On the last weekend of June 2019, the members of the Omicron Delta Kappa Board of Directors and Foundation Board of Trustees met formally met for the first time as the combined Board of Trustees for the Omicron Delta Kappa Society and Educational Foundation. The merger of the two legal entities into a single organization was authorized by the circle delegates at a conclave which was held earlier in this year in Charlotte, North Carolina. This model of governance establishes a single board to comprehensively address the fiduciary requirements for the entire organization (membership as well as fundraising).
By having only one legal entity, there will ultimately be approximately $25,000 in annual savings (single audit, one filing fee, one set of state charity registrations, separating convention from governance, etc.). Three collegiate members and three faculty/staff members will continue to be included as members of the board, and these positions will be elected by the circle delegates and circle advisors in a competitive process.
This model places the authority of making governance decisions (changes in documents such as the articles of incorporation and bylaws) with the board rather than with the convention and its representation of the circles through the delegates. By not having to address such matters in plenary sessions at the national conference, there will be more time available for leadership development and circle programming. The Annual National Leadership Conference will be held June 4-7, 2020, in Lexington, Kentucky.
Please read below for some additional Omicron Delta Kappa updates.
Leadership
• With this merger, the leadership of our Society is stable. Individuals with long histories of service to our Society continue to remain involved at the highest levels. I will serve as the chair of the Board of Trustees until June 30, 2020. At that time, Sally Albrecht (Rollins College, 1975) will become board chair. Sally has previously served Omicron Delta Kappa as Foundation President. She is currently serving as chair-elect. Mike Christakis (Alfred University, 1998), past national president, is now serving in the role as immediate past board chair.
• Darwin Jones (University at Albany, 2004) and W. Jeffery Edwards (Washington and Lee University, 1981) will continue to serve in their respective roles at national treasurer and national counsel.
• Andrew Brown (Grand Valley State University, 2012), who was previously elected as national student vice president, now serves as national student vice chair. Hamediah Alsafwani (University of Nebraska, Omaha, 2017) is serving as national student vice chair-elect.
• The position of executive director held by Tara Singer (University of Louisville, 1981) is now president and chief executive officer.
New Circles
In the 105-year history of Omicron Delta Kappa, a total of 420 circles have been chartered. The newest member institutions of our Society were chartered during the 2019 spring semester. The University of Holy Cross Circle was chartered on February 15; a circle was installed on the campus of Florida State University – Panama City on April 2; and, the Kentucky State University Circle held its chartering and first initiation ceremony on April 22.
Directory Project
Omicron Delta Kappa has renewed its agreement with Publishing Concepts, Inc. (PCI) to publish a member directory in 2020. To date, more than 15,200 individuals have updated their information, and nearly 2,000 members have purchased directories. Data collection continues through August 23, 2019. If you have not previously spoken with the personnel at PCI, please call (866) 613-8023 as soon as possible to update your data or to request that it not be included in the directory. You are also welcome to contact O∆K’s National Headquarters at 1-877-ODK-NHDQ (635-6437) or odknhdq@odk.org to update your information.
Appreciation
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I want to thank those individuals who helped us achieve the single best fundraising year in the history of Omicron Delta Kappa. In FY 2019, our Society was able to secure more than $1.5m in outright contributions and documented planned gifts. If you are interested in learning more about the Society’s fundraising efforts, I invite you to contact President/CEO Tara S. Singer at tara@odk.org or (540) 458-5340.
If you ever have any questions or concerns about O∆K, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I may be reached at boardchair@odk.org. It is my honor to serve our Society and join you in advancing collegiate leadership development.
Yours in O∆K,
Matthew W. Clifford, Ed.D.
Chair, Board of Trustees
Omicron Delta Kappa Society and Educational Foundation, Inc.
