THE NEWSLETTER OF THE AUSTIN ALUMNAE OF KAPPA ALPHA THETA JANUARY 2016

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The years shall part us with relentless morrows. The mists of

pain shall keep our ways apart;

but Theta love holds timeless,

through all sorrows, the chain

that binds us, linked heart to

heart!

Theta Kite FlyerA le!er from " President…

Ushering in a new year is a wonderful time to reflect on

accomplishments and milestones from the year past, and what a

remarkable year 2015 was for the Austin Theta Alumnae Chapter! We are

so lucky to have such a devoted group of women in our backyard. Thank

you to our members and community supporters who made 2015 another

milestone year.

A few highlights from 2015 include a flower arranging class hosted by

Theta owned and Austin based Texas Blooms, Fall Coffee, dressing as

super heroes to support CASA’s Super Hero 5K run, Bubbles and Bingo

with our young alumni, decorating cookies with Santa, a career panel for

the UT Alpha Theta Chapter, and celebrating 100 years as an alumnae chapter. Our 100-year celebration, held at the Lone Star Court, involved

a silent auction that generated over $500 to support CASA!

We are thrilled to announce a few new faces that joined our board in

2015. This fall, we welcomed Ann Brown as Treasurer. Ann was a Theta

at Emory University and has over 21 years of experience as a Certified

Personal Accountant. Ann took over for Jill Uhlenhop who lovingly

served the board for over five years. Anna Suess joined us from Colorado

as our new Membership Chair, and Christie Besinger joined us from

New York City as our new Panhellenic Representative. Rounding out a

talented group of women to lead us into a successful 2016 is Hayley

Huchton from Memphis, TN, who will be our Event Coordinator. We

are thrilled to have such talent on the board who will undoubtedly make

2016 our best year yet!

A gracious thank you to our members, community partners and

supporters who made 2015 unforgettable. To the Thetas who have

recently moved to the Austin area - welcome! Please reach out if you’re

interested in learning more about getting involved with our growing

chapter. We are excited to see what 2016 has in store!

Loyally,

Nina Gilkerson

President, Austin Theta Alumnae

In !" "sue…LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT 1

ANNOUNCEMENTS 2

CURRENT EVENTS 3

BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHTS 4-5

75 & 50 YEAR THETAS 6

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP FORM 7

http://austin.kappaalphatheta.org/

www.facebook.com/

groups/AustinThetas

@AustinThetas

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE AUSTIN ALUMNAE OF KAPPA ALPHA THETA JANUARY 2016

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Founders Day Please join us

Saturday, January 23rd at 11am Radisson Hotel Downtown

111 East Cesar ChavezTickets are $30 at the door

Scholarship The Theta Foundation has more than $500,000 in scholarships

available just for Thetas! They support tuition, books, and course-related fees for both undergraduate and graduate study.

THE APPLICATION DEADLINE IS MARCH 9thIf you know a deserving Theta, send her to

www.KappaAlphaThetaFoundation.org/receive/apply-now/

Know A High School Senior?

2016 Sorority Recruitment ForumHosted by the Austin Alumnae Panhellenic Association

High School Seniors and parents from the Austin area are invited to learn more about NPC Sorority New Member Recruitment

Sunday February 21st at 1:30pmTexas Capitol Auditorium E1.004

1100 Congress Avenue

Austin Fun Fact Trivia

Did you know? Austin is home to about

750,000 bats in spring and summer and up to 1.5 million at the peak of bat-watching

season.

Austin is one of the sunniest cities in America, getting on

average about 300 clear days a year.

Austin is the only city in the world known to still operate a system of Moonlight towers, lighting structures from the

19th century.

Austin actually grew during the Great Depression. During this time, the city’s population

increased 66 percent and University of Texas’

enrollment nearly doubled.

The greater Austin area contains 10 extinct volcanoes. They used

to be violent underwater volcanoes called “explosion

craters” by geologists.

Announcements

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‘T! " Season...Cookies

with SantaALPHA THETA HOUSE

December 13th

Austin alumnae brought their children to the Theta house to meet Santa and

decorate Christmas cookies! The Alumnae board hosted a cookie

exchange and served hot chocolate to celebrate the season. Children enjoyed sharing their list with Santa and moms

enjoyed taking home new cookie recipes!

Magic Bar Cookie Recipe

Ingredients: 1 1/2 Cups graham cracker crumbs1/2 Cup butter, melted1 (14oz.) Can of sweetened condensed milk2 Cups (12 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips1 1/3 Cups flaked coconut1 Cup chopped nuts

Directions: Heat oven to 350F. Coat 13x9 inch baking pan. Combine graham cracker crumbs & butter in small bowl then press into bottom of prepared pan. Pour condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. Layer evenly with chocolate chip, coconut and nuts. Bake 25-30 mins. Let cool, then cut

Alumnae Ch!"mas Pa#yBLACKFINN AMERIPUB

December 2oth

For the third year in a row, the holiday party was held at

Blackfinn Ameripub at the Domain. Alumnae enjoyed food, drinks and good company.

