Special Edition: To celebrate 45 years of women in Alpha Kappa Psi, join several trailblazers as they talk about their experiences and share advice.
Special Edition: To celebrate 45 years of women in Alpha Kappa Psi, join several trailblazers as they talk about their experiences and share advice.
Wendy Wendroff [00:00:00] Just do it. It doesn't have to be a traditional path, it doesn't have to be, "I want to be a chapter advisor or I want to do this," because honestly, those are limiting numbers of those, right? Create your own role is really my advice. Do what you like.
Finn Lambouris [00:00:17] You're listening to Business Edge, the podcast for professionals looking to excel in the workforce. In each episode, our guests take a deep dive into their personal and professional experiences to give you an edge in the marketplace. This podcast is brought to you by Alpha Kappa Psi professional business fraternity.
[00:00:33] Welcome back to Business Edge. Today, we're going to be talking to some of the women of AKPsi. Panelists, would you please introduce yourselves?
Eileen Howell [00:00:41] I'd be happy to. Hello, everyone. Welcome to the panel here. I'm very excited to be part of this. I think they decided that the that the old ladies should go first because we're celebrating 45 years of women in Alpha Kappa Psi. And I was initiated forty three years ago, so I was initiated. I was actually the fall 1977 class, but we weren't initiated until January of 78, and that was the Delta Phi chapter at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. It was there that I became their first female president of the chapter. I became a life member upon graduation in 81. And I've done a number of different things with the fraternity. One of my partners in crime, Chrissy, she and I developed the PEP program that is now the road to brotherhood. The Bridge Brotherhood, excuse me, in the late 80s, early 90s. I was on the foundation board. I was also at the time they had presidents and I was the first female president of the foundation board. After that my family and I ended up going overseas. So I kind of stepped out of Alpha Kappa Psi for a while, but when I got back in 2000, I got a call and said, your time's up. You're now back involved. So I ended up on the fraternity board and was chair the fraternity board during, well, let me think I want to say early nine- no, early 2000s. I don't remember the dates, stayed thinking on for a while. Currently, I am the chair of the board again. They keep. And again, it's all Chrissy's fault, just so you know, but I'm honored to serve as the chair once again with my term expiring at the Convention finally in August of 2022. I'm retired, so when they say, what do you do outside of Alpha Kappa Psi, I volunteer at golf tournaments and go visit a grandbaby. So onto you, Chrissy.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:03:17] Thank you Eileen. I don't know how you follow that woman trailblazer, but I will try my best. So, Chrissy Vasquez, I initiated at Iota Xi, Arizona State in 2002, my fall of my freshman year and it was actually the same chapter that my dad founded and I did not know until after I was initiated that we were a brother of the same organization. So he had the crest on a mug on the side of his bed. And I looked at it every day of my life and it wasn't until I came home that first semester for college and was like, I know what that is. So it's been a really cool bond to share. I will say that I've grown up with the fraternity. I was a student officer, held everything from President, MOR, to VP of membership. And then I had the lucky opportunity to work on staff. And I was an expansion coordinator for a year and then went to go work on chapter services and risk management for five years before I left the fraternity in two thousand eight. Since I left the fraternity, I was very involved with the, or left the staff. I was very involved with the Judiciary Committee and then most recently last well two months ago, now in August, completed nine years on the board of directors. So I'm in a little bit of volunteer rest and recovery, I think, but I'm also a co-host of the Business Edge podcast. So looking forward to really being able to dig into that and bring some really cool guests on in the new season. I spent almost 20 years in nonprofit management and just recently made a complete career change, and I now work in physician efficient physician marketing, helping market different pharmaceutical drugs to health care providers for treatment options. So I'll pass it on, I think Wendy's after me.
