Emerald Sigma Alpha Sorority
Times February 2020
Alumnae Featured in the Media Speaking Out On What is Happening in the Industry Over the past few years, being a farmer has proven to be tough. Between the changing climate, food trends and the stress of prices, famers have been trying to fight the odds.
can relate to or find useful. Mallory and her team are hoping the video will help reduce the stigma and encourage the board to give more help to their farmers.
The newest generation of agriculturalists are working on educating both farmers and consumers on pressing issues by advocating and creating media to help spread the message.
University of Wisconsin, Platteville and Sigma Alpha alumna, Amanda Sersch, is helping keep her family farm alive. Being a fifth generation famer, she is putting her Agribusiness degree to work. They have expanded beyond the barn into other ventures to keep all of their family members involved.
Last year the Midwest was hit with terrible weather. Combine that with poor crop prices across the country and stress starts to add up quickly. The Kansas State Research and Extension office produced a video titled “Farm Stress: You Are Not Alone” in an effort to help reduce the mental health stigma and encourage more farmers to seek help. Mallory Meek, a Sigma Alpha alumna and Kansas State extension agent, presented the video in the Douglas County Commissions meeting last month. Prior to the meeting, Mallory sent a letter to the commission board explaining that there needs to be more resources specifically for famers and their needs. She goes on to explain that the agriculture community has difficulty talking about mental health or finding resources they
Their other ventures, such as a trucking and excavating business, helps other farms continue to operate. This includes installing drain tile for farms and ditching or other excavating work that local farms happen to need. They also raise cattle and do custom work, which helps them to diversify their portfolio. Both Mallory and Amanda were featured in the news recently discussing their passions about farming and the direction of the industry. Mallory’s full article Amanda’s full video
In This Issue: President’s Message Leadership Seminar Facilitators Spirit of Ruth Recipients Regional Pillar Awards
2 3 4 6
National Awards Making Perry Proud National Conclave Info National Ag Day Competition
8 9 11 12
President’s Message President’s Message Over the last few months, I have had the opportunity to witness the true spirit of Sisterhood in so many ways. I have seen sisters come together to support a sister battling cancer, I have seen sisters band together to raise money and give of their time to many worthy causes, and I have seen sisters sending congratulatory messages to each other. Each time I see or hear about an act of sisterhood, I am reminded about how deep and wide our sisterhood reaches.
As I approach the last few months of my time on the National Board, I am looking forward to finishing up a couple of projects. One of which is an initiative to provide a pathway to chapters to aid in revamping and revising local bylaws. A process that mirrors the system we followed on a national level. The National Leadership Team and I will also be finalizing plans for Conclave 2020 and will be announcing the 2021 Convention location at Conclave this summer!
I am so encouraged by the amazing number of new member candidates who joined in the fall, and I am completely blown away by the high number of registrations for Leadership Seminars! It is exciting to see our chapters coming together to develop as leaders. The National Leadership Team is committed to looking for more opportunities for our members and we look forward to seeing what 2020 has in store for the organization.
Keep up the great work and reach out to the National Leadership Team if you need anything. Looking forward to great things in the new year! In Sisterhood,
Kelly Kelly Lawler National Sorority Board President
Sisters by Birth, Sisters By Choice Did you and your sibling both join Sigma Alpha? Let us know and you can be featured here in the Emerald Times! Email the names of you and your sibling to: editor@sigmaalpha.org
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Chapter Highlights Meet Your 2020 Leadership Seminar Facilitators These two alumnae members of Sigma Alpha will team up with two alumni from Alpha Gamma Rho during the Leadership Seminars in February. They will be teaching you about how to be the best leader you can be in your personal life, work life and your sorority life. They are looking forward to meeting you, so here is a sneak peak into their lives! Andrea Schroeder, of Kansas City, MO is the owner of Ave. A by Andrea, where she is a wedding, portrait and livestock photographer while also providing graphic design services. When she isn’t behind the camera or computer, you can find Andrea playing with her son or traveling to visit extended family on the farms in Nebraska and South Dakota. Andrea graduated from South Dakota State University in 2016 with a degree in Ag Communications, and is an alumna member and officer of the Omega chapter.
Rachel Hinton of Campbellsville, KY, is an Associate Territory Manager for Corteva AgriSciences in the Mississippi Delta. Here, she works with agriculture retailers and farmers to help enable farmers to produce the best crops possible.
When she is away from work, she enjoys playing with her dog, hiking state parks and completing needle point belts. Rachel graduated from the University of Kentucky with a degree in Ag Communications.
