Announcement

RELEASE: NMGC Welcomes New Officers to the 2019-2020 Executive Board During Successful Annual Conference

For Immediate Release
June 10, 2019

RELEASE: NMGC Welcomes New Officers to the 2019-2020 Executive Board During Successful Annual Conference

During a successful Annual Conference and Summer Business Meeting May 31 to June 2 at Arizona State University’s Tempe Campus in Arizona, representatives of the National Multicultural Greek Council member organizations elected new officers, recognized fellow Council members with awards, and participated in leadership development organized by the Conference Planning Committee.

Ambrosia Daphne Solis, a member of Delta Xi Phi Multicultural Sorority, Inc. will be stepping into the Vice President role. She will also serve as the Council’s interim treasurer until next year’s elections.

Jessica Snell, a member of Lambda Tau Omega Sorority, Inc., will take over for Jessica Oswald as the University Liaison position, and Zondra Victor, a member of Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority, Inc., will be the new PR Coordinator.

“I am thrilled to welcome these new officers into our team,” said the Council’s current president, Jessica Peñaranda. “They each bring experience within their respective leadership roles, which will be key in helping us lead the Council forward and sparking the change ignited during this year’s Annual Conference. I also express my gratitude to the outgoing officers,Vicki Nelson, Jessica Oswald, and Tanya Arditi Saavedra, for their invaluable contribution and dedication to the Executive Board these past couple of years.”

The 2019-2020 NMGC Executive Board:

President: Jessica Peñaranda, Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority, Inc.
Vice President: Ambrosia Daphne Solis, Delta Xi Phi Multicultural Sorority, Inc.
Secretary: Lorean “Ludi” Valentín, Mu Sigma Upsilon Sorority, Inc.
Treasurer: Ambrosia Daphne Solis, Delta Xi Phi Multicultural Sorority, Inc.
University Liaison: Jessica Snell, Lambda Tau Omega Sorority, Inc.
PR Coordinator: Zondra Victor, Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority, Inc.

2019 NMGC Annual Conference and Summer Business Meeting:

Peñaranda also reflected on the Annual Conference:

“As president of the NMGC, I am most proud of the vulnerability we shared, the self-organizing we are building upon, and the relationship-building that organically emerged. The members of the NMGC community that attended the Annual Conference lived up to the theme set forth by the planning committee: Sparking the Movement of Change. We honored the indigenous communities on whose land we were gathering and called for everyone to set their own intentions for the weekend from the start. Our opening plenary set the tone for our time together, as we established dialogue about challenges, leadership, social justice, and how we can all spark change in ourselves, our organizations, and our communities.

“We are grateful for the presenters from the ASU community who took time to invest in our members. To Kira Gatewood, Ed.D, whose presentation on sparking the movement of change through strategic collaborations gave attendees important and useful knowledge that they could put in practice to advance their organizations’ goals. To Dr. Colette Sybille Jung who led an interactive conversation about the importance of intersectional awareness and on microaggressions, and to Paisley Benaza, PhD candidate, who presented on the new power of narrative storytelling, and helped attendees visualize the power their life stories have in attaining their personal and leadership goals.

“Our weekend was action-oriented, while we held and centered our larger purpose of being in community, holding ourselves and our Council accountable, and continuing to build on the roots of our mission. We ended our time together with a series of affirmations, and closed the weekend with the unity clap, a symbol that reminds us that solidarity happens when we commit to being in meaningful relationships with one another and where we build accountable communities through the shared values we hold.”

2019 NMGC Award Recipients:

Also during the 2019 Annual Conference, the following award recipients from among the member organizations were recognized for their valuable contributions to their communities, their unwavering commitment to the growth of multicultural Greek life, and to promoting the mission and living the values of the NMGC:

Excellence in Community Service Award: Lambda Sigma Gamma Sorority, Inc.
Unity Award: Psi Sigma Phi Multicultural Fraternity, Inc.
Cultural Awareness Award: Alpha Xi chapter of Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority, Inc.
Professional of the Year: Claudia Reyes-Rios (Gamma Eta Sorority, Inc.)

For more information or to speak to an NMGC representative, please contact Zondra Victor, Public Relations Coordinator, at pr@nationalmgc.org.

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The National Multicultural Greek Council (NMGC) is an umbrella council for a coalition of Multicultural Greek-Letter Organizations (MGLOs), established in 1998. The purpose of NMGC is to provide a forum that allows for the free exchange of ideas, programs, and services between its constituent fraternities and sororities; to promote the awareness of multicultural diversity within collegiate institutions, their surrounding communities, and the greater community-at-large, and to support and promote the works of its member organizations.