Our History

 

Rho Eta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.® emerged from the Chickahominy Interest Group. Its first organizational meeting was held at Nielsen Restaurant, budding into the chartering on May 21, 1988. The occasion was celebrated at the Omni Hotel in Richmond, Virginia, under the leadership of then Mid-Atlantic Director, Mary Jefferies. The first President of Rho Eta Omega Chapter was Margie Chrichlow. Under her leadership, Rho Eta Omega held its first public event, “Illumination of Splendor”, at Bellwood Defense General Supply Center (DGSC, Chesterfield, Virginia). Our first signature program was called “Project Yes”, which stood for Youth Enrichment Services. This program served youths in grades five through eleven. It evolved into another signature program called “Ride For Knowledge”, where high school students were introduced to Historically Black Colleges and Universities first through various pre-college seminars and finally via a bus tour of various HBCUs. Today, our signature project is “Belles and Beaus” which is an enrichment program, which serves our middle school year youth.

Thirty five years ago, Rho Eta Omega was chartered with thirty-seven members. We have currently grown to over 90 members, have won numerous awards and are very active in the Richmond community. Our motto remains: “We are small enough to be a sisterhood, and large enough to make a difference.”

 

Charter Members

 

  • Brigitte Andrews
  • Charmaine Brooks
  • Karen Brown
  • Linda Brown
  • Marie Brown*
  • Marilyn Brown
  • Joan Bynum
  • Inez Byrd
  • Sandra Craighead
  • Maria Crenshaw
  • Muriel Felder
  • Jeanette Flippen
  • Linda Gordon
  • Lillian Greene*
  • Cynthia Hampton
  • Sada Hill
  • Stella Johnson
  • Gloria McCowin
  • Yvette Martin
  • Cynthia Mayo
  • Joyce Melton
  • Marcita Mines
  • Paula Powell
  • Diane Ready*
  • Rhonda Russell
  • Jerome Seldon
  • Joyce Shockley
  • Margie C. Smith
  • Lena Thompson
  • Elaine Washington*
  • Yvette Washington
  • Angela West
  • Stephanie White
  • Gwendolyn Whiting
  • Brenda Williams
  • Nannie Wilson
  • Annie Wood*
  • *Ivy Beyond the Wall

Former Chapter Presidents

Margie Smith

1988-1990

Linda Brown

2003-2004

Tamara Johnson

2019-2020

Karen Brown Taylor

1991-1992

Sada Hill

2005-2008

Vanessa Myers-Mason

1993-1996

Nikki Adkins

2009-2010

Faye Cates

1997-1998

Arlene Skinner

2011-2014

Lena H. Thompson

1999-2002

Maria Crenshaw

2015 - 2018

Chapter Officers

Chapter Officers

  President  Monica Darden

 Vice President  Jannette Ricks

            Treasurer Kimberly Davis-Wiley

 Secretary  Robin Lewis 

 Hostess  Didi Thomas

Assistant Secretary  Carmen Zimmitt

     Ivy Leaf Reporter  Chari Brown

Corresponding Secretary  Rhonda Toms  

     Door Keeper  Clarissa Bull

Financial Secretary  Vanessa Walker Harris 

  Parliamentarian  Sadà Hill

Chaplain Jeaneen Pitts              

 Historian Anne Miller

Graduate Advisors Willnette Pegram

Immediate Past President Tamara Johnson

Committee Chairmen

Archives  Anne Miller

Audit  Lorraine Adeeb

Awards Lynda Gant

By-Laws  Sadá Hill

Belles & Beaus Tiffany Helber

Connection and Social Action Vanessa Johnson

EAF Coordinator Carlita Alford-Jones

Finance Kimberly Davis-Wiley

Fundraising Vanessa Myers Mason

Graduate Advisory Committee  Gloria Burke, Sada Hill, Anne Miller,                                           Willnette Pegram, Robin Lewis, Helen Wilkins

Leadership Development  Maria Crenshaw, Delisa Stuckey

Membership Diveda Palmer

Nominating Elsie Coleman

Pan- Hellenic Council  Bridgette Alford, Zakiya Calloway, Selma Dandridge

Program  Jannette Ricks

Protocol  Brigitte Andrews/Rhonda Taylor

Publicity  Chari Brown

Remembrance  Didi Thomas

Risk Management Coordinator  Nedra Hicks

Rituals  Helen Wilkins

Scholarship  Pat Thompson

Sisterly Relations Delisa Stuckey/Maria Crenshaw

Standards  Gwen Peters

Technology Tracy Osborne, Joycelyn Josey-Harris

Program Initiatives

Strengthen Our Sisterhood: Delisa Stuckey, Maria Crenshaw

Empower Our Families: Kiaundra Hurt

Build Our Economic Wealth: Tamara Gray

Enhance Our Environment: Melanie Little/Joleeta Williams

Advocate for Social Justice:  Vanessa Johnson

Uplift Our Local Community: Sheanita Carter/Leslie Stevenson