Brother Ball,
Western State Colorado, was recognized for her service to Iota Upsilon at Cal State-Northridge.
The District Director of the Year Award is presented annually to one District Director who best demonstrates dedication, leadership, and enthusiastic support for the Fraternity, the region, and chapters. Deltasig's National Scholastic Development and Awards Committee, led by Tim Beasley,
Cal State-Fullerton, selected Brother Ball from five provincial winners which included the following:
- Northeastern - Monica J. Ramey, serving Capital (OH)
- South Central - Emily Slone, serving Missouri-St. Louis and Lindenwood (MO)
- North Central - Zachary D. Hanson, serving DePaul (IL)
- Southern - Lencia Marc, serving Lynchburg (VA)
- Western - Jami M. Ball, serving Cal State-Northridge
Ball was praised by Iota Upsilon Chapter for helping the chapter through a probation period. "One of the biggest factors that changed this chapter for the better might have been being put under probation, but I would also say an even bigger factor was having a strong District Director that pushed for these changes. The probation was a good wake up call for the chapter but having someone there to guide us on how to go about it helped tremendously," said the chapter president.
Jami has served as District Director for two other chapters, Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo and California-Santa Barbara, served as both the Intermountain and the Desert Mountain Regional Director and also served on the Alumni Development, Organizational Development and Professional Development Committees. She supports the Leadership Foundation as a Deltasig For Life Donor and is currently the President of North Hollywood (CA) Alumni Chapter. You may have also seen her working registration at Grand Chapter Congress!
"Most recently I have been appointed to Iota Upsilon at Cal State-Northridge which was facing countless challenges," shared Jami. "My close friends in the Fraternity surely grew tired of my stories of bewilderment at all of the adventures I discovered upon each visit. Working with them during their yearlong probation has been a learning experience for us all and there have been many evenings as I walked back to my car that I wondered, 'Am I making any difference or are they just following my advice since they are on probation and don't really have a choice?'"
With Jami's guidance and support, the chapter has made leaps and bounds. Jami continues, "The brothers of Iota Upsilon have reminded me what true dedication, hard work, and working together to achieve a common goal looks like. Receiving an award for serving as their District Director is greatly appreciated but it seems the recognition should be theirs. So on behalf of the brothers of Iota Upsilon and myself, thank you for recognizing us!"
Jami Ball, Western State Colorado, (right) receives her plaque from GP Tricia Smith.