Kappa Delta - University of Mississippi

PAGE 3 Kappa Delta A lpha Mu has had a wonderful year. We received the highest new member GPA and overall highest GPA throughout Panhellenic. We make it a priority that grades come first, and we offer free tutor systems for our members if they are struggling in classes. We love to watch our members thrive outside of Kappa Delta, and this year many of our members held various positions throughout the university. Hannah Watts '21 was elected Associated Student Body president and Alex Kipping '21 was elected ASB attorney general. Ness Bonner '21 was crowned this year's Homecoming Queen. Zoey Swan '22 was elected Junior Homecoming Maid, and Emma Simpson '23 was elected Sophomore Homecoming Maid. Along with these, our very own McKenzie Cox '22 was recently crowned Miss University and will represent Ole Miss in the Miss Mississippi pageant. We have done many great things as a Chapter as well. CASA Encore is an organization that Kappa Delta works closely with each year and is very near and dear to their hearts. Kappa Delta's dance this year was Star Wars-themed, and we placed third overall out of 11 sororities. We also participated in other events to support CASA, including a blood drive, the CARE Walk, creating a banner for the banner competition, filling out voter registration forms, and even buying 2024 CASA merchandise. It was because of Kappa Delta's hard work and determination that we were able to raise a record-breaking $59,258. This helped contribute to the overall CASA-winning grand donation of $460,640. CASA Encore is a favorite in KD and something that our members look forward to participating in each year. It is so rewarding to be able to give back to such an amazing cause and represent Panhellenic in a positive way! On September 20, we hosted KD Quesadillas. This used to be an annual event, which we brought back this year. A week prior to the event, our members started selling tickets for $10 for an all-you-can-eat buffet of quesadillas, chips, and a queso fountain— and we even had a mariachi band! The tickets were sold to family, friends, classmates, and others within the Oxford community, and all proceeds went to Prevent Child Abuse America and the Exchange Club Family Center of Oxford. About $40,000 of our profit came from tickets that were sold at the door. What was special about KD Quesadillas is that it brought all different groups of people together in one house to spend time together over quesadillas. Kappa Delta members participated by greeting at the front doors and joining in conversation with people who came to attend the event. Overall, we raised $68,085 for Prevent Child Abuse America. Love in AOT, Jane Hopson '21, President 2024 Anna Carlisle Nichols '22, President 2025 S I S T E R S G E T I N V O L V E D A N D G I V E B A C K A Fantastic Year for KD A Fantastic Year for KD I n Kappa Delta, Wendy Miller Cromwell '90 found women who were smart, capable, accepting, and fun, and they gave her the support she needed to try new things. "At first, I didn't really know anyone at Ole Miss and wasn't incredibly confident, but others kept pushing me forward, and with every new experience, I was emboldened to get involved in another," she shared. "This led to wonderful leadership opportunities, the potential to contribute meaningfully to KD and Ole Miss, and a lot of good learning for me." Wendy has fond memories of participating in KD Crawfish, getting ready for football games with her roommate, Alicia Maley Lawrence '90, and staying up late to plot Memphis trips with Dana Brooks O'Donnell '91. Alpha Mu was Wendy's home in so many ways, so giving to the Chapter's recent capital campaign made sense to her. As an undergraduate, Wendy served as the efficiency chairman, where she learned about getting things done to continue to function as a Chapter. She later served as president, which taught her the importance of understanding the needs of various stakeholders and taking them into account in decision-making. She also gained public speaking, project management, and leadership skills. "Most importantly, I learned, 'People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel' (Maya Angelou)." "I would have never predicted the trajectory of my career, but I have loved every step," Wendy said. While deciding her next role throughout her career, Wendy based her decisions on whether she was excited about the opportunity and if she could learn and build new skills. "I started out working in the client group and then wrote a plan to focus our client group by client type," she said. "The head of the group liked the idea and then let me choose which client type I would like to focus on. I chose endowments because they were the most sophisticated in terms of how they thought about investment policy." Wendy later moved into investment policy research, portfolio management, and multi-asset group leadership before being asked to lead sustainable investment. She is currently the vice chairman and head of sustainable investment at Wellington Management. Wendy shares that her entire career at Wellington has been an education. "I work with incredible experts, travel throughout the U.S., Europe, and Asia, and get to meet with government officials and CEOs. Part of my work is identifying investments that will allow people to survive and thrive in the face of increased physical climate risks like heat, drought, wildfires, hurricanes, and floods." When she's not at work, Wendy loves to hike, and she and a friend hike six miles almost every Saturday. Wendy has a husband, a daughter who is a senior in college, and a son who is a senior in high school. You can connect with her at wmcromwell@wellington.com. Opportunities to Learn Wendy Miller Cromwell '90 Finds Education in Her Career Happy KD Quesadillas! Pictured: Skylar Jacobs '23 (le) and Channing McEldowney '24.

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