Does being a facilitator interest you? Applications for 2021 Leadership Seminars can be found on SmarterSelect. Due June 30, 2020
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Alumnae Spotlight
Congratulations to our Spirit of Ruth Recipients!
The Spirit of Ruth honor recognizes a Sigma Alpha Sorority alumna who embodies the spirit agriculture. Each recipient of this award demonstrates the ideals of Sigma Alpha by living our professional life. Join us in congratulating our 2020 recipients!
Kimberly (Stassen) Neumann Alumna of the Upsilon Chapter at North Dakota State University Kim (Stassen) Neumann earned her bachelor’s degree in Agribusiness from North Dakota State University in December of 2009. She was activated on March 24, 2007 into the Upsilon Chapter and is an active member of the NDSU Sigma Alpha Alumnae Chapter. In 2018, she was the second member to be inducted into the NDSU Sigma Alpha Alumnae Hall of Fame. Kim served as a Chapter Consultant on the National Leadership Team from 2011-2014 and then served as the National Sorority Board’s Vice President from 2015-2019. Kim is a loan officer at AgCountry Farm Credit Services. She is also a part of the Women’s Group which brings educational and networking opportunities to AgCountry’s female customers. She is a Director on the American Berkshire Foundation Board and is serving as the Treasurer of the Redwood County Corn and Soybean Growers Association Board. Kim and her husband, Brad, live on Brad’s family farm near Wabasso, MN. She loves hanging out with her friends and family, enjoys traveling with Brad and, in her spare time, likes to read and paint. Kim will be receiving her award at the St. Louis Leadership Seminar.
Rachel Hickerson Alumna of the Alpha Iota Chapter at California State University - Chico Rachel Hickerson has been in the meeting industry for close to 20 years in various roles and titles held. She joined Advocacy and Management Group (AMG) in 2013 where she brought her years of association conference and meeting management experience to a busy Association Management Company, focusing on overall execution of meetings and conferences. Most recently, she has taken on the task of Continuing Medical Education (CME) and manages multiple CME events a year. Rachel has a BS in Animal Science with a minor in Business from CSU Chico and most recently, earned her CMP in 2018. In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering with multiple animal rescue groups and is the current President of the MPI Sacramento Sierra Nevada Chapter. Rachel will be receiving her award at the Reno Leadership Seminar.
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Alumnae Spotlight
of Ruth through active involvement, leadership and commitment to the field of r four pillars - Scholarship - Leadership - Fellowship - Service - in her personal and/or
Caitlin Cox
Alumna of the Beta Kappa Chapter at the University of New Hampshire Caitlin Cox is a Conservation Representative of Strategic Philanthropy for Disney Enterprise Social Responsibility at the Walt Disney Company. She supports governance, processes, communications and impact measurement for Disney Conservation Fund programs aimed at saving wildlife, inspiring action and protecting the planet. Caitlin hails from the wonderful state of New Hampshire and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Agriscience Communications from the University of New Hampshire, where she was also a founding sister of the Sigma Alpha Sorority Beta Kappa chapter. She began her professional career in 2010 as an education professional intern at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, where she inspired Guests to conserve nature and learn about wildlife. She also worked with the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Environmental Integration team on a variety of projects, including the development and launch of environment and conservation initiatives at the Shanghai Disney Resort in Shanghai, China. Caitlin joined the Disney Conservation Fund team in 2017 and lives near Orlando, Florida. Caitlin will be receiving her award at the Atlanta Leadership Seminar.