Wendy Wendroff [00:04:53] Yep, that's correct. My name is Wendy Wendroff. I was initiated in 1980, which would have been my junior year, followed my junior year in college and went to a small university in Indiana, called at that time Tri State University and is now called Trine University, primarily known for engineering students, certainly not business students. They offered a major in transportation, which is what my dad did, and I wanted to follow his career path. There weren't very many universities that offer that type of education. I've held a number of different positions from as a student on a couple of different roles. Certainly a lot of different volunteer roles. I'm not going to bore you with all those details. I currently serve as the. Convention Chair. I have done that for twenty one years now. I also serve as the Pacific Northwest Regional Director. I am entering, I believe it's my seventh year in doing that, you know, once I get an AKPsi role, I never let it go. I am like Eileen. I am retired. This year. I have taken on a little contract work. My husband owns his own business, so I've been helping out with a client of that, doing some accounts receivable and payroll work. But please do not call me an accountant. I will tell you to your face that is not what I do. That's just who I sleep with. Jackie.
Jacqueline Ginarte [00:06:41] I need to recover from that. So before I introduce myself really quickly, I do have to pause for a second because what we do in AKPsi and a lot of us that volunteer is very self-serving and you know, we do this for our students and for our members. But I would have to pause because they did not mention it. But both Eileen and Wendy also hold gold DSAs for the organization, and that is such a great honor and accomplishment for them. And I know it's not something that they that you speak of, but like I couldn't go on or introduce myself without also recognizing those two wonderful women and for being gold DSA recipients for the organization as well. So with that, my name is Jacqueline Ginarte. I joined AKPsi Spring 2004 down in Miami, Florida, at Florida International University. Held many different roles as a student member, including homecoming chair, which probably till this day has been the most stressful position I have ever held, just trying to organize and do everything for Homecoming. From there just continued volunteering from Chapter Advisor, Section Director, was on the Management Team for eight years, four years as a Regional Director. And, you know, last as one of the elected officers as the executive vice president of the organization, and currently I am on the board for the foundation, which is a passion of mine, and I just started that journey less than three months ago, so I'm very excited about that. What I do when I'm not helping out or pouring my heart into AKPsi is I work for the wonderful company of Apple on their retail side of things. I am one of their managers and as if anybody knows that iPhone 13 just came out. So I've been very busy with that, but very glad that I had today off so that I was able to do this and be part of this with David. And with that, I pass it on to Andrea.
Andrea Nemeth [00:08:46] Hi everyone. My name is Andrea Nemeth, and I, I have been a brother since 1991, so actually I guess within the next month or two, it'll be 30 years that I'm officially in the fraternity. I pledged in Montclair State University, the Iota Rho chapter. I've been involved since, I guess, since the late 90s. Started off joining the Garden State alumni. And then from there I served as chapter advisor, went through the ranks similar to Jackie and many of the other people here on this call, I served on the management team for 11 years. That was my first stint. I am currently the Area Three vice president, so I'm back on the management team. In between, I served on the foundation board for a number of years. I was there for six years. And then I do have the honor. In 2007, I was elected the first female president of the fraternity. That was, I guess I can. I can be called one of the trailblazers as Eileen and some of the others here on the call. Professionally, I am currently serving as a project director of a four year, $12 million federal grant that is charged with creating apprenticeships in the field of health care. I work with 15 community colleges in the state of New Jersey, and I work with large employer partners to create these opportunities for the workforce.
Finn Lambouris [00:10:10] Perfect. Thank you so much, everybody, for introducing yourselves. We're going to kick it off now with the first question. So, what was your proudest moment as a brother of Alpha Kappa Psi?
Eileen Howell [00:10:23] I will say that I actually have two proudest moments because they are equal in my heart. And the first one, and here I go, because I do this every time. The gold. I never, ever expected that this fraternity would honor me with this award. I every time I think of it, I tear up. So for me, that was my proudest moment. Equally proudest moment was to have the honor to give a gold to my friend Wendy Wendroff.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:11:08] I'll take over as Eileen starts crying. My proudest moment. I can't pinpoint something exactly, but it comes under a theme. My proudest moment is any project that I've worked on or any experience or interaction I've had, where it helps further that member experience for somebody else. So whether that be on the road for a year opening new chapters, McGill University was my very first chapter I opened as an expansion coordinator. Unfortunately, they did close several years ago, but just last night on Facebook, they were all posting pictures of back in college and they still keep in touch. And so knowing that I have that contact there from creating the program, which is now Bridge to Brotherhood, from talking to various brothers, or just helping set the strategic direction of the fraternity and making sure that this organization is here for other brothers to do for others, what it's done for all of us. That would be what I put it under that theme Wendy.
