Third General Session
Tuesday, June 17
Monika Byrd,
Susan Edwards,
and Jennifer Stanford
The Phi Theta Kappa Experience: Putting Honors Into Action!
Monika Byrd has been with Phi Theta Kappa as the Director of Leadership Development Programs since 1999. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Beloit College in Wisconsin, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and completed her master’s degree at the University of Louisiana - Lafayette. Prior to joining the Headquarters staff, Byrd taught American History and Leadership Development, and served as a Phi Theta Kappa advisor at Brazosport College in Lake Jackson, Texas, and Tomball College in Tomball, Texas. Byrd served as an International Honors Institute Seminar Leader in 1991. In addition to her work with Phi Theta Kappa, Byrd has taught as an adjunct faculty member of Mississippi State’s Community College Leadership PhD program and served on several state or educational boards, including the Mississippi Community Leadership Association, The Glacier Society, and The International Public Safety Leadership and Ethics Institute.
Susan Edwards, Director of Phi Theta Kappa’s Honors Programs, began her journey with Phi Theta Kappa as an advisor for the Omega Sigma chapter at Houston Community College in 1991. She served as the founding advisor in 2002 for the Beta Lambda Mu chapter at Cy-Fair College in Texas. She has taught History and Humanities for 20 years. Edwards coordinates the work of the Honors Programs Department, which includes the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Program Committee, The Honors Seminar Series, the International Honors Institute, the Faculty Scholar Conference, and the Mosal Scholar Award program. She also conducts research relating to the Honors Study Topic. Edwards is a former Fulbright Fellow and National Endowment for the Humanities grantee and was named 2005 Texas Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation. She served as chair of the Association of Chapter Advisors and as Advisor Representative to the Phi Theta Kappa Board of Directors. In 2002, she received the Mosal Scholar Award to study at the University of Havana. She joined Phi Theta Kappa’s Headquarters staff in January 2007.
Jennifer Stanford, a Headquarters staff member since 1992, serves as Director of Programs, overseeing the Chapter and Regional Programs Departments, and working closely with the International Officer Campaign and with the International Service Program for which she has been instrumental in building the successful partnerships Phi Theta Kappa has had with America’s Promise, the American Cancer Society, and Keep America Beautiful. She became a Phi Theta Kappa member at Holmes Community College in Ridgeland, Mississippi, and has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism with a minor in History from the University of Mississippi.