Monica (Pase) Maxwell
Alumna of the Chi Chapter at West Virginia University
Monica is an alumna of the Chi Chapter of West Virginia University. She served as the President and Vice President of the chapter and as recruitment chair, secretary, and vice president of the alumnae chapter. Monica completed her bachelor’s degree in Animal and Veterinary Science in 1996 and immediately went to work in the field, working as a research assistant, a veterinary assistant, and then an animal husbandry technician before an animal research facility manager. Monica grew up in Kingwood, becoWV, but has made Morgantown, WV her home (Go Mountaineers!), where her family raises Boer goats, cattle, rabbits, and chickens on their small farm. She serves as an adult volunteer for her local 4-H club and is an active member of the Monongalia County Fair board. She enjoys planning the livestock events for the fair and working with the 4-H and FFA children in the barn. In her spare time, she enjoys quilting, reading, pottery, farming, and spending time with her husband, two daughters, and their two dogs. Monica will be receiving her award at the Baltimore Leadership Seminar Page 5
2020 Sigma Alpha Regional Pillar Awards Region 1 Fellowship
Scholarship
Leadership
Service
1st Place: Lambda
Alpha Rho
Kappa
Lambda
2nd Place: Alpha Iota
Lambda
Lambda
Kappa
3rd Place:
Kappa
Kappa
Alpha Rho
Alpha Iota/ Alpha Phi
Fellowship
Region 2 Scholarship
Leadership
Service
1st Place: Alpha Tau
Alpha Tau
Alpha Tau
Alpha Tau
2nd Place: Upsilon
Upsilon
Upsilon
Upsilon
3rd Place:
Omega
Omega
Omega
Scholarship
Leadership
Service
1st Place: Delta
Alpha Chi
Alpha Chi
Alpha Chi
2nd Place: Alpha Chi
Alpha Delta
Alpha Delta
Alpha Delta
3rd Place:
Delta
Alpha Beta
Alpha Beta
Scholarship
Leadership
Service
1st Place: Beta Tau
Beta Tau
Alpha Pi
Alpha Pi/
2nd Place: Alpha Pi
Beta Rho
Beta Tau
3rd Place:
Beta Pi
Beta Pi
Beta Rho
Alpha Eta
Fellowship
Region 5 Scholarship
Leadership
Service
1st Place: Sigma
Sigma
Beta
Alpha Mu
2nd Place: Alpha Gamma
Alpha Mu
Sigma
Alpha Gamma
3rd Place:
Epsilon
Alpha
Beta
Beta Delta
Region 3 Fellowship
Alpha Beta
Region 4 Fellowship
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Alpha Mu
2020 Sigma Alpha Regional Pillar Awards Region 6 Fellowship
Scholarship
Leadership
Service
1st Place: Zeta/ Tau
Tau
Tau
Tau
2nd Place:
Beta Eta
Zeta
Zeta
Zeta
Beta Eta
Beta Eta
Scholarship
Leadership
Service
1st Place: Beta Sigma
Beta Sigma
Beta Sigma
Beta Sigma
2nd Place: Alpha Upsilon
Theta
Theta
Alpha Upsilon
3rd Place:
Chi
Chi
Chi
Scholarship
Leadership
Service
1st Place: Alpha Psi
Beta Kappa
Alpha Psi
Alpha Lambda
2nd Place: Beta Kappa
Eta
Beta Kappa
Eta
3rd Place:
Alpha Lambda
Alpha Kappa
Beta Kappa
Scholarship
Leadership
Service
1st Place: Gamma Alpha
Gamma Alpha
Gamma Alpha
Gamma Alpha
2nd Place: Beta Chi
Alpha Sigma
Beta Psi
Alpha Nu
3rd Place:
Beta Omega
Alpha Sigma
Beta Chi
3rd Place:
Beta Eta
Region 7 Fellowship
Chi
Region 8 Fellowship
Alpha Kappa
Region 9 Fellowship
Beta Omega
All first place regional winners will have the opportunity to present their chapter’s activities/events at the 2020 National Conclave in Minneapolis, MN. More details will be sent to the chapter presidents. Page 7
National Awards National Award Applications Now Opem Each year Sigma Alpha presents national awards to chapters and sisters who have demonstrated a commitment to the Sorority’s four pillars. The 2019-2020 National Award winners will be recognized at the National Emerald Banquet, Saturday August 1st in Minneapolis, MN, which is being held in conjunction with the 2020 National Conclave. To ensure ample recognition opportunities for every chapter, the Awards Program includes both application based awards and awards that are selected based on chapter participation and information submitted through Chapter Term Reports. All available awards are listed below. Deadlines for applications is April 15, 2020 and are available on SmarterSelect. Questions? Contact your chapter consultant.
Application Based
Review Based
Individual Awards
Chapter Awards
Founders’ Cup
Outstanding Advisor
Jennifer McMilan Service in Agriculture Award
Emerald Scholar (Individual)
Outstanding Leader
Chapter Website Award
Emerald Chapter
Outstanding Senior
Chapter Social Media Award
Outstanding Scholarship
Outstanding New Member
Most Improved Scholarship Outstanding Service Outstanding Leadership
Application Deadline: April 15, 2020
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Outstanding Fellowship Chapter Growth
Chapter Highlights
Making Perry Proud Chapters Taking the Pillars to Heart Eta Chapter - University of Connecticut
Sigma Alpha sisters and members of the UConn Skydiving Team, Christie and Rhianna competed in the annual USPA Collegiate Skydiving Nationals in Lake Wales, Florida! They won bronze medals in both Four Way Formation Skydiving (FS) and Six Way speed FS, congratulations ladies!
