Working in student affairs at your alma mater sounds like fun...right? Maybe; maybe not. Darius Woodfork is doing just that at Southeastern Louisiana University, where he was initiated into his fraternity and now serves as the assistant director of student engagement. Darius joined Ethocast to talk about what he has learned, the real deal about his work, and what kinds of leaders he would like to see his students become.

About the Guest

Darius Woodfork [https://www.linkedin.com/in/darius-woodfork-m-a-61754a300/] is the assistant director of student engagement for fraternity and sorority life at Southeastern Louisiana University (SELU), where he is dedicated to fostering meaningful and inclusive experiences within the Greek community. He holds both a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s degree in strategic communication from SELU, grounding his work in a strong understanding of community, leadership, and effective communication. Driven by the belief in meeting students where they are, Darius centers his work on understanding individual journeys and empowering students to grow with confidence and purpose. His passion for student development guides his mission to create environments where every student feels supported, valued, and equipped to thrive. Darius was initiated into Omega Psi Fraternity Inc. at SELU.

29 | Growing in Student Affairs with Darius Woodfork

This episode starts with an announcement that the Black Greek Success Program is now The D9 Leadership Blueprint! But that's not it! College members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council now have access to a comprehensive leadership guide called The D9 Leadership Blueprint: Personal Leadership, Ubuntu, and Collective Impact [https://www.d9leadershipblueprint.com/ebook].

Episode 28 of Ethocast also dives into New Year's Resolutions for the Divine Nine. College D9 members will hear three resolutions designed to help them strengthen their personal leadership so that they end the academic year on a strong note in their chapters and on their campuses.



28 | (Re)Introducing! and Divine Nine New Year's Resolutions

Phaith Frazier began Grown and Greek® as a celebration of the service and achievements of members of the Divine 9. Host of the podcast of the same name, Phaith visited "Ethocast" to talk about why she took such an interest in the stories of National Pan-Hellenic Council Greeks, how she sees the D9 pooling resources for community progress, the criticism that D9 Greeks don't do enough, and how the D9 can cultivate the next generation of leaders.

Phaith was initiated into Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. at the University of Montevallo in Alabama. You can see full episodes of the Grown and Greek® Podcast on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@GrownandGreekPodcast.

About the Guest

Phaith Frazier is a marketing professional from Pell City, Alabama and a professional DJ known as DJ Chocolate [https://djchocolate.com/]. She also runs Eventful Media Group, Inc. and the luxury accessory and philanthropic-focused brand Grown and Greek®. She is also a ZeroZero Foundation board member. 

Phaith has a strong body of work as a marketing expert in professional sports, entertainment, media, and business. Her professional career includes marketing director for a regional food distributor, manager of marketing and graphics for the New Orleans Pelicans G-League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron, and marketing manager for a cluster of radio stations in Huntsville, Alabama, that included Country, Urban AC, News/Talk, Sports, and Contemporary Hit Radio music formats.  Phaith’s expertise in branding and marketing made her indispensable to the teams she has worked with.

Phaith’s ties to Alabama run deep.  She built an impressive personal brand as both a radio personality and an international DJ.  During her high school years, Phaith was part of the Pell City High School state basketball championship team. She continued playing at the University of Montevallo, where she competed in the Final Four.

Her passion for giving back and helping impactful causes reflects her diverse background and unique experiences, which also include working abroad teaching English as a second language in South Korea! Phaith is also a talented artist who draws, paints, and performs in local theater. She spent three years traveling the country with a national theater company. 

27 | Grown and Greek with Phaith "DJ Chocolate" Frazier

Philanthropy is about more than money. It's about people and wanting to see a better world. When our fraternities and sororities engage in philanthropic partnerships and participate in our national programs, it should be about more than fulfilling requirements. It should be about leadership. This episode explores building that leadership through philanthropy.

"Ethocast" is presented by Edify Ventures, LLC [https://www.eddiefrancis.com/edify].

