National Harbor, Maryland – Kappa Delta Sorority celebrated 125 years of Our Own KD at the 65th Biennial National Convention June 30-July 3, 2023. Nearly 900 Kappa Deltas, guests and staff came together from across the country at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center to celebrate the achievements of our sisters, build confidence, inspire action and make an impact on Our Own KD. 

During Saturday’s Ever Loyal Luncheon, Kappa Delta recognized sisters who have achieved success and contributed significantly to Kappa Delta and their communities. 

Order of the Emerald 

Since the 1980s, the 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 state or national Kappa Delta. 

The 12 2023 Order of the Emerald recipients are: 

• Angela Ledgerwood (Alpha Psi-Drury) – For more than 25 years, Angie has served Kappa Delta as a Gamma Nu-Miami Chapter Advisory Board member and a Greater Cincinnati Alumnae Chapter member. Throughout her time as Shamrock chair for the AC, Angie has raised over $62,000 for child abuse prevention efforts. 
• Eunice Wallar (Alpha Psi-Drury) – After her graduation in 1963, Eunice became involved in the Southwest Missouri Alumnae Chapter. Since the early 2000s, she has held an active role in both the AC and in supporting Alpha Psi-Drury. Eunice was the driving force behind a scholarship endowment in 2016, which has grown from an initial $25,000 to over $180,000. 
• Mary Beth Wert (Alpha Psi-Drury) – Mary Beth has been volunteering with Kappa Delta since her graduation from Drury University in and has served the sisters of Sigma Upsilon-Indiana for 20 years. She has held every position on the chapter advisory board and now serves as a house corporation board member. 
• Cindy Bailey (Epsilon Alpha-Missouri S&T) – Cindy has served Kappa Delta for more than three decades, holding two positions on the National Leadership Team, while also serving the Tulsa Area Alumnae Chapter and Tulsa Panhellenic. Cindy is serving her fourth term as alumnae chapter president and is slated for a fifth. 
• Debra Bene’ (Epsilon Alpha-Missouri S&T) – Throughout the past 30 years, Deb has served Kappa Delta in various capacities. In 1993, she was instrumental in the development of the Epsilon Alpha chapter facility while serving as house corporation president. Since then, she has volunteered for national KD, worked at National Headquarters as the director of IT and is currently serving as Beta Psi-Arizona State’s house corporation vice president and treasurer.
• Bridgid Kinney (Epsilon Iota-Missouri) – Since Bridgid was initiated into the Epsilon Iota chapter 30 years ago, she has loyally served in a variety of ways. From serving as a dedicated CAB member to being House Corporation President to overseeing a multi–million-dollar renovation of the facility, Bridgid has been a pivotal leader for the chapter. Throughout this time, she’s also served on the National Leadership Team as a Chapter Accounting Specialist. 
• Kate Wasem (Epsilon Alpha-Missouri S&T) – Kate has served Kappa Delta and the sisters of Epsilon Alpha for over 20 years. She has held multiple roles on the house corporation board and served on the National Leadership Team as a housing resource specialist. 
• Sara Guido (Omicron-Illinois Wesleyan) – For the past 20 years, Sarah has served on the National Leadership Team in various positions, including collegiate province president, Nominating Committee member and scholarship committee member. She is also a committed local volunteer, serving on Theta Omicron-West Chester’s Chapter Advisory Board.  
• Julie Totten (Omicron-Illinois Wesleyan) – Since graduating in 1995, Julie has served in various roles on chapter advisory boards, house corporation boards and on the National Leadership Team. During her time on NLT, Julie has been an outstanding leader in her positions as collegiate province president, chapter specialist, chapter accounting specialist and most recently chapter accounting manager. 
• Caroline Mullenholtz (Sigma Lambda-Auburn) – After graduation, Caroline immediately got involved serving as a chapter advisory board member. She has been on Sigma Lambda-Auburn’s CAB since 2006, where she has served in four different positions. Most recently, Caroline was the co-chair for Sigma Lambda’s centennial celebration and established the Sigma Lambda Chapter Scholarship Fund. 
• Margaret Godke (Sigma Psi-North Dakota State) – Margaret has served Kappa Delta at the national and local level since joining the Sigma Psi Chapter. She has volunteered on the National Leadership Team as a collegiate providence president, as well as on chapter advisory boards at Beta Gamma-Monmouth, Sigma Gamma-Kansas State and Sigma Kappa-Ohio State, all while she was completing her master’s and doctorate degrees. 
• Camie Griffin (Zeta-Alabama/Tuscaloosa) – Since joining our sisterhood in 1975, Camie has stayed dedicated to Kappa Delta, specifically at her alma mater. She has served as house corporation president of Zeta Chapter for the past 15 years. Under her leadership, the house was renovated in 2014. 