Kappa Chapter - Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
The sisters at the Kappa chapter learned the ins and outs of dining etiquette from a Kappa chapter alumna herself, Ms. Tiffany Nielsen. What a great learning experience from a local alumna and a wonderful skill to have! Want to see your chapter highlighted in the next Emerald Times? Email me your story at editor@sigmaalpha.org today!
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Apply Now for a National Sorority Board Position Applications are open until April 15th for the National Sorority Board. Please consider joining this exceptional group of women leading our sisterhood, while you gain valuable professional experience. Become a national leader of the Sorority by serving in one of the following elected positions for a two-year term:
National President, National Secretary, National Treasurer,
Development Director, Outreach Director Applications are due April 15th. They can be found in the Greenhouse, under the My Notifications section on the home page. Questions? Contact Kelly Lawler, President at nationalpresident@sigmaalpha.org.
Apply Now to be a Chapter Consultant We’re looking for a few good women to serve the Sorority as a national representative on the regional level as a chapter consultant. If you’ve got a love for Sigma Alpha and a desire to give back, have leadership experience, and maybe even possess a few years of professional work experience—this may be the role for you! Chapter Consultants support, mentor and guide chapter officers in the performance of their duties for the ultimate successful operations of the collegiate chapters. In this role, you’ll regularly communicate with your six to eight chapters. Additionally you will travel to about half of your chapters in each year of your two-year term, which may require time away from work. Most visits happen over the weekend, but Friday or Monday travel days may be required. Applications are due April 1st. They can be found in the Greenhouse, under the My Notifications section on the home page.
Questions? Contact April Burg, Collegiate Membership Director at collegiate@sigmaalpha.org
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2020 National Conclave Minneapolis, MN July 31—August 1, 2020 Early Bird Registration Deadline - May 31, 2020 for $135 Final Registration Deadline - June 15, 2020 for $185
Join us for the 2020 National Conclave in Minneapolis, MN this summer! This year, the delegate will be determining the sororities priorities, developing polices and impacting programs within the national organization. Reminder, every collegiate chapter is required to send a delegate. Once you register for the conclave, you will request rooms. HQ will handle the reservation process to and will send confirmation information. The hotel room rate is $140 per night, including taxes.
Who Can Attend? Attendance at the Sigma Alpha National Conclave is limited to one Voting Delegate (required for collegiate chapters) and one Alternate Delegate (optional) per collegiate and alumnae chapter. Chapters must be in good standing with the National Sorority to be eligible to vote during the National Congress. Chapter advisors are also encouraged to attend.
How Do Chapters Select Their Delegates? Chapters should select a delegate according to the process outlined in its chapter bylaws. In addition to being a sister who is interested in further investing in herself, her chapter and her sorority, the ideal delegate should:
Be active within chapter activities. Currently hold (or hold in the coming year) a leadership position. Remain in the chapter for at least two semesters or three quarters post-Conclave (collegiate delegates only).
The sister or sisters selected to represent your chapter should be willing to partake in the decision-making process within the national sorority, to represent the best interest of her chapter and to share with her chapter what she learned.
Scholarship Info In an effort to help as many chapters as possible attend the 2020 National Conclave, the Sigma Alpha Sorority Educational Foundation is offering up to 71 scholarships to Sigma Alpha collegiate and alumnae chapters who send at least one representative to the National Conclave, and an additional 4 scholarships to newly chartered collegiate chapters who send at least one representative to the National Conclave. Applications open March 1, 2020. Deadline is April 15, 2020. Page 11
National Ag Day Competition Check out our social media during National Ag Day to enter your chapter to win a prize! Every year our National Sorority Team rewards one chapter with something special — these range from a pizza party for your chapter to Sigma Alpha swag! This year, the competition will be : Chapters, post your biggest Ag in the Community project from 2019 or 2020 and tag us in your post. Give us details for the event, who was involved, and how that plays into agriculture. In addition, create two posts relating to how agriculture is important to your chapter and members.
Don’t forget to tag us in your posts! Can use Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. All posts need to be posted to qualify for your chapter to be put into a drawing for a prize. These can be posted from March 22 to 28th during National Ag week. Again, we need to be tagged in the posts in order for win! Find us on Social Media: Instagram: @sigmaalphasorority Facebook: Sigma Alpha—Professional Agricultural Sorority Twitter: @sigmaalpha
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