26 | Building Leadership Through Philanthropy

What does it mean to be oneself in a fraternity or sorority? In the Divine 9, fraternities and sororities that are members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, the idea of identity can be somewhat contentious because of our lifelong commitment to our organizations. This episode explores individual identity and how it complements or clashes with our D9 membership.

Disclaimer:  I am neither a spokesperson for any Divine 9 organization nor the National Pan-Hellenic Council.

25 | Identity in the D9

Tom Murphy was born into fraternity life--no, really. It also means that Tom has a deep appreciation for fraternity (and sorority) life and the value that it holds for students. In this episode, Tom visits to talk about how, as a legacy member of Phi Mu Delta, he grew up in fraternity life and gravitated toward FSL leadership, even guiding him to become the executive director of the Northeast Greek Leadership Association.

About the Guest

Tom Murphy [https://greekuniversity.org/tom/] has been recognized as an innovative and progressive leader in the fraternity/sorority industry for nearly 30 years. Most recently, he served as the executive director of Phi Mu Delta Fraternity for seventeen years. Before Phi Mu Delta, Tom was an experienced fraternity/sorority advisor with positions at Gustavus Adolphus College, Lycoming College, and Monmouth University. Prior to his professional role with Phi Mu Delta, Tom served on the fraternity’s National Council, serving as vice president and national president. 

Tom has been recognized by his peers with the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors' Sue Kraft Fussell Distinguished Service Award and NGLA’s Phillipi Award and Guenzler Award. In addition, he has served on the North-American Interfraternity Conference’s Governing Council, the AFA Foundation Board, and the Board of Directors of the Fraternity Executives Association.

Tom understands the power of a strong and thriving fraternity community on campus. In particular, Tom is dedicated to empowering the Interfraternity Council and campus fraternities to be transformative agents and to provide superior experiences for their members. 

24. Omega | Born into Fraternity Life with Tom Murphy

Maria Maldonado Smith gets into the neuroscience and benefits of goal-setting. The leadership coach and speaker visited "Ethocast" to talk about how goal-setting fits into college fraternity and sorority life as well as the importance of members leaning on each other to meet their goals.

About the Guest

Maria Maldonado Smith [https://mmsconsultingfirm.com/] is the chief empowerment officer of MMS Consulting Firm and creator of the Executive Vision Imagery program. After 18 years of award-winning success in the corporate space, working as a sales leader for Fortune 500 companies across three different industries, Maria brings her unparalleled combination of experience to her proprietary process and interactive training, helping companies understand the neuroscience and benefits of goal-setting for their employees. She equips leaders, employees and organizations to clearly define goals and create a roadmap to achieving them, which allows for better alignment with corporate culture, leading to increased productivity and profitability.

Maria has served numerous national and international clients, including U.S. House of Representatives, Johnson & Johnson, Disney, Paramount Studios, and Constellation Brands. Growing up as the daughter of an immigrant parent, goal-setting has always been a way of life for Maria. At age 9, she set goals to become the first college graduate in her family and to earn the title of Miss Kentucky. Maria graduated from the University of Kentucky with a degree in political science, won the title of Miss Kentucky, and competed in Miss America in 2005.

A sister of the Beta Psi chapter of Alpha Delta Pi, Maria served as executive vice president and began honing her leadership and professional development skills. Her proprietary process has been an essential practice in achieving these goals and many more throughout her career and personal life. Maria has performed twice at Carnegie Hall and sang the National Anthem for an audience of over 120,000. She and her husband of 20 years raise their three children in a loving and encouraging environment where anything is possible when you set a goal and create a vision for it.

23. Psi | The Neuroscience of Goal-Setting with Maria Maldonado Smith

Fraternity and sorority life has no shortage of big personalities. So, what is a chapter to do when almost everyone's personality takes center stage? This episode is dedicated to applying the Big 5 Model of Personality to those chapter brothers and sisters, so that everyone can better understand each other.

