OUR HERSTORY
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. was founded on January 13, 1913 by 22 collegiate women at Howard University to promote academic excellence and provide assistance to those in need.
North Jersey Alumnae’s commitment to sisterhood, scholarship and service dates back to June 11, 1939 when fourteen women established the Kappa Sigma Chapter (now NJAC) – the first chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. in the State of New Jersey.
The Chapter dedicated itself to organizing and moving toward full civil rights for “colored people”. “The right to learn and the right to an education” soon became their creed. Kappa Sigma was a catalyst for the development of one of the first “colored” Girl Scout units in northern New Jersey and for the founding of the Teen Lift Program. Members raised funds for a maternity ward in Liberia, West Africa and produced the first Jabberwock in downtown Newark fueling the first scholarship award of $250. Kappa Sigma Chapter was the trailblazer for many chapters chartered in New Jersey, most notably Delta Zeta, the first undergraduate chapter in the state. In 1956, Kappa Sigma was renamed North Jersey Alumnae Chapter.
Over the years, the chapter moved toward the development of projects and programs that have gained national recognition for scholarship and service. However, the chapter’s greatest honor comes from the thousands of young people who have benefited from the Sorority’s programs through academic scholarships and programs such as Delta Teen Lift, Dr. Betty Shabazz Delta Academy, Delta GEMS, and School America. Today, with a chapter membership of more than 200 members committed to the ideals of the Sorority, the North Jersey Alumnae Chapter continues to serve the northern New Jersey communities in Essex, Hudson and Union counties and is one of, if not THE largest chapter in the state.
CHAPTER LEADERSHIP
President: Renée Y. Belton
1st Vice President: LaTonya D. White
2nd Vice President: Nichelle N. Hairston
Treasurer: Adina Williams
Assistant Treasurer: April Hill Jones
Financial Secretary: Paulette Hobbs
Assistant Financial Secretary: Tracey Matthews Roberson
Recording Secretary: Michelle D. Jones
Corresponding Secretary: Patricia A. Slade
Journalist: Lolita Slater-Harris
Internal Audit Chair: Lakeisha Fails
Chaplain: Shalonda Owens
Historian: Lisa E. Harris
Custodian of Properties: Uzette Caldwell
Sergeants-at-Arms: Marshea Malcolm
Assistant Sergeants-at-Arms: Towana Wilson, Lynette Mayo, Deanna Phillips
Parliamentarian: Ashley S. Davis
Nominating Chair: Antionette Swanson
Nominating Committee: Arielle Dance, Sharonda Johnson, O’Kneeka Roberts, Aarin Williams
Immediate Past President: Sharon Hardesty
NJAC PAST CHAPTER PRESIDENTS
Gertrude Morris* (1939-1941)
Edna M. Bullock* (1941-1943)
Bertell C. Wright* (1943-1946)
Althea Richards* (1946-1948)
Marcia Williams* (1948-1950)
Marie Carpenter,PhD.* (1950-1952)
Lena Edwards,M.D.* (1952-1953)
Alice Walker Creed* (1953-1955)
Dorothy Herbert* (1955-1957)
Dorothy Gould* (1957-1959)
Alverada Pullie* (1959-1961)
Carole T. Reynolds* (1961-1963)
Ollie Washington (1963-1965)
Alfreda Robinson* (1965-1967)
Myrtis Twyman (1967-1969)
Cornelia Gladden (1969-1971)
Pansy R. King (1971-1973)
Kara Smith (1973-1975)
Catherine Hepburn* (1975-1977)
Daisy Yarbrough (1977-1979)
Josephine Crozier Wilson* (1979-1981)
Mollie Smith (1981-1983
Sheila Thorpe (1983-1985)
Vashti Holt* (1985-1987)
Felicia Jamison, Ed.D. (1987-1989)
Cheryl Whitley-Crawford (1989-1991)
Pamela Gardner (1991-1993)
Gwendolyn Slaton (1993-1995)
Stephanie Culpepper (1995-1997)
Elizabeth Crook (1997-1999)
Betty Robinson (1999-2001)
Oedies Williams (2001-2003)
Wandra Perry Hartsfield (2003-2005)
Deborah Harman* (2005-2007)
Sharon Foushee (2007-2009)
Vanessa Sifford (2009-2011)
Lisa E. Harris (2011-2013)
Elethia D. Baldwin (2013-2015)
Monica D. Burton,PhD. (2015-2017)
Ericka A. Shoulars (2017-2019)
Dorita Newsome-Dobbins, D.M.D. (2019-2021)
Sharon Hardesty (2021-2023)
*Deceased
MISSION
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated is an organization of college educated women committed to the constructive development of its members and to public service with a primary focus on the Black community.
SORORITY HISTORY
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated is an organization of college-educated women committed to the constructive development of its members and to public service with a primary focus on the Black community. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated is a private, not-for-profit organization whose purpose is to provide assistance and support through established programs in local communities throughout the world. Since its founding, more than 300,000 women have joined the organization. The organization is a sisterhood of predominantly Black, college-educated women. The sorority currently has over 1,000 collegiate and alumnae chapters located in the United States, Canada, Japan (Tokyo and Okinawa), Germany, the Virgin Islands, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Jamaica, the Republic of Korea, the Arabian Gulf, Southern Africa and West Africa. The major programs of the Sorority are based upon the organization’s Five-Point Programmatic Thrust: • Economic Development • Educational Development • International Awareness and Involvement • Physical and Mental Health • Political Awareness and Involvement For more information, visit our national website at www.deltasigmatheta.org. Visit the Eastern Region’s website at www.easternregiondst.org