Omicron Delta Kappa’s governing bodies have been fortunate to have many individuals who have served with distinction throughout years. In the interest of retaining connection with these dedicated volunteers, a number of members have been honored with the designation of trustee emeritus or trustee emerita. Designation of emeritus/a classification is authorized by majority vote of the Board of Trustees of the Omicron Delta Kappa Society and Educational Foundation. Emeriti trustees may continue to participate to in meetings of the board and participate in deliberations but shall have no vote and shall not be counted in computing a quorum at any meeting or in determining the total number of trustee required or permitted by the bylaws. They may, however, be appointed as voting members of governing or operating committees.
Trustee Emeritus Stephen D. Bisese has served as the vice president for student development at the University of Richmond since 2006. Prior to this appointment, he served as the dean of Richmond College from 2002 – 2006. In addition, Steve served as the vice president for student development at Georgetown College (Ky.) for ten years. His background also includes work in residence life at the University of Tennessee and The College of William and Mary. Initiated into The College of William and Mary Circle in 1982, Steve has gone on to serve Omicron Delta Kappa as its national vice president for extension (1998-2006) and as national president (2006-10). Steve has also served as a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa Foundation Board of Trustees. He has been an advisor for the Georgetown College and University of Richmond circles of Omicron Delta Kappa, and he is a 2014 recipient of the Cheryl M. Hogle Award for Distinguished Service. Steve is active as a committee chair for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and is a long-time member of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) and the Association of Colleges of the South (ACS). Steve is married and has two daughters. He loves golf but admits to not being very good at the game. Trustee Emeritus Bruce David Forbes is professor emeritus of religious studies and former chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa. He was a charter faculty member of the Morningside College Circle in 1983, when the college’s local unaffiliated upper class honor society sought membership in O∆K, and he has served as an active faculty member and as the faculty advisor to the circle for many years. Bruce was a member of the O∆K National Advisory Council from 2012-16 and served as its chair from 2014-16. He served as the National Vice President and chair of the Membership and Circle Standards Committee from 2016-18. He was named Trustee Emeritus in 2019. Bruce is the author of Christmas: A Candid History (2007) and a co-editor of Religion and Popular Culture in America (2000, 2005) and Rapture, Revelation and the End Times: Exploring the Left Behind Series (2004), plus numerous other book chapters and articles. His academic specialties are the history of American religion and the analysis of religion in popular culture. However, his teaching in a small department has developed his competencies as a generalist, offering a wide range of courses such as Introduction to Religious Studies, Christian Ethics, Science and Religion, American Indian Religions, Religion in America, History of Christianity, Philosophy of Religion, Religion and Politics, and Religion and Popular Culture. He also has served as a national and regional officer in the American Academy of Religion, the major scholarly society for faculty and graduate students in religious studies. Morningside is a teaching-focused institution, and Bruce has received every teaching award Morningside College has to offer: the Lucille and Charles Wert Faculty Excellence Award in 2002 (chosen annually by a faculty committee) and the O∆K Faculty of the Year Award in 1982 and 2002 (an award normally presented only once to a faculty member, chosen by O∆K members). In addition to these awards selected by faculty and by students, in 2003 Morningside College initiated the Sharon Walker Faculty Excellence Award, selected by outside evaluators and presented to three teachers annually. Bruce was one of the three recipients in the first year of the Walker awards, and in 2007 he became the first faculty member to receive it a second time. Bruce is a graduate of Morningside College where he received his undergraduate degree. He earned his Master of Theology degree from the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University, and his Doctor of Philosophy degree was earned at Princeton Theological Seminary. Trustee Emerita Sally Jones Hill received her Bachelor of Science from Auburn University where she was initiated in Chi Omega as an undergraduate and into Omicron Delta Kappa in 1998. She recently served Auburn as one of the co-chairs of its successful comprehensive campaign and as a member of its presidential search committee. She was named Omicron Foundation Trustee Emerita in 2017. Sally’s career has spanned from education to business to horse breeding. She taught at her alma mater as well as West Chester University of Pennsylvania. She was the personnel director for the NVF Company in Delaware and spent more than 20 years working for PSA, a marketing company based in New York City where she was the vice president. With her husband, Dr. Jim Hill, she owned and managed a large horse racing and breeding syndicate that still exists today. The Hills owned Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew. Sally was a voting member of the Foundation Board of Trustees from 1996 to 2016. She served as the Foundation President from 1996 – 2002. O∆K has recognized her with the Distinguished Service Key in 1998, and she was presented with the Laurel Crowned Circle Award in 2003. The Hills have two adult children and three grandchildren. They split their time between Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Miami, Fla., and El Paso, Texas. Trustee Emeritus Bill Latture earned a Bachelor of Science in naval science from the University of South Carolina in 1945 and a Bachelor of Science in commerce from Washington and Lee University in 1949. He was inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa’s Alpha Circle in 1948. He has served Washington and Lee as class agent, a member of its Alumni Board of Directors and the George Washington Society, and chaired the Lee Chapel Capital Campaign. He is also a member