Grapevine, Texas, June 20, 2025 – Kappa Delta announced the 10 remarkable women in the inaugural class of Elite Professionals Under 40 at the opening session of Kappa Delta’s 66th Biennial National Convention in Grapevine, Texas. 

Created to celebrate alumnae who redefine what it means to lead, the award honors alumnae who have achieved extraordinary success in their field while exemplifying the values of confidence, leadership and service that Kappa Delta instills.   

This year’s inaugural class features women whose careers span industries from business and policy to aerospace and entertainment. Their journeys reflect not only professional excellence but also a commitment to empowering others and creating lasting impact.  

The 2025 Elite Professionals Under 40 are: 

Christie Hwang Sander (Alpha Alpha-Michigan State), Co-Founder and COO, Kismet Health Inc.: Christie’s career is defined by innovation, leadership and impact. After developing her expertise at companies such as Apple and Nest Labs, she spent six years at Google in high-impact roles, including head of strategy and business operations and COO for devices and services. In 2022, Christie co-founded Kismet Health Inc., the first pediatric telehealth platform that uses AI to deliver interactive, psychologist-designed games and tools to engage children during virtual visits.  

Noelle Holdsworth (Epsilon Tau-Clemson), Employer Brand Leader, Toast: At Toast, a cloud-based restaurant technology platform, Noelle built the company’s talent acquisition branding from the ground up. Her work has helped Toast earn recognition on several “Best Places to Work” lists and expand its global footprint. Noelle also leads Toast.org’s philanthropic initiatives and oversees multiple employee resource groups. From internal storytelling to global brand development, Noelle blends strategic thinking with heart. 

Sarah Coppola Jewell (Zeta Gamma-Arkansas/Fayetteville), Partner, McMath Woods P.A.: A partner at one of Arkansas’ most respected law firms, Sarah became the firm’s first female partner. Active in state’s legal community, she serves on the Arkansas Bar Association Board of Trustees and has earned an array of honors, including Super Lawyers Rising Star recognition every year since 2018 — which recognizes the top 2.5% of attorneys — and won the Arkansas Bar Golden Gavel award three times! 

Meredith Garofalo (Zeta Psi-Valparaiso), Certified Broadcast Meteorologist and Space Correspondent: President of Rocket Girl Enterprise, Meredith is a nationally recognized broadcast meteorologist and science communicator who serves as a digital content creator for NASA science missions. Her reporting has taken her from rocket launches at Cape Canaveral to interviews with top leaders at the National Weather Service, and she currently is the primetime meteorologist at the CBS affiliate in Columbus, Ohio.  

Samantha Mosby (Eta Eta-Northern Kentucky), Associate Vice President of Organizational Engagement, YMCA of Greater Cincinnati: For Samantha, creating inclusive communities isn’t just a career — it’s a calling. With more than 20 years of nonprofit experience, she oversees a YMCA branch as community executive director and serves on four local nonprofit boards. Samantha also co-founded and leads Kappa Delta’s Bias Response Intervention Team, promoting education and restorative justice. 

Allison Liby-Schoonover (Kappa Alpha-Florida State), Senior Policy Advisor and Partner, Metz, Husband & Daughton: Allison represents major corporations, trade associations and nonprofits, advising on regulatory issues and strategic relationships. Named Florida Politics’ Education Lobbyist of the Year, she also serves on Kappa Alpha’s Chapter Advisory Board and her local alumnae chapter. For good reason, Florida State named Allison to its Greek Alumni hall of fame. 

Amanda Dalton Wilbanks (Sigma Phi-Georgia), Founder and CEO, Southern Baked Pie Company: Amanda turned a love of baking into a flourishing business rooted in Southern hospitality. Amanda’s signature all-butter crust and warm, inviting brand has landed her pies in Williams-Sonoma, Dean & Deluca, and Garden and Gun Mercantile. She’s the author of Southern Baked: Celebrate Life with Pie and a frequent speaker on entrepreneurship and branding. 

Laura Stiles (Zeta Epsilon-Kansas), Crew 7 Launch Operations Principal Engineer, Blue Origin: Laura is helping shape the future of human spaceflight. She has held critical roles in astronaut training, mission operations and vehicle certification. She has served as a CapCom in mission control, trained spaceflight participants and guided technical evaluations for NASA’s Human Landing System. Beyond her work in aerospace, Laura is a mentor, STEM advocate, skydiving instructor and founding member of Sisters in Skydiving, a women’s mentorship group for skydivers. 

Tori Gerbig (Delta Gamma-Western Kentucky), Co-Founder and CEO, Pink Lily: Tori turned a living room side hustle into a multimillion-dollar brand that is one of the fastest-growing online women’s retailers in the U.S. She scaled Pink Lily’s e-commerce success and grew its social media presence to over 900,000 followers. She’s been featured on Forbes.com, recognized as an Inc. 5000 company founder and named Entrepreneur of the Year by the Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce. In 2024, she launched the Affiliate Marketing Academy to empower aspiring entrepreneurs. 

Macy Schmidt (Beta Pi-Florida), Founder and CEO, The Sinfonietta & Overture Global Entertainment: Macy has been named a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and is the first and only woman-of-color orchestrator in Broadway history. She launched The Sinfonietta, an all-women, majority women-of-color orchestra, and later founded Overture Global Entertainment, a film concert production company with clients like Mattel, Warner Bros. and Disney. She’s consulted for TikTok, advised cryptocurrency firms and supervised entertainment at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.  

Congratulations to this year’s inaugural Elite Professionals Under 40!  

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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.