The 1st annual Alumnae President's Leadership Conference (APLC), funded by the Kappa Delta Foundation, opened on Saturday, June 27, 2009 to Margaret Watson, National Vice President - Alumnae, providing an overview of the exciting events included in APLC, encouraging each participant to open their mind to the new ideas that would be shared among the alumnae chapters, council members and the alumnae national leadership team. And with that, the attendees from across the country begin a whirl-wind ride on the Kappa Delta alumnae chapter train. Topics covered ranged from increasing membership in the alumnae chapter to planning events appealing to all ages and learning how to use technology such as the Kappa Delta Web sites, Facebook and Twitter to their advantage.

Thoughts from APLC attendees:

Dot Mears, Greater Atlanta Day, Ga., Alumnae Chapter--I enjoyed the APLC very much because the panel presentations were very useful. Things that impressed me about this program included: Practical suggestions were made by the participants on how to improve or enhance the operations of an alumnae chapter. Corre Stegall did a fantastic job discussing the role of an Alumnae leader, it was truly inspiring. Her talk really made you want to be a hard working and effective leader. I gained important hints on working with the various alumnae officers on my executive board and how to successfully involve them in creating a better alumnae chapter. In addition, I gained important insight about community visibility and how the internet can be use as an aid in recruiting new members. I think the APLC should become a permanent fixture at future national conventions. It is an effective and personal way to inspire participants to strive for national goals of Kappa Delta. Margaret Watson, National Vice President for Alumnae did a great job in developing this program.

Rachel Lipsey, Central Arkansas Alumnae Chapter--I liked hearing about what other AC's are doing in their communities, with collegiate chapters, and programming in their own AC. It's hard to get a since of how many members each AC has, and being able to chat with these people in person helped me to understand what works with other KD groups. I also really enjoyed meeting my national officers for the next two years. I think the biggest thing that I learned is that I should always recruit members. It can't just be a once a year membership drive, but takes constant drive to keep my eyes and ears open to the various opprotunities to connect with alumnae Kappa Deltas in the area. I also think that attending the conference gave me certain goals that I want our AC to achieve. I learned that numbers aren't everything, and that I have to delegate and make sure the goals and dreams are for the whole AC and not just myself or even just the officer board.

Sharon Kaufman, St. Louis, Mo., Alumnae Chapter--I liked hearing about what other alumnae groups are doing in regards to programming and membership. I also appreciated the opportunity to meet and get to know alumnae presidents from our division as well as our new AMS and AOS. I have already used the www.whenisgood.net site that other alum groups use to schedule their officer/planning meetings, so I was happy to see we were on track with that. I am excited to bring some new programming ideas to our group too.

Lucy Medvec, Shreveport/Bossier City, La., Alumnae Chapter--Participating in this year’s APLC was just the boost I needed to give me energy for my Alumnae Chapter (Shreveport-Bossier, LA). We came from across the country to share our Kappa Delta Alumnae experiences, learn new and exciting ideas, but most importantly to learn that overall, our passion for Kappa Delta is even stronger now as Alumnae. We learned that as a national organization, we are making even more of a difference in the lives of children and in our community, through our Shamrock Projects, Girl Scout programs, and the many ways we work to build self-esteem among girls and young women. We celebrated on a local level what our alumnae can accomplish when we come together. It has been 20 years since I graduated, but I loved the fact that I could remember Kappa Delta songs after all of these years. I loved being one of the ones standing at the Friendship Luncheon, when asked if a KD sister had been in my wedding party, attended my wedding, and was someone who shared good and sad times in my life. I learned a lot from the many APLC discussion panels, but I learned the most when given the opportunity to share our ideas among each other. This was a wonderful experience and I look forward to seeing it offered again in the future.

Donna Cary Sibley, Maine State Coordinator--The most motivating part of APLC was hearing Corre Anding Stegall's address, she is such an inspiration. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to meet with alumnae leaders from all over the country - what a think tank! It was also so nice to feel how important National Kappa Delta believes each of it's alumnae chapters are. Margaret Watson and her team really did a great job in launching this new leadership conference. I will be making sure that our new alumnae chapter president will be attending the next one.