As organizations founded by and for business and professional women, we are pleased to announce that The Coalition of Business and Professional Women’s Sororities will once again host a virtual shopping experience! It is important that we tangibly support women business owners, especially our members. This is a great way to kick off the holiday shopping season.
We invite you to Save The Date and join us for a Virtual Small Business Shopping Experience on Saturday, November 26, 2022, from 10 AM to 2:30 PM (Eastern Time).
The concept of a virtual mall began in 2021 with the four organizations. Each vendor will have their own store in a Zoom breakout room. Virtual shoppers can go from store to store to shop; all from the comfort of their own home or chosen location.
We are soliciting up to 60 diverse vendors. During the event, we will share information live on each organization’s social media channels to educate about our missions and goals. With your support, we look forward to a successful event that will help to support our Sororities’ small women-owned businesses.
Ms. Metcalf-Foster is a trailblazing woman that continues to passionately and selflessly volunteer from local to national levels to improve outreach to and services for women and all Veterans. She is a life-long resident of Vallejo, a disabled U.S. Army Reserve Veteran of Operation Desert Storm, and a Bronze Star Medal recipient. After retiring as a First Sergeant (E-8) in 1996, she embarked on a life mission to assist all veterans while being an amazing role-model to everyone especially for women of color of what is possible despite racism and misogyny.
In 2018, she was recognized as one of the “Mighty 25: Influencers Supporting the Military Community” and as a past or present member of the VA Advisory Committee on Women Veterans and the VA Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses, she was very instrumental in the development of more 60 established policies that are currently effective today at Women Veterans Clinics throughout the United States.
Veterans served our country with distinction and should be recognized for their service and sacrifice. The CSCVC supports causes and legislation that honors and promotes recognition of our service members. We ask you to help recognize the incredible service of Delphine Metcalf-Foster and contact your Congressional representative today using our advocacy tool.
These grants will help support small businesses owned by African American women, who have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic, in the five regions of Iota. As the first Africa American Business Sorority, we continue to support and empower African American business women with these funds and resources, that strengthen their business efforts.
Central Region
Dr. Barbara J. Andrews, The Open Arms Foundation (Chicago, IL)
Phyllis L. Rodgers, Peer Plus Education & Training Advocates (Chicago, IL)
Eastern Region
Kezia M. Williams, Capital Cause dba The Black Upstart (Alexandria, VA)
Far Western Region
Veronica Dawkins, Dresspart, LLC (Denver, CO)
Paula Welsh, Welsh PR & Event Planning (Oakland, CA)
Iota Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc, in partnership with the Lola M. Parker Foundation is committed to empowering youth and women to achieve financial independence through entrepreneurship and business education. Small businesses owned by African American women are being adversely
affected by COVID-19. As we continue to recover from the effects of COVID-19 Pandemic and the inequality of loan assistance and resources, Iota has renewed its efforts to help small businesses in our communities.
We will award up to 10 micro-grants ranging from $500.00 to $1,000.00 to small businesses owned by African American women, with less than 15 employees, to aid in their survival and recovery. The grants are to be awarded by a lottery of qualified applicants on August 8, 2020. To qualify, a business must have been in business for at least one year, have less than $100,000.00 in annual revenue and experienced a 25% decrease in revenue as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Starting July 1st, applications will be available and accepted from African American women
owned small businesses in each of the five regions served by Iota Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc.
Please contact your local Iota chapter for application and/or questions. Applications are to be
completed and returned to a local Iota chapter.
San Francisco, CA, April 2019 —Across the nation Iota Phi Lambda Sorority’s Business Month which focuses on empowering Business and Professional Women is being celebrated with diverse events throughout the month of April. Iota Phi Lambda is a nonprofit organization of business and professional women dedicated to community service. The theme is “Business and Professional Women: Furthering the Dream of Economic Independence”.
On April 6, MC Valerie St. John introduced seven women selected by Gamma Nu Chapter to the community at its 23rd Annual Lola M. Parker Luncheon held at the Patio Español, 2850 Alemany Blvd. in San Francisco, CA. She is an award-winning digital strategist and corporate communicator for a cutting edge data driven research firm which helps institutional investors make more informed decisions. She is also an Honorary Member of Gamma Nu Chapter.
(L to R) Honorees: Stacey Hunt, M.D.; Clara L. Porter, J.D.; Lucretia Bobo; Lacy Silas; Tamara Sisk; and (not in photo) Elizabeth Grigsby and Joanne Early, 2019 Soror of the Year.
The Business and Professional Women honored included: Lucretia Bobo, Community Outreach Recruiter & Worker for Alameda County Health Care Services Agency; Dr. Stacey Hunt, M.D. at Kaiser Permanente; Elizabeth Grigsby a Consumer Rights Advocate at the Golden Gate Regional Center; Clara L. Porter, J.D., an attorney at Veatch Carlson, LLP; Lacy Silas a business owner of Lacy’s Nails; Tamara Sisk, a business owner and Architectural Designer; and Soror Joanne Early, a Life Coach and the 2019 Gamma Nu Soror of the Year.
