Mindy Sopher
Mindy Sopher
Mindy Sopher has been a professional advisor and mentor to students in Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and at NC State University in Raleigh. Currently, she teaches Nonprofit Leadership and Development and advises undecided new students here. Mindy notes that she has received some amazing honors but muses and still dreams of having an Elementary School Girls Basketball Team named the Sopher Gophers some day.
Mindy Sopher has been a professional advisor and mentor to students in Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and at NC State University in Raleigh. Currently, she teaches Nonprofit Leadership and Development and advises undecided new students here. Mindy notes that she has received some amazing honors but muses and still dreams of having an Elementary School Girls Basketball Team named the Sopher Gophers some day.
Among other things, she has:
- Twice been named as Outstanding Faculty in the Communication Department.
- Received the Association of Fraternity Advisors Distinguished Service Award and the Robert H. Shaffer Award (lifetime achievement) Award
- Had a Graduate Scholarship created in her name by her own Kappa Delta Sorority and given to women entering the field of Higher Education
- Been named National Greek Advisor of the Year by the Sigma Nu Fraternity
- Had a “little crystal cup” named for her and given to the Outstanding NC State sorority every year at Homecoming
- Celebrated November 20, now known as Mindy Sopher Day in Raleigh as proclaimed by Mayor Charles Meeker
- Received “The Order of the Long Leaf Pine” from Governor Beverly Purdue
On a more personal note, in her free time, Mindy raises English Bulldogs, enjoys gardening and therapeutic coloring, and learning something new every day. Most important, though, says Mindy, is that she is blessed to have survived cancer four times and is still going strong!
She is hoping to finish her doctorate in Ag. Extension and Leadership Education concentrating on Youth Leadership at NC State before the university decides to give it to her posthumously!
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PROGRAMS
Greek Life: Relevant and Ready
Keynote | Virtual
As today’s Greeks are called upon often to justify their existence and relevance, many ask “Do fraternities and sororities still matter?” Mindy addresses those questions head-on in this keynote. She helps students check their facts and their feelings which manifest themselves in behaviors – both helpful and harmful to naysayers and peers.
Mindy is able to touch hearts and stir souls to engage in passionate leadership and service. Her practical and personal lessons are ones that will stick with students as they navigate their own leadership journey in Greek life, as undergraduates, and beyond to their alumni membership. She inspires students to take on new challenges or move their current projects up a notch to greatness. She also is in touch with current national initiatives to promote basic fraternal values and incorporates some into her talk. She is real and students enjoy getting more real with her.
Ideal Audiences
- Fraternity and Sorority Life
- New Member Education
Audience members will…
Examine how today’s actions can ensure a chapter and organization built to last
Explore how shared community values can strengthen both relationships and results
Practice techniques for clarifying values and setting a course to live by them
Celebrate all that is good about their organization experience and pass it on
Audience members will…
Explore caring as the essential component to member education and brotherhood/sisterhood
Become aware of the long-term effects of hazing
Engage in the process of creating fun, healthy, and non-hazing methods to grow great members
Develop actionable steps to prevent and stop hazing immediately
Ideal Audiences
- Fraternity and Sorority Life
- Athletics
- Student Organizations
- Community Colleges
Getting to the Heart of Hazing
Keynote | Workshop | Virtual
Mindy Sopher has been to “too many funerals” – of former students and of former fraternity and sorority chapters. Most have been lost to hazing behaviors, many involving alcohol and “dumb choices.” It almost always boils down to one simple thing – brothers and sisters not taking care of each other.
In this interactive keynote, Mindy takes the “mandatory hazing program” to a more personal level and helps brothers and sisters dig deep. She helps them discover caring ways to honor people and traditions around new member education, without harmful hazing behaviors. She explores unseen damaging effects of hazing and teaches students how to confront and deal with those who would make uncaring choices.
Mindy is able to adapt the program to other campus audiences beyond Greek Life – athletics, clubs, band, etc. Her nurturing voice challenges college men and women to work for something better, safer, honorable, heartfelt, and successful.
Alumni/ae: Reconnecting Reality
Keynote | Workshop | Virtual
Alumni/ae are the only other constant in a campus organization other than the campus which hosts the group. Surely alumni relationships are not all about Homecoming or donations or redecorating a facility or recruitment help. Student members change each year, but alumni who have “been through it” and made a chapter/organization run will always be alumni, no matter where they live. Since Greek groups have an additional layer of connection through their RITUAL (the third and binding constant), there exists an even greater reason to connect and engage alumni in an organization. But most organizations could use a little help doing just that.
Mindy Sopher helps undergraduate and professional organization members reconnect on a variety of levels with graduate members and alumni who hold many keys to success and capacity building for the group. She takes a caring relationship management approach to engaging alumni and group members through a focus on Mission and Target Audience Engagement concepts.
Whether your alumni and graduate members are across the globe or across the sidewalk in your very own neighborhood, Mindy helps uncover and discover practical strategies for successful re-engagement.
Audience members will…
Analyze the reality of alumni potential for chapter involvement
Develop practical projects and programs to pursue with alumni
Considered what commitment looks like from various alumni perspectives
Explore methods of realistic alumni engagement and timing
Practice one or two of those methods to prepare for deployment
Ideal Audiences
- Fraternity and Sorority Life
- Student Organizations
- Honor Societies
- Advisory Boards
- National Organizations