of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity. In addition to serving his alma mater, Bill served in the U. S. Navy from 1943-46 where he attained the rank of Lt. (JG). Bill is an Eagle Scout, has served as a Scoutmaster, and a longtime board member of the Old North State Council. He is the recipient of the Boy Scouts of America’s Silver Beaver Award and is a member of the 1910 Society. He retired in 1982 after 33 years as an executive with Blue Bell, Inc. (acquired by VF, Inc.) He served as chairman of the Textile and Needle Trades Division of the American Society for Quality Control and is a recipient of its Distinguished Service Award. Bill is a past president of the Greensboro Historical Museum. He is also the co-founder and past president of the Belle Meade Society and longtime volunteer there. He has been active in his church and served it in many capacities, including chairman of the Administrative Board and chairman of the Trustees. He has been a member of Summit Rotary Club and a Paul Harris Fellow. He has been active with the Greensboro Mental Health Association and Greensboro Opera. He and his wife Louise (Washington and Lee University, 2017) are longtime residents of Greensboro, N.C. and since 2007 they have lived at Well Spring Retirement Community, where Bill has served as president of its Residents’ Association. They have two children and four grandchildren. Bill served as a regular member of the O∆K Foundation Board of Trustees from 2004-18. He was named trustee emeritus in 2018. Trustee Emeritus William “Bill” Johnston is a 1989 honoris causa initiate of the Alpha Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa at Washington and Lee University. He served as president of the O∆K Foundation from 2006-10. He also served on the Omicron Delta Kappa Society Board of Directors and is a member of O∆K’s Five Star Society. He was named Trustee Emeritus in January 2018, and he is the 2014 recipient of the Laurel Crowned Circle Award. Bill is a graduate of Washington and Lee University. Bill is the former president and chief operating officer of the New York Stock Exchange, a position that he held from 1996 to 2001. He previously served the NYSE as a governor, vice chairman, director, and senior advisor to the chairman. Earlier in his career, he was with LaBranche & Company and Mitchum, Jones, & Templeton. He was also the founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Agora Securities from 1980-90. Although professionally retired, Bill is still very active with a number of charitable organizations. He is on the Board of Trustees of the New College of Florida and has served on its foundation and property corporation. In addition, he is active with the Plymouth Harbor Foundation and the Visible Men Academy of Bradenton, Fla. Bill and his wife Elizabeth “Betsy” Moore Johnston have been married since 1962. They are the proud parents of two children and two granddaughters. They reside in Bradenton, Fla. and Fenwick Island, Del. Trustee Emeritus Gene Vance earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Transylvania University where he was initiated into Omicron Delta Kappa and became a member of Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity. He earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Kentucky. He is a member of the Board of Regents at Transylvania University and previously served on both the Grand Council and the Foundation Board of Trustees for Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity. Gene is a partner with the law firm of Skoll Keenon Ogden in Lexington, Ky. He currently serves as Chair of the American Bar Association Section of Litigation, the largest section in the ABA. He has been active in the Section’s leadership since 2003, previously serving as the Section’s Revenue Officer as a Managing Director of the Section and co-chairing the Section’s 2009 Annual Meeting. Gene has served O∆K as national counsel, a member of the Society Board of Directors, and a member of the Foundation Board of Trustees. He served as Foundation President from 2010-14. He was recognized by O∆K with the Eldridge W. Roark, Jr. Meritorious Service Award in 2000 and the Cheryl M. Hogle Distinguished Service Award in 2006. He was named Omicron Delta Kappa Foundation Trustee Emeritus in 2017. Trustee Emeritus Thomas J. Vukovich was initiated into Omicron Delta Kappa by Theta Circle at the University of Akron in 1977. He served as Faculty Secretary of the UA Circle for 12 years and was Province Faculty Director and Member of the General Council before being elected to two terms as the O∆K National Vice President for Circle Standards. As National Vice President, Tom also served on the Foundation Board of Trustees. More recently, he participated in the review and selection of O∆K scholarship recipients and served on the Capital Campaign Planning Committee. At the 2002 National Convention, Tom received the Distinguished Service Key from the Society (Cheryl M. Hogle Distinguished Service Award). Upon retirement from the University of Akron, he and his wife, Dr. Diane Vukovich, established the Vukovich Regional Scholarship with Omicron Delta Kappa and are supporting the Vukovich Leadership Development Grant Fund as part of the capital campaign effort. Tom earned his Bachelor of Sicnence in Education from Ohio Northern University and his Master of Science in Education and Ph.D. from Kent State University in 1971 and 1982 respectively. He joined the University of Akron in 1972 as an academic advisor after seven years teaching science courses in two public school districts in Ohio. During his tenure at the University of Akron, he moved on to hold several leadership positions including Interim Dean of University College and finally Associate Provost for Student and Enrollment Services. He retired from the University of Akron in 2000 after 28 years of service. Presently he and Diane volunteer as “EdZoocators” at the Akron Zoo and are co-chairs of the Social Committee for the Association of the University of Akron Retirees. They also actively support a variety of community organizations. The Vukovichs travel extensively, having visited more than 75 foreign countries and all seven continents. Tom and Diane reside in Akron, Ohio, and continue to support the University of Akron Zips football, basketball, and soccer teams.
Stephen D. Bisese
Biography
Bruce D. Forbes
Biography
Sally Jones Hill
Biography
William “Bill” Latture
Biography
William R. Johnston
Biography
Palmer Gene Vance II
Biography
Thomas J. Vukovich
Biography