Alpha Kappa Alpha reveals 2010 honorary members

In about two weeks, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. will hold its biennial international convention known as Boule.  Like most sorority conventions, the Boule will include a public meeting, where community leaders will be honored including Soror Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and Jay-Z; business sessions, where delegates will make policy; and extra activities for sorority members and friends, including tours of St. Louis and  various entertainment choices.

However, one of the highlights of Boule is the induction of honorary members. This part of the meeting has been one of delight for some and controversy for others as it pertain to if BGLOs should continue the practice of initiating honorary members. Whatever your take on the matter, Alpha Kappa Alpha continues to seek out exemplary women to be given its “most prestigious designation,” which is honorary membership.  The sorority maintains that “those who are inducted represent the highest standards of character, courage, and womanhood and are committed to the organization’s mission to serve.”

This year two women were inducted into the sorority as honorary in advance of the 2010 Boule.

CARE CEO, Dr. Helena Gayle, recently received honorary membership into Alpha Kappa Alpha.

Dr. Helen D. Gayle, president and CEO of CARE, USA, a leading humanitarian organization, and entrepreneur extraordinaire Sheila C. Johnson were recently inducted into Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority as Honorary Members, during separate members-only induction ceremonies.

Presiding over the inductions was Alpha Kappa Alpha’s international president, Barbara A. McKinzie. Also in attendance were Mae R. Carr, the international chairman of Alpha Kappa Alpha’s Honorary Members/Awards Committee, Loann Julia Honesty King, AKA’s international program chair, Mary Shy Scott, 23rd International President, Ella Springs Jones, South Atlantic Regional Director and Executive Director Deborah Dangerfield.

Helene D. Gayle is an expert on health, global development and humanitarian issues and spent 20 years with the Centers for Disease Control, working primarily on HIV/AIDS. She then worked at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, directing programs on HIV/AIDS and other global health issues.

Gayle chairs the Obama administration’s Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS and serves on the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships. Named one of Foreign Policy magazine’s “Top 100 Global Thinkers,” Newsweek’s top 10 “Women in Leadership” and The Wall Street Journal’s “50 Women to Watch,” she has published numerous scientific articles and been featured in many media outlets. She serves on several boards and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Sheila C. Johnson is a successful entrepreneur and impassioned philanthropist. As a partner in Lincoln Holdings, Johnson is the only African-American woman to have ownership in three professional sports teams: the WNBA’s Washington Mystics-holding the post of President and Managing Partner-the NBA’s Washington Wizards and the NHL’s Washington Capitals.

Philanthropist, Sheila Johnson, is the one of the newest honorary members of Alpha Kappa Alpha. Photo Credit: David Shankbone/Wikipedia Commons

As CEO of Salamander Hospitality, a company she founded in 2005, Johnson oversees a growing portfolio of luxury properties, which include Five Diamond-rated properties. In 2006, she was named global ambassador for CARE and spearheaded “Sheila’s I Am Powerful Challenge,” which was instrumental in helping raise funds for CARE’s important work. Johnson is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and was recently appointed by President Obama to the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. She also serves on numerous boards.

During the convention, another outstanding leader will join the 2010 honorary member class.

Immunologist and Balm In Gilead, Inc. founder Pernessa C. Seele will join the Sorority as an Honorary Member in a private ceremony on Wednesday, July 14, during its biennial convention, July 9-16, in St. Louis, MO.

Pernessa C. Seele is one of the nation’s most prominent voices on issues of HIV/AIDS and other health disparities. She is founder and CEO of The Balm In Gilead, Inc., a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization with a mission to prevent diseases and improve the health status of people of the African Diaspora. Now in its 21st year, the Balm In Gilead has provided capacity development and technical support to more than 20,000 faith institutions.

Under Seele’s leadership, the organization has supported the establishment of over 12 national health offices within the national headquarters of Catholic, Protestant and Muslim communities in Africa and the U.S. Furthermore, The Balm In Gilead has engaged nearly 10 million churchgoers throughout the U.S. in health awareness campaigns through the effective mobilization of the African-American church to address public health issues.

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