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Board MemberNina Gilkerson, PresidentNina grew up in Washington, D.C. and was initiated into the Epsilon Upsilon Chapter of Columbia University in 2007. After six years in the Big Apple, Nina moved back to D.C. where she met her husband, Graham. Nina privately advises companies with custom research, and she and Graham are looking forward to welcoming their first baby this summer!

Ann Abney Bro!, TreasurerAnn was initiated into the Delta Zeta chapter at Emory University in 1990. During her time there, she served as Rec Chair and President. After graduating, she remained in Atlanta and worked there for 15 years until she met her future husband, who lived in Austin. She is a CPA and currently serves as the Controller for US Lumber Group, LLC. She has three children ages 13, 11 and 5.

Lyndsey Escobar, Secretary Lyndsey was initiated into the Gamma Phi chapter at Texas Tech University in 2002. After graduating with an MBA, she moved to Austin in 2007 to begin her career at Dell. She has enjoyed serving on the Austin Alumnae Board since 2010 and is also currently serving as a Risk Management advisor for the Alpha Theta chapter. Lyndsey enjoys traveling, running and visiting her hometown of San Antonio to visit her family often!

Ch!"ie Besin$r, Panhellenic RepresentativeChristie is from Overland Park, Kansas and joined the Delta Eta Chapter at Kansas State University in 2005. After graduating in 2008 with her Bachelors in Human Resources Management, she moved to New York City where she worked as an HR Manager at a technology start up until she moved to Austin, TX in 2014. In Austin, she works as a Senior Recruiter and HR consultant. When not working, she enjoys cooking, watching American Idol, and hanging out with her dog. Christie is loving the warm weather, live music, and amazing food in Austin and can't wait to get to know more Theta ladies!

Danya Weinheimer, Social ProgramsDanya is from Lubbock, TX and joined the fabulous Gamma Phi chapter at Texas Tech University in 2007. After receiving her Master’s degree from Abilene Christian University, she followed her husband to Austin. Danya currently works as one of the lead speech-language pathologist at Round Rock Children’s Therapy Center. She has a sister who is also a Gamma Phi and an adorable 1-year-old niece who lives in Abilene, TX. During her free time she enjoys running (currently training for a half marathon in April), wine, collecting vinyl’s, and spending time with friends and family!

Maggie Fene"y, H#se Programs ChairMaggie is from Mandeville, Louisiana and grew up a huge LSU Tigers fan. She attended Louisiana State University and was initiated into the Delta Kappa chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta in 2006. She now lives in Austin, Texas and works for a small oil and gas company. When she isn’t working she loves traveling, shopping, taking Pure Barre, decorating cakes, and spending time with family and friends. 2016 is an exciting year for Maggie as she is planning her upcoming wedding to Ryan in April!

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SpotlightsBenne! Haines, Y#ng Alumnae Lia$onBennett is a Gamma Phi- Texas Tech University Theta and has served 3 years on the Austin Alumnae Board. She loves Tech football, volleyball, karaoke, and attending Austin Theta alum events. Bennett is excited to begin another year as the Young Alum Liaison and hopes to see you out at their next event!

Lindsay Kaplan, Newsle!er & WebsiteLindsay is an Austin native. She moved back to her hometown after graduating from Texas Tech University in 2011 with a Bachelors of Science in Retail Management. She has spent her career working in digital marketing for companies such as RetailMeNot, Kendra Scott and Whole Foods. In her spare time she enjoys playing on the lake, yoga and trying new restaurants around town. This will be her third year serving on the board as newsletter and website chair.

Tatiana Hinofot!, Philan"ropy Tatiana graduated from the Alpha Theta Chapter at The University of Texas - Austin in 2005. By

day, Tatiana works to develop and implement corporate sustainability programs as an environmental

consultant, mostly in the healthcare sector. By night, she enjoys taking advantage of all the fun

Austin has to offer. Tatiana enjoys live music, a good cup of coffee, and any excuse to dress up.

Hayley Huchton, Event Coor!natorHayley grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and pledged Theta in Fall 2006 at Texas Christian University. Immediately following her graduation from TCU, Hayley moved to Memphis, TN to pursue her Masters in public relations. Low and behold, a fellow Theta sister from TCU was the one that recruited her for a job located here in Austin, TX. Hayley currently works as an Event Coordinator at GLG, the world’s largest membership network for one-on-one professional learning. When she isn’t working, you can find her at every TCU home football game, enjoying yoga, running along the lake, and exploring everything Austin has to offer.