Wendy Wendroff [00:12:02] Mine is Dallas Convention 2019, so it is a recent accomplishment. So some of you may have may have been there as well, and it would be the brothers night out event we had at Eddie Deen's ranch. It's my proudest accomplishment because never. In the 40 some years, I have been a member was it that we were equally on the same footing, students and alumni. It was an opportunity for everyone to casually meet, to, I have never seen a dance floor as packed as what I saw that evening, and people stayed, I mean, till the very end. I mean, we had to say, OK, come on, let's go. It's time. They're closing up. Let's go. So we finally hit on an event that everybody had a great time, everybody could enjoy. And it was it was just a great melding of everyone of all the attendees at convention.
Jacqueline Ginarte [00:13:10] Proudest moment. And there's so many happy moments that it's a proudest that like it's hard or how would I define proudest. One of them I think looking around is I still don't know why David chose my name to be with these panelists of four amazing women and such great trailblazers that I'm like, "what am I doing here?" So I'm going to put this on that list. Like, what am I doing here to speak amongst these four amazing brothers? Another proud moment is not passing out at Chapter Congress when I had to run for office because I was so nervous. So not passing out, but no, all jokes aside and one of my proudest moments, and it's a little personal to me and it's I think sometimes things that volunteers or others struggle with within the organization is also realizing one when to say no. And also knowing when it's time to move on or to move on to another position like you don't always have to stay involved. You don't always have to have certain titles to still give to to the organization. It is different for each and every individual, and it is a personal choice that you have to make for yourself. It's great to have brothers support because half the things I've done has been because I've had so many brothers cheering me on. And but at the end of the day, my proudest moment is, thinking of me, I wore my biggest impact to the organization is going to be and knowing when to say, "No, it's not the time for me right now, for this. I'm going to take another direction." And I recently had to make that decision from staying on for EVP for another year or saying, "You know what? It's time for someone else. And someone else to take the reins and someone else that could really catapult this." And I truly believe that it was time for someone else to do the best for the organization and that it wasn't me at that moment. And that's OK. So that is my proudest moment: being able to say, I know when it's not me and it has to be someone else as well.
Andrea Nemeth [00:15:00] My proudest moment, you know, similar to what Jackie was saying, knowing when your time is up. One of the things that I have been fortunate to have are some of the people that have served as my mentors. Early on in my AKPsi career, actually, it was the year that I was getting married, started a new job. I mean, you name it, and I didn't have time to commit to the management team, but I was serving as a chapter advisor and our regional director at that time, the Northeast regional director was moving to North Carolina, and he had asked me to serve as regional director. And at the time, I said, No, can't do it. It's not the right time. Started a new job, getting married, won't be able to attend the Convention in 2001. But and I kept saying no. And then at the time, M.C. Moore was our fraternal president, he called me up and he convinced me to at least put my hat in there and attempt the role. So when I couldn't say no to M.C., so I did. I did accept the position. And I remember when I met Kash Haroon, he was the UK regional director, and we were joking about the fact that I had inherited a region that was ranked 14 out of 14 regions. So I couldn't do much worse. What more could I do, right? So in 2003, I remember- The number one region of the year award and Chad Smith and I, he was one of my section directors. He and I were sitting in the back of- and both of us are there, we heard the North-, which was ours at the time and wasn't sure if he had read it right. And it turns out that he did so within two years, I had a region that was ranked number 14 to number 1. And it was such a great- so I was able to put the right people in the right seats on the bus, and it was actually one of my most rewarding experiences in the fraternity of serving as regional director. And the nice part was in 2003, I made a name for myself and as many of the ladies that are currently on the board, they know my history since 2003 and what I've achieved in this fraternity. So that's my proudest moment.
Finn Lambouris [00:17:24] Thank you all so much for sharing those stories, those experiences were very meaningful. So for the next question, I wanted to ask you, do you have any advice for women who are listening to this podcast who maybe want to get more involved with the fraternity, but they don't know how?