22. Chi | The Big 5 Personalities in Your Chapter

As a fraternity man who was initiated in college, Mark Wiggins hadn't given life on the alumni much thought, let alone leadership. Next thing you know, he's leading his Kappa Alpha Psi alumni chapter. Mark visited "Ethocast" to chat about the mentality needed to shift from college-level leadership to alumni-level leadership including an experience he had guiding his chapter through an unexpected tragedy.

About the Guest

Mark Wiggins [https://markwigginsonline.com/] is an outstanding entrepreneur and motivational speaker with a remarkable ability to ignite passion and inspire others. As the CEO and editor-in-chief of "Off the Bench Magazine", he is a highly sought-after speaker, author, and coach.

Mark’s expertise extends to various methodologies and programs, including being a certified facilitator of the Lego® Serious Play methodology, a Master Presenter PSSP, and the co-creator of the transformative Journey to Success Program. He is also the creator of the C.O.R.E Speaker training program, designed to equip individuals with the essential skills to excel in public speaking.

With a strong background in collegiate basketball as a standout player at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Mark’s leadership skills were recognized through his three-year captaincy and induction into the UAH Hall of Honor in 1997. Leveraging his athletic experiences, he has also coached high school and AAU basketball teams, while sharing his insights as a speaker for the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) for over a decade.

Mark’s influence reaches beyond live events through his captivating podcast, “Off the Bench with Mark Wiggins”, available on popular platforms such as iTunes and Spotify. With over 25 years of experience in the corporate and communications industries, Mark is a dynamic force in empowering corporate organizations, individuals, and young people to “Move from the Bench to the starting line-up of life.

‘For the latest insights and updates, connect with Mark on Twitter and Facebook @speakerman87, and on Instagram @OTBMagazine. Tune in to “Off the Bench with Mark Wiggins” to embark on a transformative journey towards personal and professional growth. 

21. Phi | Leading on the Alumni Level with Mark Wiggins

Dr. Michael Ayalon recently defended his dissertation ⁠The Early Warning Signs of Hazing in College Fraternities and Sororities⁠ [https://jewlscholar.mtsu.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/22d56067-00aa-4661-be38-7dcc2d59dd9a/content]. Upon the unfortunate fraternity hazing death of Caleb Wilson, Mike discussed the findings of his research. He talked about unexpected findings, how the definition of hazing compares among campus National Interfraternity Council groups, National Panhellenic Conference groups, and National Pan-Hellenic Council groups. Mike also described the pressures and stress of student affairs professionals and his recommendations for identifying early warning signs of hazing.Resources:

 * Episode 13 - ⁠Hazing Prevention with Jason Meriwether⁠ [https://zencastr.com/z/HBVorzIF]
 * Episode 14 - ⁠The Psychology of Hazing with Leslie M. Brown and Von Eaglin⁠ [https://zencastr.com/z/6E35FJB2]
 * Hank Nuwer's Unofficial Database of Hazing Deaths Database and Clearinghouse - ⁠hanknuwer.com⁠ [https://www.hanknuwer.com/]
 * Opinion by Dr. Walter Kimbrough on MSNBC - ⁠Caleb Wilson’s hazing death is a familiar cautionary tale⁠ [https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/hazing-death-caleb-wilson-southern-university-black-greek-life-rcna196350]
 * H.R.5646 - ⁠Stop Campus Hazing Act [https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/5646]

20. Upsilon | Warning Signs of Hazing with Mike Ayalon

Be more than a great Greek life leader, be a leader for good. "Ethocast" equips fraternity and sorority members with the skills to build strong chapters through effective leadership tips, insights, and conversations. Greek life and leadership speaker Eddie Francis and his guests give up the 411 to take your Greeks to the next level, regardless of the council. Stream "Ethocast" every week to level up your leadership!

Ethocast

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Eddie Francis

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