Anna, Member!ipAnna grew up in Thornton, Colorado and pledged Theta at the Beta Iota chapter at the University of Colorado. After graduating in 2011, she completed a BSN at Regis University and moved to Nashville, Tennessee to work as a pediatric nurse at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. After two years there, her wonderful fiancé Adam proposed (with the help of Anna’s Theta little sister!) and that life change brought her to Austin. She is blessed to continue nursing in pediatrics at Dell Children’s Medical Center. In her free time, she loves Pilates, snow skiing, boating, cross-stitching, reading, wine and playing with her golden retriever puppy, Franklin!

Want to join ! board?We still have a few positions open! Please email AustinThetaAlumnae@gmail.com for inquiries.

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75+ Year Thetas

50 Year ThetasMargaret Axelson Zimmerman - AΣ/ Washington State

Cathryn Bohm Clark - Η/MichiganSusan Mihalyi Hutcheson - T/Northwestern

Joan Johnson Byrne - ΑΘ/Texas

Nancy Joseph Perryman - ΑΘ/Texas

Freda Kline Hamric - ΑΘ/Texas

Mary Mast Toubin - ΑΘ/Texas

Mary Dorsey Cartwright - ΑΘ/Texas

Sue Hoverstock Burkhalter - ΑΘ/Texas

Kathleen Gray Everett - ΑΠ/North Dakota

Jean Benson Ford - ΑΡ/South Dakota

Sherry Marion Heiden - ΑΦ/Tulane

Susan Hewitt Chapman - ΓΦ/Texas TechPatti Byler Hansen - BZ/Oklahoma State

Pamela Wilson Toussaint - BZ/Oklahoma State

Pamela Siverson Hasson - BΧ/UCLA

Nancy Denton Whitworth - ΑΘ/Texas

Sheila Kennedy Skiles - ΔΓ/Georgia

Cheryl Rickers Henderson - ΓΠ/Iowa Sate

Janice Fitzgibbon Hughes - ΓΦ/Texas Tech

Tina Hathaway Westerkom - ΑΘ/Texas

Kathleen Hayden - ΓΦ/Texas Tech

Martha West Griffith - ΓΦ/Texas Tech

Suzanne Coleman - ΓΨ/Auburn

Kappa Alpha Theta Alumnae Dues and Directory Listing 2016

Welcome to the new year of Kappa Alpha Theta! We look forward to your active membership! Please support the

Theta Alumnae projects and activities by returning your form and check by March 1, 2016.

Note: Our fiscal year runs from January 1 - December 31, 2016 Membership may be renewed ONLINE at www.Austin.KappaAlphaTheta.org

Please complete the following information for our records and for the 2016 Alumnae Directory:

Name ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Please print: First Maiden Married Husband’s Name

Theta Chapter, School and Pledge Year___________________________________________________________

Mailing Address and Zip__________________________________________________________________________

Telephone (Home) ______________________ (Work) _____________________ (Cell) _____________________

Email ____________________________________________________________________________________________

Occupation/Employer____________________________________________________________________________

Employer or personal website (if you would like it listed) _________________________________________

An electronic version of the 2016 Alumnae Directory will be sent via email no later than June 1, 2016_____ Please check if you prefer to receive a hard copy (indicate if you will need a new binder as well)

I want to be more involved in Theta:

_____ Alpha Theta House Corp _____ Alpha Theta Advisory Board_____ Programs Committee _____ Alpha Theta Recruitment_____ Alumnae Chapter Officer Role _____ Manage Alumnae Website_____ Call me!! My skills might meet Theta needs!! _____ Directory Chairman

We need your input! What types of meetings/events/service projects would you like?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dues: _____ Benefactor** $ 100.00 _____ Twin Star** $ 75.00 _____ Theta Angel** $ 65.00 _____ Regular $ 55.00 _____ 2015 Graduate FREE for the first year _____ Optional Donation to the Kappa Alpha Theta Foundation $________

*Life Loyal members do not pay national dues, so deduct $30 from your total*

Total $________

**Benefactor, Twin Star, and Theta Angel Memberships provide additional funding to support our organization and

the donations we make to support the Alpha Theta chapter at UT-Austin.

Make your check payable to Kappa Alpha Theta Austin Alumnae Mail this form and your check to: Ann Brown, Treasurer

Austin Theta Alumnae Group 6108 Crafton Place Austin, Tx 78749

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE AUSTIN ALUMNAE OF KAPPA ALPHA THETA JANUARY 2016

HAVE SOMETHING YOU WANT TO SHARE??If you have something you would like included on the website or in the next issue of The Kite Flyer, please contact AustinThetaAlumnae@gmail. We love to hear

what’s going on in our fellow sisters’ lives! The website is constantly being updated, so don’t forget to visit our Austin.KappaAlphaTheta.org to stay informed!

Austin Alumnae of Kappa Alpha Theta

P.O. Box 26476

Austin, Texas 78755-0476

Pref First Name Maiden Name Last NameAddress 1Address 2City, State Zip 5