2019 Gamma Nu Scholarship winners (not in order): PSASHA IMANI BORDEN, SAIRA ZOE BROWN, DESIRAY ABIGAIL GRIFFIN, ISLAAM SAVANNAH RASHADA, with Soror Shontay Rand.(L to R) Gamma Nu Chapter. Johnnie Evans, 2nd Vice Pres.; Myrtle Smith, Treasurer ; Karen Smith, Event Chr.; Adrienne Anderson, Web Master/Program Design; Cara Brown, President; Valerie St. John, MC/Honorary Member; Lillian Anderson, Dean of Intake ; Joanne Early, 1st Vice Pres.; and Linda Dillard, Journalist. Not pictured: Collette Evans – Brown, Delphine Metcalf-Foster, Emogene Singleton and Beatrice Smith. ***
This Luncheon is Gamma Nu Chapter’s major Scholarship Fundraiser. Scholarships of $1,000 each were presented to four graduating high school seniors
The chapter also administers the Helen M. Johnson and John Q. Johnson Memorial Scholarship Fund which targets single mothers with minor children who are pursuing their goal of higher education.
Contact: Lillian Anderson
Tel: 650-355-4130
Email: cander8433@aol.com
Iota Honors Business and Professional Women
San Francisco, CA, April 2018 —Across the nation Iota Phi Lambda Sorority’s Business Month which focuses on empowering Business and Professional Women is being celebrated with diverse events throughout the month of April. Iota Phi Lambda is a nonprofit organization of business and professional women dedicated to community service. The theme is “Business and Professional Women: Furthering the Dream of Economic Independence”.
On April 7, MC Valerie St. John introduced eight women selected by Gamma Nu Chapter to the community at its 22nd Annual Lola M. Parker Luncheon held at the Patio Espanol, 2850 Alemany Blvd. in San Francisco, CA. She is the Chief Marketing Officer at DISCERN Investment Analytics, a cutting edge data driven research firm which helps institutional investors make more informed decisions. She is also an Honorary Member of Gamma Nu Chapter.
(L to R) Honorees and MC: Akiba Bradford, Captain Valerie Matthews, Aisha Lusk, Valerie St. John, MC. Standing. Cara Brown, Chapter Pres., Felisia Thibodeaux, Toni Ratcliff – Powell, Pamela Ellison, Lakisha Mitchell – Keith, Deloris Bethea’
The Business and Professional Women honored included: Deloris Bethea’, a Certified Foster Parent since 2004 with the SF Department of Human Services, who has fostered over 37 children; Akiba Bradford, a Juvenile Justice and Criminal Justice Researcher and Advocate who is a Board Member and Vice Chair of the City of Oakland’s Community Policing Advisory Board which advises the Chief of Police, City Council and the Community on fostering better community-police relations; Pamela Ellison, Chief Digital Officer and Corporate Advisor who sits on the board of advisors for select brands and consults with CEOs on their digital business growth plans; Aisha Lusk, a MSW Protective Services Supervisor for the City & County of San Francisco’s Human Services Commission as a Protective Services Worker for the past ten years; Captain Valerie Matthews, who came into the San Francisco Police Department in 1991, has been an exemplary officer and role model with the Police Dept. progressively moving through the ranks to her current role as Captain in October 2017. She is currently in charge of the Major Crimes Unit which includes Homicide, Robbery, and Gang Task Force; Lakisha Mitchell-Keith, a criminal justice administrator and former Homeland Security supervisor where she created several policies and procedures which were awarded the National Best Practices by the Agency’s Executive Director. She was invited to headquarters to launch her program nationwide. In 2017, she received a full scholarship to Golden Gate University’s School of Law where her goal is to help to those in need; Toni Ratcliff-Powell, an employee of the S.F. Juvenile Probation Dept. in diverse roles bridging outreach to the community since 1987. Upon resuming Supervisory Probation Officer duties over the Dept.’s Court Office Unit, she oversaw General and Serious Offender Units and in 2016 began leading one of the Intake Units.; and Felisia Thibodeaux, CEO/Founder of At Your Service Professional Service serving the public for over 25 years. The majority of this time spent in the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, Property Management and Housing Development arena. She is the Founder of You Go Girl, Youth Leadership Academy, a program to help intercity girls develop and realize their own potential, foster leadership and create community stewards.
(L to R) Scholarship Recipients with Joanne Early, Scholarship Committee Chair. Denaysia Rabb, Lauren McCoy, and Saira Brown representing her sister Gabriella Brown.(L to R) Gamma Nu Chapter. Johnnie Evans, 2nd Vice Pres.; Myrtle Smith, Treasurer ; Karen Smith, Event Chr.; Adrienne Anderson, Web Master/Program Design; Cara Brown, President; Valerie St. John, MC/Honorary Member; Lillian Anderson, Dean of Intake ; Joanne Early, 1st Vice Pres.; and Linda Dillard, Journalist. Not pictured: Collette Evans – Brown, Delphine Metcalf-Foster, Emogene Singleton and Beatrice Smith. ***
This Luncheon is Gamma Nu Chapter’s major Scholarship Fundraiser. Scholarships of $1,000 each were presented to three graduating high school seniors: Gabriella Brown, Piedmont H.S., Piedmont, CA plans to attend Western Washington University with a focus in Computer Science; Lauren McCoy, Mission High School, San Francisco, CA plans to attend Dillard University to pursue Nursing; and Denaysia Rabb, Mission High School, San Francisco, CA plans to attend Clark Atlanta University with a focus on Business Management.
The chapter also administers the Helen M. Johnson and John Q. Johnson Memorial Scholarship Fund which targets single mothers with minor children who are pursuing their goal of higher education.
Virtual Pop-Up Shop! Save the Date!
