News

The Spring 2012 edition of The Promise newsletter is now posted to the North Atlantic Region (NAR) website.  Click here to download your copy.

In addition, the NAR website now includes the following information and features: 

• Job postings are now available on the NAR website! If you are a job seeker, please check the Job Postings section regularly for opportunities. If you are a hiring manager or inside recruiter looking for talent, please consider posting your opening here. For details, click here.
• A new section containing EAF Activities and Applications has also been added.  Visit to find the latest on your Cluster's EAF Salute To Excellence Events, applications for the Regional Director's EAF Endownment Scholarship and other news about EAF.
• The Regional Director's Photo Gallery has been expanded to include photo albums for the past few North Atlantic Regional Conferences. To view the memories, click here.
• A Help section with Frequently Asked Questions has also been added to the NAR site. Whether you need help logging into the Members Only section or registering for a conference, visit the Help section BEFORE you contact the webmistress as chances are, most of your questions will be answered there!
• In addition, the Members Only section of the NAR site has been expanded to include our Regional Director Updates so you never have to miss an email blast.

And don't forget to visit the  News Section and visit the Members Only section to update your personal profile in our private members directory!

Please note the venue for Greek Night with the New York Liberty has changed to Madison Square Garden.  All other details for the event are the same. Thank you!

Xi Omega Chapter commemorated Arbor Day 2012 with a special tree planing ceremony in honor of former Chapter President Soror Phyllis Etheridge Young.

The youngest of three daughters born to the late Robert Bruce and Bessie Dixon Etheridge, Soror Young became the first African American woman to lead a Federal Highway Administration State Office through her work at the U.S. Department of Transportation. But it was her tireless work as a civil rights and education activist, as well as her later work as an advocate for health and wellness within the community, that truly set Soror Phyllis apart.

The tree planting ceremony in honor of Soror Young was covered in the Casey Trees blog.  You can view the full story here.

A Guest Post by Soror Juanita Orr, South Atlantic Region

As a South Florida native, who had lived several years in both New York and Europe, it never occurred to me that any place, except the North Pole, would be cold in July! Without a thought, I assumed that “Sunny California” would be no different than the warm July weather experienced in other places I had lived. I was totally unprepared for the normal cold weather in San Francisco. The average high temperature for July is 66 and the average low 54, but no rain.

 Prior to moving to Maryland, I was a 40 year resident of the San Francisco Bay area where summer is winter. It is cold (winter-like) every evening in the Bay Area and most days in San Francisco. I believe you will enjoy the Boule more if you are not cold all the time or have to spend unplanned money to purchase warm clothing that you could have brought from home.

From my experience, I offer the following suggestions for San Francisco:

• Flannel nightgown or pajamas (For 40 years, I slept in flannel except for 1-2 weeks in September.)
• Pantsuits, except for required dress, so your legs will be warm - Sweaters both pullover and button
• Closed in shoes so your feet are warm - Spring coat or shawl every evening and perhaps daytime, too.
• Cap, hoodie or winter scarf for your head for evenings and most mornings
• No cotton, silk(only for evening), linen, nylon outfits, including blouses
• No sandals
• Check Weather.com or your favorite site for the ten day weather report before you pack.

Please share these tips across country so everyone has wonderful memories of the San Francisco Boule regardless of the cold weather and not only reminders of winter in July.

As Mark Twain said, "The coldest winter I ever saw was the summer I spent in San Francisco."

On May 7, 2012, Maryland's Top 100 Women recently honored Theta Omega Omega Soror Sharon Burrell, Circuit Court Judge for Montgomery County, Maryland. 

Since 1996, Maryland’s Top 100 Women have recognized more than 1,000 high-achieving Maryland women who are making an impact through their leadership, community service and mentoring.

The winners are selected by an outside panel of business leaders based on professional accomplishment, community involvement and commitment to mentoring.

GapBuster Learning Center Inc. and the Lincoln Park Historical Foundation hosted a Women's History Month celebration honoring women who are leaders in our community.  Theta Omega Omega Soror Sharon Burrell was one of the honorees at the March 3, 2012 event held at the Emory Grove Community Center in Gaithersburg, MD.

Theta Omega Omega Golden Soror Barbara McKee was recently promoted to the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Affairs, Office of Fossil Energy, U.S. Department of Energy. 

The Office of Fossil Energy is responsible for implementation of the $2 billion, ten-year Clean Coal Power Initiative to develop a new generation of environmentally-sound clean coal technologies. 

She is also responsible for monitoring the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve and Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve, both key emergency response tools available to the President to protect Americans from energy supply disruptions. 

Soror McKee is an alumna of Tuskegee University and Harvard University Kennedy School. 

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., in partnership with the city of San Francisco, District 10 Supervisor, Malia Cohen and the San Francisco Recreation and Parks, will focus on youth and leadership tools during our 65th Boule. Click here to to view a flyer regarding the Youth Leadership Summit taking place on Thursday, July 26, which includes a list of requested school supplies for our Region.

If you're having trouble viewing the flyer, please copy and paste the following URL into your browser to view: http://akanorthatlantic.org/Resources/Documents/Boule%20Youth%20Leadership%20Summit_updated-1.pdf

The earliest date that items can be received at the recreation center is July 5, 2012. Please emphasize in your email that the school supplies must be shipped between July 3-14, 2012 to allow ample time for sorting and organizing the supplies we receive.

Items can be shipped directly to:

Joseph Lee Recreation Center
ATTN: AKA YOUTH SUMMIT
1395 Mendell Street
San Francisco, CA 94124

The Emerging Young Leaders (EYLs) of Xi Omega chapter went on an exciting, informative college tour on Tuesday, April 3rd during their Spring Break.

Xi Omega's EYL Co-chair Priscilla Chatman arranged a tour of both Georgetown and George Washington Universities. The day started at Georgetown with a campus tour followed by a panel presentation arranged by Soror Sonya Sims. The Vice President of diversity spoke as did the Associate Dean of Students, the Director of Community Affairs and one male and one female student, all African Americans, who presented to the EYLS on college life and the preparation needed to get there. The EYLs asked many probing questions during the informative question and answer session which proved the highlight of the Georgetown tour.

EYLS on Georgetown University campus tour 

EYLs listen to tour guide at Georgetown University ad EYL committee looks on, in pink top EYL Co-Chair Soror Priscilla Chatman, in pink cap Soror Annie Hawthorne and to right Co-Chair Soror Vivian Smith.

The group then traveled by charted motor coach to George Washington (GW) University and were treated to lunch in the cafeteria, the Marvin Center, courtesey of Soror Edith Johnson. The action-packed day ended at GW’s Multi Cultural Center (MCC) with a two hour discussion and tour during which the group was greeted by the Associate Director of the MCC, an Alpha man, husband of a soror, and father of an EYL in another Chapter. Four African American students spoke on the panel, including an undergraduate Soror who was contemplating 5 job offers and acceptance to 4 law schools. These students shared important advice ranging from how to get accepted to how to earn a scholarship. The EYLs said they would remember this day for years to come and the Assistant Director of the MCC asked that we bring the EYLS back next year.

At George Washington University, Multi Cultural Center, the Center’s Assistant Director speaks to the EYLS at podium along with 4 students on the panel

The Xi Omega chapter would like to thank Sorors Vivian Smith, Cheryl Hill, Jessica Ford, Annie Hawthorne, Edith Johnson, Alfreda Edward, LeMarie Thompson, Sonya Sims, Raven Hill, Virginia Howard and Valaria Wilson who donated their day to assist.