Westminster Theta Chapter Receives National Honor

Courtney Gallagher, Maddy Feldewerth, and Leah Eaton Logan ’01 at Kappa Alpha Theta’s Grand Convention in June 2016.

Westminster’s Epsilon Iota chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta was recently honored at the women’s fraternity’s national Grand Convention. Epsilon Iota received the prestigious Golden Kite award, given to the top fifteen chapters in the United States and Canada. Criteria include excellence in risk management, member development, scholarship, and administration.

Courtney Gallagher holding Theta’s Golden Kite Award, received by Westminster’s Epsilon Iota chapter.

Representing Epsilon Iota at the convention were chapter president Courtney Gallagher, Madison Feldewerth, and one other undergraduate member*. They were joined by Westminster alumnae Leah Eaton Logan ’01 and Lisa Gebken Thibault ’92.

“I am extremely proud of Epsilon Iota for earning the Golden Kite Award,” Gallagher says. “It is an honor that would not be possible without the outstanding contributions of every single member. Epsilon Iota is full of dedicated and hardworking women who encourage each member to be her best self.

I could not be happier to be a part of Epsilon Iota, or for the chapter’s recognition as a leader within the Kappa Alpha Theta organization, on Westminster’s campus and in the community.”

This is the third consecutive time that Westminster’s Thetas have received the Golden Kite, and the fourth overall. According to Gallagher, Epsilon Iota was also a finalist for the Founder’s Award, the highest possible honor given to a chapter at the Grand Convention.

This year’s Grand Convention was held in June at the Arizona Biltmore hotel in Phoenix, AZ. Every other year, representatives from Theta chapters all over the US and Canada gather to discuss the future of the organization and celebrate its achievements. Breakout sessions include topics like recruitment, inclusivity, support for members, and philanthropy.

Featured speakers this year included Brooke Johnson (Tau chapter at Northwestern University), president of Food Network from 2004 to 2016, and Caroline Ghosn (Phi deuteron chapter at Stanford University), founder and CEO of Levo, a professional network for millennials.

*This member is currently serving as a recruitment counselor on the Panhellenic Council for sorority recruitment and therefore cannot be named.