabama. She also serves on the Board of Trustees of Birmingham-Southern College, is the Immediate Past President of its Alumni Board, and she is a 2019 Distinguished Alumni. Sandy also serves on the Executive Leadership Team of the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women initiative and on the United Way of Central Alabama’s Women United Advisory Group. She is a member of the UAB Department of Health Service Administration Women’s Health Care Leadership Initiative. Sandy received the UAB Commission on the Status of Women’s 2019 Outstanding Woman in the Community Award.

Sandy is a past president of the Alabama Healthcare Executives Forum and served three years on the National Chapters Committee of the American College of Healthcare Executives. She has served on boards of the Kiwanis Club of Metropolitan Birmingham, VSA Alabama, the Alabama Healthcare Executives Forum, and the Cahawba Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Sandy is also a past president of the Alumni Association of the Graduate Programs in Health Administration at UAB and a past recipient of its Distinguished Alumni Award. Sandy is a graduate of the Momentum Women’s Leadership program and of Project Corporate Leadership. She served two terms as Sr. Warden of the Vestry, is a Lay Eucharistic Minister and is an active member of St. Thomas Episcopal Church.

Sandy is an honors graduate of both Birmingham- Southern College (Bachelor of Science with a major in Biology) and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (Master of Science with a major in health administration). She is the mother of two boys, resides in Birmingham, Alabama, and her hobbies include fitness, reading and travel.

The Rev. Dr. William D. Razz Waff, Major General, U.S. Army (Retired) began college at Virginia Military Institute as a biology major where he was in the regimental band, brass choir, and big band, The Commanders. Sensing that he was better qualified to be a music major, he transferred to the University of Mississippi, where he was inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa during his junior year. As an undergraduate, Razz was chapter president and district president of Kappa Kappa Psi, the national band fraternity. He was also inducted into Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Mu Alpha. Razz graduated with a Bachelor of Music and as a Distinguished Military Graduate and was commissioned as a Regular Army Second Lieutenant as an Adjutant General’s Corps officer.

Previously, Razz served on the Society Board of Directors and as a co-chair of the Foundation’s Scholarship Review and Selection Committee. Currently, he is a trustee-at-large, and his present term on the board will conclude in June 2020.

Razz transferred to the Army Reserve when he left active duty to attend Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill. and graduated with a Master of Divinity. He was ordained as a priest in the Diocese of Upper South Carolina and completed his residency in clinical pastoral education at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

As a priest, he has focused on health care chaplaincy and medical ethics, serving as the director of pastoral care and ethics at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital in Racine, Wisc. and as director of pastoral care, ethics, and interpreter services at Vista Health in Waukegan, Ill. He is board certified as a chaplain by the Association of Professional Chaplains, where he served as the chair of the Standards Committee, as the national chair of the Joint Commission on Pastoral Services, and president of the Wisconsin Chaplaincy Commission.

Simultaneous with his work as a priest in healthcare and medical ethics, Razz served as a battalion commander, group commander, and division commander in the Army Reserve, with is last assignments before retirement as the deputy chief human resources officer of the Army and chair of the Army Reserve Forces Policy Committee as a Major General.

Academically, Razz also received a Doctor of Ministry with a focus on health care ethics through a joint venture of Georgetown University and the Graduate Theological Foundation, and a Master of Military Strategy from the U.S. Army War College. He is currently an adjunct faculty member of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth, Kan., and he is also serving his second term as a presidential appointee on the Board of Visitors for the Command and General Staff College.

Currently, Razz is serving as the executive director of the Military Chaplains Association, which is comprised of more than 2,000 active duty, reserve, and retired military and Veterans Affairs chaplains.

Razz and his wife Kathleen live in Weaverville, N.C. Their daughter Meeghan is an initiate of the Rhodes College Circle.

Rick Williams became a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa Foundation Board of Trustees in 2018. He is a 2001 initiate of the Grand Valley State University Circle of O∆K. Rick serves as a member of the Development Committee and is an active advocate for O∆K’s annual national leadership conference. He is also currently serving as a trustee-at-large, and his present term will conclude in June 2020.

Professionally, Rick works as a consultant primarily for biotech companies. He focuses on assisting them in bringing emerging technology to market. He also has a subspecialty focused on government relations for companies that are conducting government-funded research or are interested in doing business directly with the U.S. Government. Rick also served in the U.S. Army during the Global War on Terrorism. He left the Army as a captain after serving in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). He has stayed active in veteran’s causes through the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). He also assists veterans with U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs claim issues on a pro-bono basis.

In addition to a Juris Doctor degree, Rick has earned a Master of Business Administration in finance, a Master of Public Administration in public and non-profit administration, and a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences. He recently completed a three-year term on the Shriners Hospitals for Children Board of Trustees.

Rick and his wife Hannah Reynolds live in Grand Rapids, Mich. In his free time, Rick enjoys assisting veterans with legal issues, studying Masonic history, and training for and participating in adventure races.