Grapevine, Texas, June 20, 2025 – Kappa Delta announced the recipients of the prestigious Order of the Emerald and Order of the Pearl at the opening session of Kappa Delta’s 66th Biennial National Convention in Grapevine, Texas. These awards recognize sisters who have achieved success and contributed significantly to Kappa Delta and their communities.  

Order of the Emerald  

Since the 1980s, the prestigious Order of the Emerald award has been given to Kappa Delta alumnae who have displayed extraordinary service to an alumnae chapter, chapter advisory board, house corporation, Panhellenic, and/or national Kappa Delta. Each of this year’s recipients was nominated by fellow Kappa Deltas, and each has exhibited selfless devotion to the sorority. 

The twelve 2025 Order of the Emerald recipients are: 

Kathy Adkins (Nu-Oklahoma State): Throughout her 45-year service to Kappa Delta, Kathy has worn many hats on the Beta Epsilon-Tulsa and Nu-Oklahoma State chapter advisory boards, as well as Nu’s local house corporation. She also represented Kappa Delta as president of Tulsa Area Alumnae Panhellenic and co-chaired Nu Chapter’s 100th Anniversary Committee. 

Leah Berry (Alpha Epsilon-Tennessee/Knoxville): For almost a decade, Leah has tirelessly given her all in support of Alpha Epsilon Chapter as House Corporation Secretary and CAB-Finance. Her support of Girl Scouts has continued long after her collegiate years, and she serves as a troop leader guiding young girls to develop leadership skills. 

Nell King Bieger (Alpha Mu-Mississippi): Nell’s service began in 1999 on the chapter advisory board for Gamma Delta-East Tennessee State. From there, she served four years as treasurer of the Kappa Delta Foundation and since 2021, has served in the role of Investment Advisory Committee Chairman for the sorority. 

Dr. Linda Brownlee (Sigma Phi-Georgia): Dr. Brownlee joined the Gwinnett County Alumnae Chapter in 2016, serving as AC President for three years, ensuring their strength throughout the pandemic. She also served as a chapter advisor for Eta Mu-Georgia College and State for four years, as well as on both the Eta Mu and Delta Lambda-Georgia Southern local house corporations. She currently serves as the Savannah, Georgia, Alumnae Chapter president. 

Patty Cappaert (Beta Sigma-Southern Mississippi): Patty started her alumnae service by helping charter the Vicksburg, Mississippi, Alumnae Chapter and has gone on to serve KD and the KD Foundation for almost 50 years at the local and national levels. Because of her service, Patty was inducted into USM’s Greek Hall of Fame in 2014. 

Mary Danz (Beta Epsilon-Tulsa): Mary has served as Tulsa AC president and treasurer, as well as on the Beta Epsilon-Tulsa local house corporation and chapter advisory board. On the national level, she served as both a collegiate and alumnae province president and a member of the National Bylaws Committee. 

Linda Donaldson (Sigma Psi-North Dakota State): Linda has served as an Alpha Nu-Wittenberg chapter advisor for more than a decade in a number of roles. Since 2021, she’s also served on the Alpha Nu Chapter house corporation board. She is also currently an active member of the Dayton, Ohio, Alumnae Chapter. 

Melanie Etters (Beta Pi-Florida): Melanie has served as a chapter advisor for Kappa Alpha-Florida State and has been a member the Jacksonville and Tallahassee, Florida, Alumnae Chapters. Melanie currently serves as the Tallahassee, Florida, AC president. She has also faithfully served the KD Foundation on the scholarship application review committee and as a Founders Day of Giving Champion. 

Judy Lawton (Beta Delta-Utah State): Judy’s devotion to Kappa Delta is evident through decades of service, first as AC President on the Houston Night Alumnae Chapter, then in service to Beta Delta-Utah State where she’s spent more than a decade on their CAB and more than 15 years on the house corporation board. Judy is also a long-time member of the Utah Alumnae Chapter. 

Dot Mears (Gamma Mu-Valdosta State): A past Order of the Pearl recipient, Dot is a member of three Atlanta-area alumnae chapters and has served as president for each: North Fulton County/Cumming, Georgia; Greater Marietta/Roswell, Georgia; and Greater Atlanta Day (twice!). For the last 15 years, Dot has also served on the National Leadership Team as an Alumnae Experience Specialist and has given her time to the KD Foundation as part of the Imagine Her Future scholarship campaign steering committee. 

Sheila Vahey (Beta Sigma-Southern Mississippi): Sheila has served as an Eta Omega-Kennesaw State chapter advisor since 2013. She also served the Atlanta Alumnae Panhellenic Association in a number of roles and was a founding member of the Greater Marietta/Roswell, Georgia, Alumnae Chapter where she served as president and remains an active member today. 

