aephi_story

The National Council of Alpha Epsilon Phi is elected at each national convention for a two-year term.  These seven volunteers are the governing body of the organization and are responsible for ensuring the sorority continues to fulfill its mission.  Council members may serve in the same position for two bienniums and may not serve more than 12 consecutive years.

The 2009-2011 National Council was elected in June 2009 at the sorority’s Centennial Convention at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Miami, Florida.

National President

Jamie Gray Light
Psi Chapter, Washington University 
Beachwood, OH 
nationalpresident@aephi.org

Serving for her second term as national president, Jamie graduated from Washington University in St. Louis where she earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology and business. 

As an undergraduate member of Psi Chapter, Jamie was actively involved in both the chapter and the campus Panhellenic. She served as AEPhi’s recruitment chair, assistant social chair and spirit chair and as Panhellenic president and faculty relations chair. She was a member of Order of Omega and the Central Area Vice President of the Mid-American Panhellenic Council Association (MAPCA). She received MAPCA’s Outstanding Officer Award, Washington University’s Greek Woman of the Year Award, Washington University’s Ethan A.H. Shepley Outstanding Senior Award and AEPhi’s Blanche Z. Greenberger Award.

After completing a master’s degree in college student personnel at Bowling Green State University, Jamie went to work in student affairs at Baldwin-Wallace College. There she worked as the director of the Center for Alcohol and Related Issues Education, the director of Community Outreach, the director of Greek Life and as an admission counselor for the undergraduate evening/weekend program.

As an alumna, Jamie served as a province director for Nu, Phi Rho and Phi Sigma Chapters, two terms on the nominating committee, as director of Second Avenue, as a member of AEPhi’s NPC delegation and as director of Second Avenue Program Development.

Jamie, her husband, Benjamin, and daughter, Hannah, live in Beachwood, Ohio. Jamie is active at her synagogue where she has served on the Board of Trustees and chaired the arts education initiative. She also volunteers at Hannah’s elementary school. In her free time, Jamie enjoys knitting, crafting, traveling and spending time with family and friends.

Vice President
Chapter Administration

Deborah Friedman
Phi Sigma Chapter, Wayne State University
Oak Park, MI
vp-chapteradministration@aephi.org

Returning to Council as vice president-chapter administration, Debbie is a graduate of Wayne State University in Detroit.  She graduated with a bachelor of science degree in accounting. She went on to earn her MBA, also at Wayne State.

As an undergraduate member of Phi Sigma Chapter, she served as chapter secretary, treasurer and president. Debbie continued her active involvement on the alumnae level.  She has served as an advisor and province director to both Phi Sigma Chapter and Pi Chapter at the University of Michigan. In addition, she has been AEPhi Foundation treasurer, a finance specialist and served two bienniums as vice president-finance. Debbie served the sorority during the last biennium as vice president-chapter operations and continues to be a member of the AEPhi Michigan Alumnae Association as well as the house corporation president for Epsilon Chapter at Tulane University and for the University of Michigan Colony.

Debbie is employed as a supervisor for General Motors Corporation in Detroit working in the Worldwide Real Estate Group finance department.

In her free time, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her nephews, Kevin and Zachary. She also finds time to work with the family’s business (Kif’s Collectibles) by attending science fiction conventions all over the U.S. and Europe.

Vice President
Finance

Andrea Cronig Mindell
Rho Chapter, Ohio State University 
Shaker Heights, OH 
vp-finance@aephi.org

Andrea has held several volunteer positions for AEPhi including province director for Alpha Kappa and Rho Chapters, membership specialist, chapter advisor, and NPC alternate delegate. Andrea is currently house corporation president for Rho and Mu Chapters.  This is her second biennium to serve as vice president-finance.

Active in the Cleveland area alumnae activities, Andrea has served as president of the Cleveland Alumnae Panhellenic Educational Foundation (CAPEF) and was the fund administrator for CAPEF prior to her term as president. Andrea is a past president of the AEPhi Cleveland Alumnae Association, and currently serves as treasurer. In 2007, Andrea received an Alumnus of the Year Award at Ohio State's Greek Awards Ceremony.

Andrea received a bachelor of arts in journalism from Ohio State University and a MBA at Baldwin-Wallace College. She has worked in banking for 19 years, and is currently a manager in the Customer Service Department of Third Federal Savings and Loan in Cleveland, Ohio.

Andrea and her husband Mitch live in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Her stepson Matt attends Ohio State. Andrea enjoys traveling, attending Ohio State football games and spending time with her family, especially her nephews, Aaron and Jeremy, and niece, Arielle, and her standard poodle Scarlett.

Vice President
Membership

Shari Lieberfarb Schwartz
Epsilon Theta Chapter, American University
Brookline, MA
vp-membership@aephi.org

In her second term as vice president-membership, Shari is a graduate of American University in Washington, DC where she earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and education.  As an undergraduate, Shari held numerous positions in her chapter including president, treasurer and standards board chair. Shari then received her Masters of Social Work in clinical mental health with a concentration on children, adolescents and families from Washington University.  Shari was awarded an AEPhi scholarship for graduate school and a scholarship to the College March of the Living Trip. As an alumna, Shari has been an operations specialist and team captain.

