11 minute read
2024 Real. Strong. Women. of Distinction
Meet the four women being recognized for the way their Alpha Chi Omega experience has inspired them to become the best versions of themselves and to seek the heights!
Real. Strong. Women. of Distinction are sisters who are doing great things across the globe and down the street. They are difference-makers, risk-takers and dream-chasers. They’re out to make a positive impact on their own lives and on lives around them.
Whether in the board room or in the community, behind the scenes or on the stage, their efforts are changing countless lives and communities. These sisters draw on the skills, connections and growth from their Alpha Chi Omega membership and remind us all of the power of the Real. Strong. Women. Experience.
Mary Lynn Ferguson-McHugh
DELTA SIGMA (UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC)
LIFTING OTHERS AS SHE CLIMBED THE EXECUTIVE RANKS
Mary Lynn Ferguson-McHugh broke countless glass ceilings in her career at Procter & Gamble: the first woman to lead the paper business at chief executive officer of Family Care and P&G Ventures, the first woman to serve as president for P&G’s Europe group, one of just a few females in the P&G executive suite and more. Through those roles and now in retirement, she has felt a duty to help others through her “lift as you climb” principle.
“I was privileged to ascend to senior management at P&G and now hold influential Board of Directors positions. With that ascension comes responsibility,” she explains. “I believe it is incumbent upon me to help women who have delivered results and demonstrated the skills and capabilities to ascend to higher and/or larger, more crucible roles, by providing career opportunities so that they can continue to grow and contribute at higher levels and reach their career aspirations.”
While working, she put this principle in action through mentoring, insisting on having women candidates for each open role in her organization and advocating for women’s advancement across the company. Now retired, Mary Lynn continues this work by coaching new members of the boards on which she serves, offering advice to women at P&G and (most importantly to her) supporting her daughter with love and the tools to reach her dreams.
“I have been blessed in so many ways. ‘To whom much is given, much is expected’ is a motto I go by and attempt to impart to my daughter,” Mary Lynn says. “Giving opportunities to other women when I am in a position where I can do so is important such that the legacy of successful women is expanded.”
She has seen that legacy in countless women – many of whom have been Alpha Chi Omegas! “When I first joined, I remembered being told that I would find other Alpha Chis throughout my life and make connections. And wow – has this happened!” she says. “So many times throughout my career, I would feel connections with women with whom I worked – and then find out we had Alpha Chi Omega in common.” That network, plus the leadership opportunities she had as a collegian, have shown Mary Lynn the lifelong impact of Alpha Chi Omega.
For her work, Mary Lynn has been recognized with countless awards, including the 2009 YWCA Career Woman of Achievement and several years on the list of Fortune magazine’s Most Powerful Women in Business – International. But the highlights for Mary Lynn have been “when I led teams to make critical decisions – often tough ones – that resulted in much stronger business performance, which in turn provided bigger and better career opportunities for members of my team.”
When it comes to being a real, strong woman, Mary Lynn points out the values of authenticity, care and empathy. In her professional and volunteer roles, she lives out the Alpha Chi Omega experience, explaining, “Having the humility to know that results are gotten via a team, investing in relationships, and understanding the personal circumstances of my team members and then acting on needs identified is what a ‘real’ woman does.”
Jan Jones
ALPHA UPSILON (THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA)
INSPIRING OTHERS TO LOVE LIFE AND LIVE WITH LOVE
Jan Jones does everything with a smile. Her positivity radiates through her podcast, her speaking presentations and her mentorship of young women, including Alpha Chi Omega sisters in the Women & Wisdom network. This joy for life is all the more impressive because it comes after struggle.
When she was 8 years old, Jan was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. “I’ve been pretty strong-willed my entire life. My parents would probably say ‘stubborn,’ but let’s just go with ‘strongwilled,’” Jan says. “At a very young age, I decided I would not be defined by this disease … I was never going to let this disease slow me down.”
Diabetes did try, though. After fighting through infections, surgeries and a coma, Jan was told that she needed a kidney transplant due to end-stage renal failure. In 2011, she received not only a kidney but also a pancreas, and today she can live without an insulin pump or monitoring her sugar intake!
“One thing I know about life is that disappointments are inevitable, but discouragement is a choice, and I made the choice throughout my life to be defined by my hope and not by my hurt,” Jan explains. “Remember, God is at work, even when you don’t see it. Give attention to the positive, precious moments, even when going through the difficult moments – they are there if you just look for them.”
Jan has taken this mindset into her professional life. She founded a consulting business, helping develop leaders at organizations including the Alabama Organ Center and Ronald McDonald House. She also shares her journey as a speaker and was selected to join Edie Hand’s Women of True Grit movement, which celebrates women who have overcome the odds and are changing the world. Jan is the host of The Good Good Life podcast, whose tagline – “love living and live loving” – is also a motto for Jan’s life.
“I know love truly changes everything, and are we not here to try to make life a little less difficult for others?” Jan says. “When we live loving on others, we see how beautiful this precious life is, and we can love living.”
Jan has felt this love from Alpha Chi Omega over the years, starting with the senior members who guided her through joining our organization to a member class sister who gave her the nickname “Happy Jan” to the way her affiliation gives her pride today.