Eileen Howell [00:17:43] My advice, and people who know me wouldn't be surprised, I say, speak up. We don't know the ideas, the opinions of the members of this organization unless we hear from you. I mean, you hear the time, talent and treasure. Many of you are just starting off on your careers. So we'll hit you up on the treasure later. But it's your time and talents, right? Because the more you give, just listen to the stories. It's amazing how much you get back. And we want to hear. We want to know what the membership is thinking. And I think if you become involved, take on a project, be part of that volunteer portal. You're going to be amazed just how much you get back.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:18:40] Thanks Eileen, I am going to also kind of echo go for it. I think that there is sometimes a misconception that there's a linear path you have to take within the fraternity. You have to be a chapter advisor before you can be a regional director and you can't go on the board unless you've been on the management team. I'm here to debunk that. You can take any path you want, go any route that you want. The thing is is that you have to know your skills, you have to know where they're going to plug in and you also have to be not be afraid to take a leap. So for example, let's say that you are in marketing and you really are uncomfortable in the finance area so go do a finance manager position within a region and go do something scary that you don't know and find somebody in the fraternity that will be happy to mentor you in that position. And several people have mentioned mentor- mentors. Find a mentor within the organization. I know every single woman on this call that's talking to you today would be more than happy to do an informal mentorship or a formal mentorship with anybody. Provide coaching and advice. That's what the fraternity is all about. So just don't be afraid to go after a position and to get involved and take every opportunity that you can. I think that's how I've gotten the most out of the fraternity is raise my hand to do something. And then that led the path to something else that led the path to something else, and it just continues to grow and evolve. So that would be my advice.
Wendy Wendroff [00:19:58] Just do it. It doesn't have to be a traditional path. It doesn't have to be, "I want to be a chapter advisor or I want to do this," because honestly, those are limiting numbers of those, right? But you know, if you like meeting planning. Or if you like event planning. You know, I'm certainly the person to talk to you as far as the Convention. We didn't really have a Convention chair before I started this, I kind of it's what I'd like to do. I like to plan meetings. I like to. And convention is such a positive experience typically, that it's just such a fun thing to do, that that really drove me to do it. I have been more driven organizing Convention than almost most anything else in my life. But it doesn't have to be a role that we already have. It doesn't have to be don't don't think that because there's nothing in the volunteer central portal, that is what you want to do, that you have to be limited to that, because that's not true. If you see something within your region that you think. You know, well I really think we need to do a better job of officer transition, let's just use that one because I could use that in my region too. Talk to your regional director, and say, "Hey, this is what I'd really like to do. I would like to try to mentor the chapter officers because I know that when I was a chapter officer that that going into becoming a chapter officer, I had no idea what I was doing, you know? And I know that that is chronically a problem with most chapter officers that you talk to." So create your own role is really my advice. Do what you like.
Jacqueline Ginarte [00:21:58] So for me, it's so when I read the question or I've heard it is your involvement within the organization, your involvement within the fraternity. And involvement is what you make of it. And it doesn't have to be a volunteer role. Maybe it's just going to events. There's individuals that I know I will see every Atlanta PBLI that I don't think have ever held a volunteer position with AKPsi and that's OK, and I know I'll see them and we have that great bond and we hang out when I when I meet them at PBLI or I go to a Convention, so have grace on yourself too that it's oh, the only way to stay involved with the organization is with a volunteer role. That is not the case. Your involvement is what you want to make of it within the organization. And if that is volunteering, great. We will find something. We will work something out. If it is just showing up to events and hanging out with brothers. Amazing. I will be the one to hang out with you. Like, let's meet at the hotel lobby. Like, let's hang out. If it is just getting together with brothers of your local chapter or your pledge class. That's great. Your involvement within the organization is what you want to make of it, and that's what I want to say. It's what you want to make of it. As students, we see a lot. We see the traditional like a chapter advisor, section director, regional director, and then most of us on this call have done one of those things or some type of volunteer. But you don't have to. Involvement is up to you. And also take it day by day. Our lives change and it's OK. Our lives change, careers, family. You need to step away for a year or two, it is OK because you're never really stepping away. AKPsi is always with you. It is the level of involvement that you want to give to the organization that is right for you. And so that is what I would say. And also, don't be afraid to say, like, hey, my level of involvement, that's all I want to do. And if it's not student facing, it's OK. There's a lot of individuals that I've met that they're like, I want to be involved, but I don't want anything to do with the chapters. There's a lot of things we can do that have nothing to do with the chapters as well. So just, you know, ask the question and make the involvement of what's right for you.
