Time For Q+A
What makes you the best candidate for this position?
I am the best candidate for the position of International Grand Basileus of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated because I am a proven leader who has provided a plan of action encompassing attainable goals of which 95% were completed within three years of taking on the position of National First Anti-Basileus. Highlights of my successes include:
- Phased approach of converting the MIP manual forms into electronic versions
- Increased communication by ensuring 100% timely responsiveness to the membership
- Successful reclamation and personal touch campaigns
- Increased review and approval turnaround times by 98%
- Creation of detailed membership material shipping notices
- Standardized detailed reporting
- Ensuring new membership materials were received 95% of the time prior to induction
- Created and disseminated an officer survey to solicit feedback from our members on job performance;and
- Produced semi-annual membership periodicals read by over ten thousand members, just to name a few.
I am a fiscally responsible leader who has had to account for and report for over 5.4 million dollars of Membership Intake fees for the past three years. I’ve ensured that Membership matters by providing our sisterhood with excellent customer service that they so richly deserve because “Membership is Key” for an organization of this nature. Therefore, as an officer who has had to deal with an antiquated way of working due to the lack of technology, I still have managed to turn lemons into lemonade and have taken the art of serving the sisterhood in my current position to new unprecedented heights.
As a devoted Soror with 34 years of uninterrupted service, I have been able to witness and experience first-hand where we are as an organization. Serving in the capacity of your National First Anti-Basileus of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, I uniquely understand what will be needed to move us to the next level and beyond. Therefore, I have developed a strategic plan to implement the technological infrastructure that the sorority needs to” Revolutionize Zeta through High Touch Connectivity.”
As a member of this illustrious organization, I have been a Soror who has held leadership positions on every level, which have equipped me to be fully engaged and qualified to serve as International Grand Basileus. As a woman who has spent over 29 years in Corporate America, I have fine-tuned my supervisory, project management, communication and mentorship skills, which have enabled me to become a consummate professional.
All in all, I have proven myself as an officer who has delivered and continues to deliver on her goals and aspirations for our organization.
My motto is: “Many can talk a good game but in the end, results matter and my work speaks for itself.”
Name one thing you would like to see Zeta accomplish by the year 2020?
With our National Conferences and Centennial celebrations on the horizon, the escalating cost of attendance will be prohibitive for many of our graduate and undergraduate Sorors and our Amicae. We will need to ensure that a proper infrastructure is in place to fully realize cost-saving measures which will reduce registration fees. There are some ways this can be done without reinventing the wheel. My National Conventions – Transfiguration 101 plans provide a high-level overview of a few options we need to strongly consider before we price ourselves out.
If you won this position, what would you do to make it better for the next Soror that would serve in this position after you?
If elected to the position of International Grand Basileus, my focus is to come to the position prepared with a progressive strategic plan to implement technological infrastructure which will provide the connectivity to augment areas such as National Headquarters transformation, Communication, PR and Marketing, Education and National Conventions, just to name a few. Once the infrastructure is laid for a solid foundation with the capacity to grow and adjust over the next 15 to 20 years; the next International Grand Basileus will be able to increase her focus on the next level of Programmatic Initiatives.
If you had the power to change or improve one thing in Zeta, what would it be and how would you do it?
I strongly agree that there is a great opportunity for technological advancement in membership training as it relates to the MIP Course of Study, as well as ZOL training. I’ve developed a business plan and have discussed this concept with various professional companies how to go about implementing E-Learning for our organization. Zeta is now one step closer to online training for aspirants and once that goal is realized, we can move to creating E-Learning courses for ZOL certification. The return on investment is reduced travel cost for individual members physically present.
Describe your strongest leadership skill and how you would use it to advance Zeta.
One of my strongest leadership attributes is my passion for mentoring others. I believe it is my duty to share the knowledge and expertise that I have acquired over the years in Zeta freely and unselfishly. Knowledge should not be kept to oneself; it should be planted like seeds in a garden and carefully tended until the seeds blossom. It is our responsibility as members to share our knowledge and wisdom with each other, grooming, teaching and mentoring others so that one day they can put on the mantle of leadership, prepared to become the leaders of tomorrow. This is my humble way of paying it forward so that others may excel to continue to move Zeta forward to higher heights.
Of Scholarship, Service, Sisterhood and Finer Womanhood, which principle is your favorite and why?
Sisterhood is my favorite principle because I have grown into a mature woman who is passionate about those I call my sister sorors. As an only child, I grew up without the benefit of sibling, but after joining this organization, I became aware of what it means to have sisters, and to appreciate the bond that our sisterhood brings about. Sisterhood is more than a word to me. It is about family and being there for one another in the good times but especially in the bad times. It is about loyalty and commitment to one another. It is about understanding that the sisterhood is not perfect, but sisters, “we” will weather the storms that may come and our bond will only strengthen over time, because sisterhood is today, tomorrow and forever.
In your opinion, what is the most important thing the Sisterhood should be focused on today and why?
The number one priority for the sisterhood is the overhaul of our technological infrastructure. This needed overhaul will provide the connectivity to augment areas such as our National HQ Transformation, Communications, PR/Marketing, E-Learning Platform and National Conventions. Once the infrastructure is in place, the next IGB will be able to utilize her time in office more efficiently by focusing on the next level of programmatic initiatives and new partnerships and sponsors that will increase our visibility in our communities and abroad as the #1 service provider.