“I am privileged to wear my badge of the Grecian lyre because my experience as a sister of Alpha Chi Omega puts a song in my heart when I reflect on the love, the learning and the leadership I received,” she says. “My sisters always celebrated who I was, as well as who I have become today.”
That woman today is strong, resilient and grateful for the life she is living and loving.
Stephanie M King
THETA TAU (RUTGERS UNIVERSITY)
LEADING THROUGH CHALLENGES WITH CONFIDENCE IN HERSELF
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, it impacted not one but two local organizations that Stephanie M King volunteered for. Rather than let that church and theater shutter, Stephanie stepped up to adapt offerings, put safety protocols in place and ensure the longevity of these community staples.
Serving on the Board of Directors for the nonprofit Synetic Theater, Stephanie guided the organization through the pandemic's challenges by assisting with applications for federal and state relief programs and leading a fundraising campaign. “The theater came through that period without needing to lay off staff and discovered new artistic inspiration with film production,” she explains. Similarly at Calvary United Methodist Church, Stephanie served as Council chair through the pandemic and was instrumental in creating outdoor services and supporting staff.
“Through these experiences, I really learned the value of thinking about the organizations’ needs ahead of individual preferences,” she says. “I also learned not to limit leadership aims or skill-building to your professional realm. There are so many local and nonprofit organizations that need strong women’s voices!”
The confidence in her own leadership skills can be traced to Alpha Chi Omega. “Leadership experience as a young woman is such a great building block,” Stephanie says. “Initially with both the theater and the church, I wondered if I was up to the task – until I remembered I already had the experience, which
ultimately led me back to taking on greater volunteer roles within Alpha Chi Omega. Full circle!” Among other roles, Stephanie volunteers as an executive mentor with Alpha Chi Omega's Capstone Leadership Program and enjoys sharing her lessons with junior and senior sisters.
These lessons include those she’s learned professionally over 20 years working with federal contracting policy and congressional affairs. She has spent much of her career with the U.S. Small Business Administration, beginning as a presidential management intern and now working as a policy and legislative analyst. She encourages sisters who want to follow in her footsteps to study the ins and outs of government, to hone their communication skills and to leverage the Alpha Chi Omega sisterhood for networking.
Leading the way in her career and her community, Stephanie has learned the value of having confidence and a strong sense of self. She says, “I think there are still a lot of external voices and pressures that tell women how to behave/live/work – most of them contradictory – so having the gumption to decide what works best for you, and you alone, is quite powerful.”
Stephanie also emphasizes the importance of knowing and using your unique strengths. “A real, strong woman understands hSerself and where she can best apply her skillset,” she says. “Women are often characterized as strong when they demonstrate boldness or risk-taking. However, quiet or steady strength is equally important.”
Judy Hendricks Schubert
ALPHA MU (INDIANA UNIVERSITY)
HELPING CHILDREN AND FAMILIES GET CARE AND SUPPORT
A mother of three, grandmother of eight and wife of 57 years, Judy Hendricks Schubert says her favorite accomplishment is “sitting here at the age of 81 and taking stock of my family.” With this mindset, it’s no wonder that Judy’s other impressive accomplishments focus on families.
Several decades ago, Judy spearheaded a project with the Junior League of Phoenix to open the first Ronald McDonald House in the city. Inspired by her time volunteering at the NICU at a local hospital and seeing parents sleeping in their cars while their kids received care, she carried forward the effort to build the facility for six years. In 1985, its doors opened to provide housing and community to families while their children undergo treatment.
Years later, Judy got a call from a friend in England who knew about her involvement with Ronald McDonald House, asking for help because she couldn’t find a U.S. hospice facility for children like hers who were facing a terminal disease.
“I hung up, looked upward and said, ‘Another pediatric house, huh?’” Judy recalls. She and her husband took on the mission by chairing a capital campaign, and in 2010, Ryan's House opened as the United States’ first pediatric respite care and hospice house.
These efforts are examples of the way Judy defines being a real, strong woman. She explains, “It is setting attainable goals and then pushing yourself even higher for a longer period of time. It means making a difference in your family and your community. It makes clear that it matters what you do, and you must realize that your work is never finished.”
Judy’s work continues and extends to new areas. In 1992, Arizona’s adoption laws changed so that formerly closed records could be opened to Confidential Intermediaries – liaisons between birth parents, adopted children and their siblings who can help locate connections and facilitate contact. For 32 years, Judy has volunteered in this role.
“This is my soul food,” she says. “I have never counted the cases, but I assure you there are hundreds, and not one is the same.”
A love of connection is something Judy found from Alpha Chi Omega. “Being invited to join Alpha Chi Omega in the winter of 1961 was the gift that keeps on giving … we laughed, we cried, we had each other’s backs and we dreamed together. I finally understood what ‘community’ meant.” Six decades later, Judy is still in touch with her member class and has helped plan some of the group’s reunions.
Whether it’s nourishing her friendships with her Alpha Chi Omega sisters, connecting children with birth parents or creating spaces for families to be together during health challenges, Judy’s heart for others is making a difference. As she says, “In the end, it’s not what you got but what you gave that defines who you are.”
