My World of Presidents

Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander (1919-1923)

1st National President

• Creation of the Grand Chapter

• Established Delta Journal

• First Black Woman to be admitted into the Pennsylvania Bar

G. Dorothy Pelham Beckley (1923-1926)

2nd National President

• New Nomenclature for naming chapters

• Established the Omega Omega Chapter

• When the Delta Hymn was composed by Sorors Alice Dunbar Nelson and Florence Cole Talbert

Ethel Lamay Calimese (1926-1929)

3rd National President

• Biennial Conventions

• Abolished the duties of the Grand president and vice president to allow regions to have directors

Anna Johnson Julian (1929-19231)

4th National President

• Grand Chapter became a National Corporation

• initiated the jubilee year

• National Pan-helenic council was established and served as the treasurer 

Gladys Bryam Sheppered (1931-1933)

5th National President

• First formal Delta Directory published

• National Boards as a component of organizational structure created

• Central region established

• National Board was established

Jeannett Triplett Jones (1933-1935)

6th National President

• First National Handbook

• National Headquarters established

• Office of Executive Secretary created

Vivian Osborne Marsh (1935-1939)

7th National President

• National Library Project Authorizes

• Traveled to black college campuses to discuss racism in the South 

• involved in the anti-lynching bill

Helen Elise Austin (1939-1944)

8th National President

• Created the Office of Undergraduate Coordinator (National Second Vice President

• First Black woman to graduate from the university of Cincinnati law school

Mae Wright Downs Peck Williams (1944-1947)

9th National President

• Focus on voting and equal rights for women and minorities and fair employment practices

• purchase of war bonds and ambulances

• emphasize education

• Addressed employment practices

Dorothy Irene Height (1947-1956)

10th National President

• First Executive Director hired (Patricia Roberts Harris)

• Created Delta 5pt project

• delta became to affiliate with organizations with social problems uniting races and culture

Dorothy Penman Harrison  (1956-1958)

11th National President

• Payed off the Mortgage on the First National Headquarters

• Held the First Delta Christmas Party

• Growth of the sorority w/ 247 chapters

Jeanne L. Noble (1958-1963)

12th National President

• Social Action Commission established

• Appointed by president Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford to serve commissioners

Geraldine Pittman Woods (1963-1967)

13th National President

• Created Delta Teen lift

• - Created the Delta Research and Education Foundation (DREF) (1967)

Frankie Muse Freeman, Esq. (1967-1971)

14th National President 

• First woman appointed to the US Commission on Civil Rights

• Redesigned theTeen Lift Program

Lillian Pierce Benbow (1971-1975)

15th National President

• Established the National Commission on Arts & Letters

• Implemented the Delta Right to Read Project

Thelma Thomas Day (1975-1979)

16th National President

Commissioned the Sculpture, Fortitude. on Howard University Campus

Cheryl W. Turner

Current International President

Rosie Allen-Hearing

Current National First Vice President

Courtney Taylor

Current National Second Vice President

Wendy J. Jhonson

Current National Secretary

Rosalyn Glenn

Current National Treasurer

Mona Humphries Bailey (1979-1983)

17th National President

• Revision of the Delta Ritual

Hortense Golden Canday (1983-1988)

18th National President

Yvonne Kennedy (1988-1992)

19th National President

Bertha Maxwell Roddey(1992-1986)

20th National President

Marcia L. Fudge (1996-2000)

21st National President

Gwendolyn Elizabeth Boyd (2000-2004)

22nd National President

Louise Allen Rice (2004-2008)

23rd National President

Cynthia M.A  Buttler Mcentire (2008-2013)

24th National President

Dr. Paulette C Walker (2013-2017)

25th National President

Beverly Evans Smith. (2017-2021)

26th National President

Cheryl A. Hickman (2021-2022)

27th National President

Elise Cook Holmes (2022-2025)

28th National President