Stefanie Winborne (Delta Delta-Troy): Stefanie has served as a chapter advisor for Eta Omega-Kennesaw State, Theta Kappa-Northern Arizona and Epsilon Gamma-North Georgia and has been a member the Tucson, Arizona; Greater Atlanta Day; and North Fulton County/Cumming, Georgia, Alumnae Chapters. Stefanie also served on the National Leadership Team as a CAB Specialist and has given her time to the KD Foundation on scholarship application review committees and as a Founders Day of Giving Champion. 

Order of the Emerald  

The Order of the Pearl award recognizes significant service to the community. Each recipient was nominated for this honor by fellow Kappa Deltas, and each has extraordinary impact. 

The eight 2025 Order of the Pearl recipients are: 

Dr. Sharon Anderson (Sigma Psi-North Dakota State): Since becoming a Kappa Delta almost 60 years ago, Sharon has had a significant impact on countless others. Along with her outstanding professional career in the agricultural field in North Dakota, Sharon has received multiple awards including the Harvest Bowl Agribusiness Award from North Dakota State University. She was also inducted into the National 4-H Hall of Fame. 

Carol Erwine (Omega Xi-Cincinnati): A pillar of the Dayton, Ohio, arts community, Carol has tirelessly served the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance. Her leadership has included a decade of service on the Dayton Performing Arts Board, as president of the Dayton Philharmonic Volunteer Association, on the President’s Advisory Committee, and as vice president of membership for the Opera Guild of Dayton. She also volunteers with the Opera Guild’s school music programs for 2nd and 3rd graders, instilling a love of music and the arts in Dayton’s youth. 

Barbara Johannes (Gamma Eta-Ohio): Barbara has been dedicated to serving her community for decades. Deeply committed to historic preservation, she is a staunch supporter of the Dana Point Historical Society where she also served as president. Barbara also served three years as president of Founders Plus, a supporting the Segerstrom Center for the Arts and has been a board member since the Center’s inception. In 2024, Barbara was a 2024 Woman of the Year Nominee, recognized by the Dana Point Chamber of Commerce. 

Tina Parkhill (Nu-Oklahoma State): Since representing her chapter on Oklahoma State’s Panhellenic Council serving in various roles, Tina’s involvement and contributions to the community have been exceptional. She has been a leader for Tulsa Area United Way, American Heart Association, OSU National Alumni Association and more. Tina currently serves as president of Family & Children’s Services.  

U.S. Marshal Susan Pamerleau​ (Sigma Epsilon-Texas/Austin): U.S. Marshal Pamerleau served 32 years in the United States Air Force, retiring at the rank of Major General. After her retirement, she has been active in numerous civic and charitable organizations locally, including on the advisory board for ChildSafe of San Antonio, and the board of directors of the Child Advocates of San Antonio (CASA), the United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County, and the Sheriffs Association of Texas. In recognition of her efforts, she was honored in 2009 as a University of Wyoming College of Arts & Sciences Outstanding Alumna and in 2018 as a Distinguished Alumna of the University of Wyoming.    

Carol Ann Raymond (Sigma Phi-Georgia): She served as president of the Georgia Speech-Language-Hearing Association and was a founding member of its Foundation where she currently holds the role of Director of Finance. Carol Ann has also volunteered with Grace Arbor Adult Day Respite Care for more than 20 years and gives of her time as a children’s ministry teacher for her local church. 

Lauren Solomon (Epsilon Epsilon-Appalachian State): As the national sales director for Stanley 1913, Lauren played a pivotal role in the striking rise in popularity of everyone’s favorite tumbler and brand. She understood and believed in the purchasing power of women, the pull of female influencers and the value of women as decision makers. Her vision and intuition about focusing on the female consumer paid off with Stanley being named to the TIME 100 Most Influential Companies.  

Ret. Major General Terry Sherling (Sigma Psi-North Dakota State): Retired Major General Scherling is a distinguished leader in national defense, homeland security and public service. Over her 33-year military career, she led critical operations including Hurricane Katrina response and counterterrorism efforts in Iraq, later serving in senior roles at the TSA. She founded TENICA Global Solutions, a nationally recognized consulting firm, and was honored by Smart CEO Magazine and Washington Business Journal as a top executive and leader among private enterprises. 

Congratulations to all our Order of the Emerald and Order of the Pearl recipients!  

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Kappa Delta Sorority, headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, is a national organization for women with more than 317,000 members, 167 active collegiate chapters and 155 active alumnae chapters nationwide. Kappa Delta makes a difference across the country through its philanthropic work, including the prevention of child abuse in partnership with Prevent Child Abuse America and confidence-building programming with Girl Scouts of the USA. For more information, visit www.kappadelta.org.