Andrea Nemeth [00:24:09] Jackie, you ended perfectly by saying it's really all about you. It's what you wanna be able to do, and where your passions lie. I tell people that surround yourself with people that are going to bring the best out of you. The rest is just noise. Anything else that you hear? You have to follow your own passions. One piece of advice that I always give to students and I tell them they can remember this. By the acronym MAN. M is for Mentor. We've talked about this, Chrissy stressed it, find a mentor, find someone that has your back and will always help you find the best route to navigate within the fraternity to find that role that is fitting for you at that time. And like Jackie said, it's going to come a time where you're going to have other commitments. You're going to have work commitments, family commitments, whatever it is, it's going to change through the time. But you're always a brother and you can always stay involved, whether it's in a large commitment or a small commitment. You can serve on a committee as long as it works for you. The other thing A: achievements. You know, one of the things I wish I had done earlier in my career is always track the things that you're achieving, because whether you're doing it within the fraternity or you're doing it outside of the fraternity, your life, it's going to blend. So many of the things that I did within the fraternity trickled into my personal life, and I was able to be promoted and and actually go from a career in accounting and finance into a career in higher education. So always track your achievements. You know, these are things because your resume is always going to change and grow and you know, you're going to add things as you continue to grow professionally. And then the last thing is network, you know, stay connected. If you're invited to an event, join. You know, there are people that you meet and then you can always add on and expand. And these are the people that are going to help you run businesses. They're going to help you with running projects. They're going to help your career professionally end, you know, in AKPsi. So those are the three things that I recommend is finding a mentor, tracking your achievements, and networking.
Finn Lambouris [00:26:20] Thank you all for sharing that advice, I think that's going to be really helpful for some people to hear. Moving on to the next question, getting a little bit more personal here. Did any of you ever feel as though you faced any issues or challenges being women in the fraternity?
Eileen Howell [00:26:39] OK, so, I thought about this and really, for me, in Alpha Kappa Psi. I didn't see where I faced a lot of challenges. And I did in business. I mean, I was a tax director in the oil field business, which is heavy, heavy, male oriented. So yes, I have bruises on the head from hitting the glass ceiling. But you know, in Alpha Kappa Psi, I look at it and people have probably heard me say it time and again. It was all about respect. I was able to earn the respect of my fellow brothers, and in doing so was able to do things or be able to be involved in order to further the Brotherhood. And they respected me for that, and as a result, I didn't, I didn't feel that I had a lot of challenges within AKPsi. Like I said, tons work wise, but not within AKPsi. Chrissy?
Chrissy Vasquez [00:27:54] Yeah, I'm going to echo Eileen. You know, in my career as a fundraiser, I actually got a lot of sexual harassment from male donors that I've had to deal with in my career. But when it comes to the fraternity, the biggest thing that I actually faced early on was my age. There was a lot of older males that had been around, and they challenged me based on how young I was. Being, some of the initiatives I was driving on the staff, as well as when I became a volunteer after my staff years. But like Eileen said, it was building my reputation. This is what I'm going to say. I'm going to do. I'm going to do it, I'm going to deliver it really well. And honestly, I think PEP was that real defining moment where we were able to really like knock it out of the park. And several people were quite surprised. And I think that's what it was. It's building my reputation that then had that respect from other brothers, and I always gave that respect to other brothers early on, even when I got challenged, sometimes I still made sure that I kept a level of respect there.