Order of the Pearl 

Eight alumnae received the Order of the Pearl, which recognizes their outstanding contributions at the national, state or local level in areas other than service to Kappa Delta.

The 2023 Order of the Pearl recipients are:  

• Donna Boensch (Alpha Nu-Wittenberg) – Donna has been active in the Dayton Alumnae Chapter from the moment she graduated in 1960. In addition to holding various AC roles, she was also the Dayton Alumnae Panhellenic Association delegate. Along with her service to Kappa Delta, Donna is an active volunteer with her church, specifically working on a fundraiser that awarded $16,000 in grants to 14 local organizations in 2021. 
• Claire Murdough (Alpha Sigma-New Hampshire) – Claire has been dedicated to serving others through Kappa Delta and other community leadership roles for more than 20 years. Along with being crowned the winner of multiple American Women of Service pageants, Claire has been a leader and sponsor for Adopt-A-Garden, Adopt-A-Highway, Strafford Recreational Sports, Universal Life Church and Justice of the Peace. 
• Melanie Mowry Etters (Beta Pi-Florida) – Melanie has served more than 40 years in notable Kappa Delta and community public relations volunteer positions. She is a past president of the University of Florida Alumni Association, a past president of the Capital Area Gator Club and worked to endow a scholarship to the University of Florida in honor of Judge Stephen C. O’Connell. She was named Capital Area Gator Club board member of the decade for her service. 
• Bree von Faith (Gamma Iota-San Jose State) – For more than 25 years, Bree has selflessly served Our Own Kappa Delta and local communities. She has been involved in the Junior League, serving as president of the San Jose chapter, and is the fundraising director of NextGen Rotary District 5240. Bree has been named 40 Under 40 and Top 100 Women of Influence by the Silicon Valley Business Journal. 
• April Margwarth (Nu-Oklahoma State) – April has been continuously volunteering in the Tulsa area for 30 years. She has served the Child Abuse Network in many capacities, is on the board of directors for Circle of Care and is serving as the board president elect for The Arc, a nonprofit that supports children with neurodivergent challenges. 
• Deborah Dingwall (Pi-Nebraska) – Since serving as president of Pi Chapter, Deb’s involvement and contributions to the community have been exceptional. Along with being a member of KD alumnae chapters, she has been a leader for Big Brothers/Big Sisters in Omaha, Junior League of Battle Creek, Kellogg Company United Way Campaign and more. Deb has served as a board member of Heritage Foundation, Association of Fundraising Professionals and is a member of Women of Impact. 
• Virginia (Ginger) Whelan (Sigma Iota-Washington) – Ginger has been serving Kappa Delta and her community for more than 20 years. She is an active member of the Coachella Valley, California, Alumnae Chapter and has served on the board of directors for the Stockton Symphony Alliance and First Night Stockton since 2002. 
• Chris Adams (Sigma Kappa-Ohio State) – Since becoming a Kappa Delta almost 40 years ago, Chris has shown she is a sister with a heart for helping others. Along with her leadership and many volunteer roles in the horticultural field in the state of Georgia, Chris has received multiple awards, including Volunteer of the Year Award from Heritage Sandy Springs and the Quiet Hero Award from the Greater Atlanta Day Alumnae Chapter. 

Congratulations to all of 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 301,000 members, 168 active collegiate chapters and 215 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.