After receiving her MSW, Shari moved to Boston and worked as a clinician with children in a residential setting for three years. Shari works for Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters (JBBBS) as an event planner having previously been a program coordinator for more than five years.

Shari, her husband, Lou, and daughter, Elissa, reside in Brookline, MA. In her free time, Shari enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, reading a great book on a beach and working out.

Vice President
Chapter Operations

Leslie Klaidman
Phi Iota Chapter, University of Hartford 
Concord, MA
vp-chapteroperations@aephi.org

Leslie earned her bachelor’s degree in communications with a minor in sociology from the University of Hartford where she served Phi Iota Chapter as president, recruitment chair, new member educator and editor.  She was inducted into Order of Omega and was active in her campus Panhellenic and IFSC.

Named both the “Greek Woman of the Year” and the “Best Sorority President” her senior year, Leslie was also awarded one of ten “Dean’s Leadership Awards” and was a runner-up for Alpha Epsilon Phi’s Blanche Z. Greenberger Award. As a collegian, Leslie was also a student orientation advisor, active in the Program Council and was appointed to the ethics committee of the Student Association.

Following graduation, Leslie became advisor to Alpha Chi Chapter, and was awarded the Leslie Shiffman Outstanding Advisor Award at the 1999 Convention. In 1993, Leslie also began serving as a province director for Eta, Phi Iota and Beta Beta Chapters. 

This is Leslie’s fifth term on Council, having served three terms as vice president-chapter administration and one term as vice president-programming. She is the second generation of Klaidmans to serve on National Council. Her mother, Lynna, is a past national president.

As the Manager of Customer Accounting for American Tower Corporation, Leslie oversees a department of 40 employees. She was named the American Tower Corporation 2004 “All American,” the highest award her company can bestow on an employee. At home in Concord, MA, Leslie is the president of the Spillway Condominium Association and enjoys spending time with friends, making people laugh, listening to music and watching reality TV shows.

Vice President
Chapter Programming

Libby Anderson
Alpha Beta Chapter, University of Missouri
Indianapolis, IN
vp-chapterprogramming@aephi.org

Libby is a graduate of the University of Missouri where she earned a bachelor’s degree in family and consumer science education.  As an undergraduate member she was involved both in the chapter and on campus.  She served the Alpha Beta Chapter as Panhellenic delegate and assistant social chair.  On campus her leadership positions included Panhellenic Vice President of Recruitment, Rho Lambda President, Greeks Early Advising Referral Service Chair, Vice President of the College of Human Environment Sciences Student Council, College of Human Environmental Sciences Ambassador, Take Back the Night Co-Chair, Dance Marathon Steering Committee and the Greek Community Board.

After completing a master’s degree in student affairs administration at Indiana State University, Libby has worked at Mount Union College as the Director of Greek Life, the University of Central Missouri as the Director of Greek Life.  She served as the Director of Operations for Alpha Epsilon Pi International Fraternity prior to becoming Director of Business Operations for Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity in Indianapolis, IN.
Professionally, Libby has served in multiple leadership roles in the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors (AFA) and has been awarded their Distinguished Service Award.  She is also a lead facilitator for the educational programs of the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) and Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity.  Libby also holds membership in the Fraternity Executives Association (FEA) and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA).

As an alumna, Libby has served as recruitment advisor, programming specialist, director of alumnae development and director of collegiate programming.

In her free time, Libby enjoys cooking, entertaining, going to the theatre and musical performances, traveling and spending time with family and friends.

Vice President
Alumnae

Sally Strauss Lang
Psi Chapter, Washington University
St. Louis, MO
vp-alumnae@aephi.org

Sally is a graduate of Washington University where she was an active member of Psi Chapter having served as both philanthropy and alumnae chair. She also served as secretary and vice president of membership development for the campus Panhellenic and was elected Mid-American Panhellenic Council Association (MAPCA) Central Area Vice President during her senior year.

In 1985, Sally was the collegiate recipient of the Susan Rudd Cohen Award for Jewish Communal Service. After graduating with a double major in Jewish studies and political science, Sally attended New York University where she received a master’s degree in public administration.

As a graduate student, Sally was advisor to Zeta Chapter. She has also served as a province director, national advisor to new Panhellenics, NPC first alternate delegate, nominating committee director, director of Jewish programming and President of the Alpha Epsilon Phi Foundation. Sally was a member of the task force on restructuring, as well as a part of both of AEPhi’s most recent strategic planning initiatives. She previously served on National Council from 1993-2001, as vice president-collegiate chapters for two bienniums, vice president-communication and vice president-alumnae, each for one biennium.  She returned to National Council in 2007 as vice president–collegiate programming. 

Professionally, Sally serves as Director of Community Relations at the St. Louis Jewish Community Center. She is active in her community as a member of National Council of Jewish Women, Hadassah and her synagogue’s Youth Committee.

Sally and her husband, Joe, are the proud parents of Jeremy and Ethan.