Wendy Wendroff [00:28:56] I can't say that being a female was never- was ever a challenge, in AKPsi. It was more of a challenge explaining AKPsi to other people. Because fraternity certainly means men, certainly means toga parties, certainly means, you know, all that other kind of stuff. So how can I possibly be? How can I- "No you mean sorority." Well, no, I'm smart enough to know that I belong to a fraternity. And the fact that we were all called brothers, that females especially thought that that was odd. Well, why don't you be called sisters? Fraternities used to have things called little sisters, and essentially those were kind of slave laborers. Labor to the male counterparts in the fraternity, you were second class citizens. So we did not want to be called sisters, for that matter. We wanted to be called brothers because that put us on the same footing as any male fraternity brother. But like Eileen too, I certainly felt that a bit more of a discrimination from my professional career, because right out of college I did go into transportation. I work for a trucking company. I think I might have been the only woman that anyone had ever seen work there unless you were like an admin type of person. They were not used to me supervising them. That was a challenge. That was about getting respect. And then that move forward from there. But the fraternity has always been very inclusive. That's always been my experience, no matter who you are.
Jacqueline Ginarte [00:30:58] All right. So for me, it's well, it's the I am a woman in tech, oh, so there's definitely some challenges there. But I will say in the business world, in AKPsi, I've had had some challenges. However, I have had a lot of allies and a lot of brothers that have been there for me, and I think that's what has helped me the most. But I am a Cuban-American first generation American, you know, Hispanic woman, and some of those challenges I also kind of brought upon myself or I thought it was what needed to be seen. And it's funny because I have my hair straight today, just out of coincidence, because I have an event. But I actually had this discussion with Chrissy a while ago that you wouldn't catch me in an AKPsi event before with my natural curly hair. I always had it straight. And when I actually went to run for chapter congress for EVP, I made sure my hair was up or straight. I didn't want my natural curly hair because that was a perception I had put for myself. And then on top of that, I was self-conscious about my accent, my Miami accent that I had as well, just based on comments that I had received at other events or that I had spoken Spanish at at events and a comment that I did receive through that. But with that, I continue to find allies. I continue to find brothers that were uplifting me and I continued to find brothers by putting myself out there that you know what? Those that were speaking negatively or gave me those comments were the minority versus those that were supporting me and continued to cheering me on. That was the majority of the group. But it was something that I had to learn from myself as well. And then as being a woman in AKPsi, I think we have some amazing trailblazers on this call that have made it easy for me as a woman in AKPsi to do what I needed to do. But on the Hispanic aspect of it or a woman of color, that's where sometimes I found some of those weird conversations or those comments for that and that it was a reality for me that because we're in AKPsi, we're not in a bubble of like perfection in AKPsi, either. Things do happen as well in every which way. And it's just, you know, how do we support each other? How do we realize that if something is happening to someone else where they're getting a look or if a comment was made? I'm not even going to lie. At the beginning of AKPsi when I started as an RD, I remember getting to the mic and I would change my last name to Ginarte just because it was easier to say. And then I said, No, I am not going to have my last name be changed. My last name is Ginarte. And there is no other way of saying it. It is Ginarte. That is my last name. So those have been some of my experiences, but I will say, and I am more than happy to say that the four women along with me on this call, all four of them have been some of my biggest allies as well, and supporters and individuals that I've been able to have those in-depth conversations with, and real conversations with, that have been there and have supported me as well.
Andrea Nemeth [00:34:07] As everybody has put, I mean, for me, it, you know, correcting people that I am in a fraternity. "No, you mean sorority," I've had that a number of years. No, I don't mean sorority. I mean fraternity. I mean, I have brothers. My sister, the joke in my house is that she- I have one sister, but I have a lot of brothers. And, you know, respect that I find with all the things that I've achieved within the fraternity that comes and it comes from building relationships and trust. You know, that to me, has always been. The thing that I valued most about this fraternity are the relationships that I built. These lifetime relationships where it can be years or months, where I haven't talked to someone and I can easily pick up the phone and ask for someone's opinion or ask for someone's advice. Chrissy knows I did that last year. I needed to speak to someone about a specific chapter issue. So in that regard, and I also see it the first time I brought Vadim to a convention who's my- he's my husband. And in 2009 he became a brother. Before he was a brother, he was embraced by the fraternity. A lot of the brothers became his friends, and then in 2007, I started bringing my mother, and same thing. She was embraced by everybody, treated like family, treated like an extension. And that's the environment that I love. And so I always feel like I'm an equal in this fraternity, no matter what age we are, no matter where we're from, because at the end of the day, all of us wear the same letters.
