A Message from Leadership

Dear Sisters and friends,

As we collectively embark on another year of what was once called “unprecedented times,” the idea of adopting a new normal has taken on renewed meaning. Many events can prompt the need for adjustments—starting a new job, relocating, growing your family, illness—but what’s prompted the need for our Foundation’s new normal is multifaceted. Yes, the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically shifted the immediate and long-term landscape, but there’s more to it than that one, albeit major, factor.

The way we connect and keep in touch with one another has irrevocably changed. Even before lockdowns and social distancing, we’ve seen communication innovations offer a wealth of opportunities to remain connected from great distances, both physical and societal. While there are advantages and disadvantages associated with any such advancement, I’m personally optimistic about the opportunities for virtual engagement from a philanthropic perspective.

From my home in New York City, I attend virtual Trustee board meetings with sisters in different cities, states and time zones as we discuss and plan for the future of our Foundation. Between my responsibilities as a sales manager for Gartner, serving our Foundation and giving of my time to other philanthropic and social endeavors, the opportunities afforded by virtual engagement make it possible for me to keep up with these crucial priorities while maintaining a manageable schedule. Not only does this accommodate a functional working dynamic, but it also means I can build and foster relationships with sisters, friends and donors from the comfort of my home—and theirs. As an organization of more than 200,000 living members, Pi Beta Phi is a sisterhood with tremendous reach.

For our Foundation, engaging virtually is not only a necessary adjustment, but also a new normal; one that will endure. These opportunities to connect extend to every sister and friend, and it’s our sincere hope you will remain engaged with our sisterhood through these new avenues. The pivotal work of Pi Beta Phi Foundation is possible only through the support of every sister and friend, every year. Regardless of the challenges, adjustments and opportunities which arose over recent years, the work we do together remains as vital and essential as ever to our sisters and communities.

Your Foundation believes in the power of sisterhood and in what we can accomplish together, no matter the circumstances and unknowns that lie ahead. May this belief in Pi Beta Phi ring true for you as well; together, we will navigate whatsoever things we face, and we will do so from wherever we may be.

In Pi Phi,

Kathleen Meriano, New York Eta

Trustee, Pi Beta Phi Foundation Board of Trustees

To connect with Kathleen, email fndntrustee4@pibetaphi.org