Ordie Amelia Roberts

16th Central Regional Director

Initiation Chapter: Gamma

Ordie Amelia Roberts was elected Central Regional Director in 1966. During her administration the idea of a chapter "Round-Up" as a reactivation method, was introduced. She presided over the 33rd, 34th, 35th, and 36th Central Regional Conferences and chartered eight chapters. She holds the distinction of having chartered all of the undergraduate chapters starting with the Greek letter Epsilon in Central Region. She had a down-to-earth, no-nonsense approach to solving problems of the region.

Johnetta Randolph Haley

17th Central Regional Director

Initiation Chapter: Alpha Iota

Johnetta Randolph Haley was elected the 17th Central Regional Director at the Kansas City Boule in 1970. At each Regional Conference, Johnetta Haley began something innovative and new for the region. During her first Regional Conference, chapter representatives were asked to come on Thursday to attend an evening workshop on chapter operations. At her second conference she began the Sunday morning Rededication Breakfast, which was patterned after the Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference. After her reelection in 1972 and during her third Regional Conference that she presided over, she initiated the undergraduate "Dress Out" which gained numerous participants, and her "All Night Party" for undergraduates became an overwhelming success. Johnetta Haley was an ardent advocate for undergraduates, visiting each chapter in the region and appointing an undergraduate as co-chairman of every regional committee, as well as appointing one undergraduate as assistant to the Regional Director.

On the first Saturday in December of each year, she held a "Basileus-Graduate Advisor's Work-Day" These sessions were for program planning, chapter procedures, awareness and fellowship.

Gloria E. Smith Bond

18th Central Regional Director

Initiation Chapter: Alpha Psi

Gloria E. Smith Bond was the first minority to hold an elected office in the State of Indiana. She also wrote the first Protocol Guidelines in 1976 and also established the Graduate Advisor's Council and gathered historical data from all past Directorate members in Central Region to form a past Regional Directos Council that functioned as a committee. To help undergraduates prepare for group meetings, Gloria Bond conducted the most area retreats on college campuses with undegraduate chapters as host. She honored past Directorate members at Regional Conferences and extended the first gratuitous registration for these members. She was first to include the cost of awards in the conference budget and named awards in honor of former Regional Directors. To increase membership, she establised two Regional Awards — one for the highest percentage of undergraduates transferring to a graduate chapter upon graduation and another for highest percentage of membership reactivation in a graduate chapter.

Peggy Jean Lewis LeCompte

19th Central Regional Director

Initiation Chapter: Alpha Iota

Peggy Jean Lewis LeCompte's administration as the 19th Central Regional Director was highlighted by several innovations and firsts. She introduced the first Soror of the Year award for undergraduate and graduate members. She gave undergraduates a significant voice by introducing Undergraduate Round-Ups, utlizing undergraduates as Regional Conference Parliamentarians, committee chairmen and workshop leaders and appointed undergraduate chapters as hostesses for Area Retreats. Peggy LeCompte wrote and disseminated a Central Regional Handbook for undergraduates and reinstituted the undergraduate Step Show at Regional Conferences. She expanded the duties of the Graduate Advisors Council, introduced potpourri sessions at area retreats; brought back the Central Regional Conference Public Meeting, published two editions of Who's Who in Central Region; and revised the Regional Chapter Booklet. Nine chapters were charted during her tenure.

Mable Evans Cason

20th Central Regional Director

Initiation Chapter: Beta Xi Omega

A promise of power and collaboration, sisterliness and mutual support between members and chapters was the motto by Mable Cason. To quote her, "We are a sharing, we are a caring, and we are a loving sisterhood." She emphasized the importance and necessity for closer relationships and open communication between undergraduate and graduate chapters.

Highlights of her Regional Conferences included the adoption of the Gamma Omega choir as her official performing group, developing an open forum for the Regional Director and initiating the VIP breakfast. She stated in one of her reports, "My strength, if I have any, I think is not on the building of new chapters that is in saying let's start another chapter, but in reclaiming members." Due to illness, she was unable to preside over her final conference.