We sat down with Kim Brown Brannon (Gamma Rho – Penn State) to celebrate the Gamma Rho Scholarship becoming fully endowed and her path to supporting other Alpha Phis succeed in leadership roles and life! In addition to being the driving force behind fundraising for this scholarship, Kim also served on the Alpha Phi Foundation Board of Directors from 2014-2018.
Long before she joined the Gamma Rho Chapter of Alpha Phi at Penn State, Kim was exposed to the Alpha Phi experience and the true meaning of our High Ideals of Membership. Kim’s mother, Jill Stevens Brown (Beta Iota – West Virginia) was an Alpha Phi and loyal donor through and through (she joined the Silent Chapter in 2022). Kim recalls her mother’s excitement with each delivery of The Alpha Phi Quarterly and her commitment to making an annual contribution to Alpha Phi Foundation.
Jill Stevens Brown (Beta Iota – West Virginia), Kim’s mother, and three Beta Iota Chapter Members in the 1960s.
It’s been my lifelong passion and interest to give back to Alpha Phi – I got the inspiration from my mother who was also an Alpha Phi. I remember my mom always receiving her Quarterly when I was a kid. She loved to look through and see what was new. She was a loyal donor over the years too.
When asked about spearheading the Gamma Rho Scholarship fundraising efforts, the fondness Kim has for her chapter and collegiate experience shines through and her “why” is apparent. Not only is there a tremendous amount of pride and respect for her fellow Gamma Rho alumnae who have helped support this scholarship endowment, but now that Kim herself has served as a Scholarship Reader, there is also a tremendous amount of faith in the future of our collegiate Alpha Phis. “I love reading the scholarship applications, and you can very clearly see there is a need out there. I so look forward to being able to impact Gamma Rho sisters the way Alpha Phi has impacted me.”
Kim Brannon and Gamma Rho sisters gather on Bid Night 1988.
I am a strong believer in the Foundation, going back even to my collegiate years. I think part of why I have continued to give back goes back to a Foundation Board member meeting with me and our chapter when I was a collegian and I very vividly remember that whole conversation. Even $5, a small amount, gets collegians started raising those funds early and building a habit. I’m a big believer of starting early.
Alpha Phi is very proudly an organization of “firsts” and our dedication to empowering women through leadership opportunities is a cornerstone of our history. Throughout Volumes I, II, and III of our history books, funded and published as part of Alpha Phi Foundation’s dedication to heritage preservation, you will find countless examples of Alpha Phis being the first to achieve or accomplish a milestone. Alpha Phi was the first sorority to have a dedicated Chapter house (Alpha – Syracuse, 1886), Georgia Neese Clark (Upsilon – Washburn) was the first woman to be appointed the Treasurer of the United States in 1949. Alpha Phi was the first NPC organization to establish its own Foundation in 1956. Alpha Phi was even the first to create it’s own website in 1995. These notable “firsts” can be traced back to our fierce commitment to funding leadership programming and putting women in positions to succeed, flourish, and thrive.
Kim Brown Brannon can easily be identified as a female pioneer in her own right. With over 30 years of progressive leadership experience in a traditionally male-dominated field, Kim has served as a top-ranking official with multiple global information technology enterprises including SAP National Security Services and Raytheon, leading systems operations and cybersecurity initiatives. Kim reflects upon her success in her career as a strategic innovator with credit to leadership opportunities provided to her as a collegiate Alpha Phi.
Kim has held a variety of volunteer roles within Alpha Phi, including the Alumnae Strategy Team, Committee on Leadership, Government Relations Committee and Carnegie Mellon’s Team Tartan. Living in the Washington D.C. area, Kim credits her leadership experience and volunteer roles with Alpha Phi Foundation for the opportunity to lobby Congress on behalf of the Fraternity and Sorority Political Action Committee (FSPAC), which seeks to provide financial aid to the campaigns of federal office candidates who support the objectives of fraternity life, pictured above in 2013 and 2014 in The Quarterly.
“Having the opportunity to gain leadership experience through a women’s only organization provides a safe space to learn some of those tools necessary in the professional world. You get to practice those skills and feel comfortable putting them to use later in life. In fact, it was in my Information Technology Leadership role at Raytheon, we hosted a big Women’s Leadership Forum and and the audience itself wasn’t all women, at least 50% men, but it was all about how we all work differently and can rely on each other’s strengths to work together and succeed.”
“In that scenario, I specifically referred to the leadership lessons I learned in Alpha Phi.”
Are you interested in leaving your legacy by creating a scholarship opportunity for your chapter? Contact giving@alphaphifoundation.org today and let us know!
