Jean Wirths Scott Leadership Award 2020 Winner and Finalists

The Jean Wirths Scott Leadership Award for Outstanding Change Leadership recognizes a junior or senior who has initiated change and improvement in their chapter or Panhellenic community. With 2021 award nominations underway, we are highlighting the 2020 Jean Wirths Scott Leadership Award winner and finalists.  

Winner: Samantha Gildea, Florida Delta 

As Vice President Housing, Samantha worked to bring sustainability initiatives to the Florida Delta Chapter house. She created a composting and recycling system, co-led the Sustainable Action Team, advocated for solar use in the upcoming house remodel and educated the chapter on environmentalism.

Toward the end of her time on Executive Council, a few members of color confided in Samantha about feeling excluded and uncomfortable in the chapter house which led Samantha to create a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) committee named DiversiPhi. 

One year after the creation of DiversiPhi, every Panhellenic organization at the University of Florida had reached out to Samantha soliciting advice about creating a DEI program within their chapter. In response, Samantha created and led the first-ever DEI committee for the university’s Panhellenic Council. In her role, she led Panhellenic-wide workshops which focused on education, dialogue and awareness to ensure the fraternity and sorority community is welcoming for all students.  

Finalist: Ellianna Brown, Missouri Alpha  

Ellianna created the Missouri Alpha Chapter’s first-ever Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and led programming initiatives for the group including a book club for DEI education and small groups for members to ask questions and learn. In addition to this programming, Ellianna also brought in local diversity, equity and inclusion specialists to establish baseline education and cultivate connection and understanding among members.  

Beyond her work with the DEI Committee, Ellianna also planned and executed Missouri Alpha’s first-ever Book Drive Competition with the Kansas Alpha Chapter. Through the competition, the chapters collected more than 22,000 books to be distributed to local schools, hospitals, daycares and Boys and Girls clubs.  

Ellianna's experience on Executive Council inspired her to invest in the community at large by serving on the Panhellenic Executive Board where she worked to provide chapter and community leaders with the skills, confidence and courage to better their member experiences.  

Finalist: Amy Burke, Louisiana Beta 

As Vice President Finance, Amy developed an innovative and user-friendly system which allowed officers to track their expenditures and available budget in real-time. She created efficient systems for check requests, authorizations for large expenditures, and organized the chapter’s filing system for invoices, payments and other financial records. Amy’s streamlined budgeting processes created more efficient spending and are still in use today.

As Director Policy and Prevention Education, Amy implemented weekly education on Pi Beta Phi Policies and Procedures and provided members with campus and community resources. Her upbeat attitude made policy and prevention workshops engaging for members which allowed for better retention of the material.  

In addition to Amy’s achievements in her leadership positions, she also encouraged chapter members to participate in wider civic engagement. Amy provided members with voting resources and made it easy for members to register to vote, travel to polling sites and find information on candidates.  

Finalist: Lesly Martinez-Alvarez, California Eta 

When Lesly first joined the California Eta Chapter, the Panhellenic community was struggling to keep Potential New Members from dropping out of the recruitment process. As Vice President Membership (VPM), Lesly helped change the recruitment processes at the University of California, Irvine by limiting “frills” to promote transparency and integrity. Some of these changes included no heels on the first day of recruitment, limited door stacks and the elimination of lookbooks.

At the California Eta Chapter, Lesly eliminated the promotional recruitment video to demonstrate the chapter’s ability to host a successful recruitment without the extra embellishment. These changes ensured the recruitment process was rooted in conversation and sisterhood. 

Lesly leads by empowering those around her, and as VPM, she organized confidence workshops and communicated in a language that uplifted her sisters. She listened to the perspectives and ideas of all members and welcomed their diversity of opinion.  

Celebrate and honor a junior or senior member for their contributions in 2021 by nominating them for a Pi Phi Award. Nominations are now open and will close February 15, 2022. The full list of awards is available here. 

Published January 25, 2022