Finn Lambouris [00:35:45] Thank you all again for sharing. I'm really happy to hear that overwhelmingly most of your experiences within the fraternity have been positive. So to end this a little bit on a high note. What are you looking forward to in the future of Alpha Kappa Psi?
Eileen Howell [00:36:02] Short term, what I'm looking forward to is the Convention in Miami. Jackie has me so hyped. And really just to see everyone. I mean, Andrea, we haven't got to travel, so we won't be able to trade travel stories. But just to see everyone in person is so... I cannot wait for that. But long term, what I am looking at in terms of the fraternities future. You know, we say to be recognized as principled business leaders. I don't want to be recognized. I want that we are principled business leaders. There is no future, we need already to do that, and that's what I want to see for AKPsi's future. Chrissy.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:37:02] Yeah, I'm going to build on that, Eileen, because you're in the same vein I am, I look forward to a day where we don't have any risk management issues in this organization because the brothers that are in here respect each other from day one and aren't willing to watch somebody else be treated like that. So I do look forward to that day and I know we can get there as an organization, and that will then also make sure that we are making an impact in the global business world because the brothers that arrive at their jobs are exactly what the corporation needs from a soft skill standpoint. Wendy.
Wendy Wendroff [00:37:36] Short term, certainly Convention. Been planning this thing for more than two years now. So should be really good, right? Long term, I'm going to be very curious to see this year, especially after what we have been through the last 18 months, is how that's going to reshape us. Because it's got to, right? I mean, we can say personally that it is reshaped the way we think it is reshaped the way we shop. It is- I mean, in talking with Jackie and, you know, with it's reshaped retail by far. So it will I will be really curious to see how it's going to reshape us, because while we are starting to do some in-person things, you know, we certainly hope that we can do Presidents Academy. That's our plan. Do that in person. It will be really interesting to see how that goes moving forward.
Jacqueline Ginarte [00:38:40] I'm gonna echo what everybody says about Convention, because the itch of seeing my brothers in person, like it's just astronomical at this point. Like, I need that in person, I need that from from everyone. The next thing that I'm looking forward to is this new generation of brothers that stand up and raise their hands, and they're like, "This is the change that we need," because I think you guys know that better than any of us on this call. Like, you guys are there and the organization, you guys are the blood of the organization right now as well. So just seeing that wave of brothers in that new generation just project us to some of the changes that we need and hearing your voices.
Andrea Nemeth [00:39:22] I think the word that I always think about is the legacy. Long term, you know, as Chrissy mentioned, I hope that there won't be any risk management issues. I hope that we develop and, you know, move forward and create an environment where professionals can join and continue developing. You know, I'm very proud of the fraternity of how we pivoted last year during the pandemic and how we stayed connected and how we took advantage of technology and how we stayed close. How many of the chapters proved to be creative? They thought outside the box. So if we continue to be able to pivot during these times, I can't imagine, I mean, I'm I'm actually excited to see what the next generation will be able to do and moving forward, identifying their needs and and seeing where the fraternity goes. I have the joys of of having served as mentor in this fraternity and mentee, and I continue to do that and I love being able to pay it forward and see where people I've touched, where they end up. So legacy is really the last thing that I think about in the future of this fraternity. You know, we have so many years and so much history, and I hope the future continues to be bright and and stable.
Finn Lambouris [00:40:46] Yes, I absolutely agree with everything that you all said. This will be my first Convention I'll be attending, so I'm really looking forward to that. I've heard such great things. But yes, thank you so much, all of you for coming on today sharing your experiences. This has been really meaningful for me, just to learn from all of you trailblazers and hear your stories, so, sincerely, thank you so much for coming on today and sharing your stories. For anyone listening today, if you want to connect with any of the panelists from this episode, feel free to search them up on LinkedIn and connect there. Make sure to send them a message of how you discovered them through this podcast or feel free to connect with them through myAKPsi portal.
[00:41:29] Thanks for listening to Business Edge. If you have questions, comments, or topic suggestions for us, email businessedge@akpsi.org.