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Notable Pi Phis

Meet the Pi Phis who have risen to the top of their fields, from boardrooms and newsrooms to laboratories, stages and seats of government. Their stories reflect the countless ways Pi Phi women have pursued their passions, broken barriers and shaped the world around them.

Historical black and white photo of Grace Coolidge wearing a large flowered hat and the President driving in a convertible car

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Brita Sigourney

California Theta

Halfpipe Freestyle Skier

Brita Sigourney

California Theta

Halfpipe Freestyle Skier

Brita is a three-time Olympian, representing the United States in every Winter Games since the debut of her discipline. She was a prolific X Games competitor, holding the record for the most appearance by a female skier in the event’s history. At the 2012 Winter X Games, Brita made history as the first woman to land a 1080 in a full halfpipe competition run. She also won a bronze medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea along with three silver and two bronze X Games medals before retiring in 2023.

Brita was initiated in 2009.

Dr. Kathryn Lyle Stephenson

Arizona Alpha

Plastic Surgeon

Dr. Kathryn Lyle Stephenson

Arizona Alpha

Plastic Surgeon

Dr. Kathryn Stephenson was a pioneering physician who also became the first board-certified woman plastic surgeon in the United States. In addition to her surgical work, she was also the first woman to serve as editor of “Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery,” one of the specialty’s leading journals. Kathryn authored dozens of scholarly articles, lectured extensively on plastic and reconstructive surgery, co-authored medical textbooks and edited the “Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Yearbook.” In recognition of her contributions to the field, she was named the American Association of Plastic Surgeons’ Woman of the Year in 1977. Kathryn’s career helped open doors for future generations of women in medicine and shaped the development of plastic surgery in the U.S.

Kathryn was initiated in 1932.

Holly Emery Thaggard

Oklahoma Alpha

Founder of Supergoop!

Holly Emery Thaggard

Oklahoma Alpha

Founder of Supergoop!

Holly is the founder and former CEO of Supergoop!, the first and only lifestyle brand dedicated to UV protection. She launched Supergoop! in 2005 with a collection of ingredient-conscious, efficacious formulas that deliver broad spectrum in unique, user-friendly and feel-good ways. The brand has earned numerous industry accolades, including Allure’s “Best of Beauty” list seven years in a row, six CEW Beauty Awards, two products honored in Time Magazine’s Best Inventions lists along with inclusion in Time Magazine’s b100 Most Influential Companies list for 2022. She has also been honored on Entrepreneur’s 2019 100 Powerful Women List and Inc Magazine’s 2019 100 Female Founders list and Ernst Young’s 2023 Entrepreneur of the Year award.

Holly was initiated in 1990.

Josephine Bowers Thoms

Michigan Alpha

Artist

Josephine Bowers Thoms

Michigan Alpha

Artist

Josephine Bowers Thoms was a lifelong artist who earned several honors and awards for her talent. Her creative skills were far-reaching, with her work including modern dance composition, stage painting, ceramics, sculpture and mural painting. In recognition of her artistry, Josephine received the 1945 National Academy of Design Suydam Medal for Sculpture, won several awards from the National Association of Women Artists and was given national appreciation for her cartoons in the early 1950s. Josephine was also successful in her professional career where she shared her skills and knowledge with others. She held various art educator roles at the collegiate level as well as founded multiple art associations and societies.

Josephine was initiated in 1942.

Jia Tolentino

Virginia Epsilon

Writer and Cultural Critic

Jia Tolentino

Virginia Epsilon

Writer and Cultural Critic

Jia Tolentino is a staff writer at The New Yorker, where she has established herself as one of her generation’s most distinctive voices in cultural criticism and personal essay. Before joining The New Yorker, she worked as deputy editor at Jezebel and as a contributing editor at The Hairpin. Her writing has also appeared in The New York Times and Pitchfork. In 2017, Jia was recognized in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the media category. In 2023, her work was recognized with a National Magazine Award.

Jia is also the author of “Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion,” a collection of essays published in 2019 that debuted on the New York Times bestseller list. The book was widely acclaimed and cemented her reputation as a defining essayist of her era.

Jia was initiated in 2006.

Marilyn Van Derbur

Colorado Alpha

Author and Motivational Speaker

Marilyn Van Derbur

Colorado Alpha

Author and Motivational Speaker

Marilyn Van Derbur is an author, entrepreneur and motivational speaker who rose to national prominence after being crowned Miss Colorado in 1957 and Miss America in 1958. Following her year as Miss America, she built a successful career in public speaking. She was the television spokeswoman for AT&T’s “The Bell Telephone Hour” and was the television hostess for the Miss America Pageant for five years.
In 1975, Marilyn founded the Marilyn Van Derbur Motivational Institute, which developed educational and motivational programs for businesses, organizations and conventions. She was also named Outstanding Woman Speaker in America and was the first woman to win the Speaker’s Hall of Fame award in 1980.

Marilyn was initiated in 1956.

Nicolle Devenish Wallace

California Beta

Television Journalist and Author

Nicolle Devenish Wallace

California Beta

Television Journalist and Author

Nicolle Wallace is a television journalist, political commentator and author best known as the anchor of MSNBC’s “Deadline: White House.” Through her reporting and analysis, she has become one of the most recognizable voices covering American politics and public affairs.

Before transitioning to broadcast journalism, Nicolle served in senior communications roles in the White House under President George W. Bush, including as White House Communications Director and Communications Director for Bush’s 2004 re-election campaign. She later brought that experience to television, serving as a political analyst for MSNBC and NBC News. Nicolle also co-hosted the ABC daytime talk show “The View.” In addition to her work in media, she has written several political novels, including “Eighteen Acres,” “It’s Classified” and “Madam President.”

Nicolle was initiated in 1991.

Valerie Plame Wilson

Pennsylvania Epsilon

Former CIA officer and Author

Valerie Plame Wilson

Pennsylvania Epsilon

Former CIA officer and Author

Valerie Plame spent decades as a covert operations officer in the CIA’s Directorate of Operations, conducting intelligence and counterproliferation work focused on preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction. Her career came to an abrupt and public end in 2003 when her covert identity was leaked to and published by The Washington Post. The event triggered a federal investigation into intelligence security and government accountability that drew national attention for years.

After leaving the CIA, Valerie channeled her experience into writing and advocacy work. She co-authored “Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House,” a memoir that was adapted into the feature film “Fair Game” starring Naomi Watts and Sean Penn. She has since become a public voice on nuclear proliferation, government transparency and national security, co-founding Global Data Sentinel, an organization focused on identifying illicit financial networks and global security threats. Valerie has also co-authored two fictional spy novels.

Valerie was initiated in 1984.

Alda Wilson

Iowa Gamma

Architect and Civil Engineer

Alda Wilson

Iowa Gamma

Architect and Civil Engineer

Alda Wilson, along with her sister, Iowa Gamma Elmina Wilson, became the first American women to practice civil engineering after earning a four-year degree. At a time when few women entered the profession, she built a career spanning engineering, architecture and public service. She worked as a freelance architect in Illinois, Iowa and Missouri before moving to New York and working there for over a decade. Alda later became the first woman to supervise the women’s drafting department of the Iowa Highway Commission, further breaking barriers in a traditionally male field. She also co-designed the Teachers Cottage at the Pi Beta Phi Settlement School with her sister. In her later years, she worked closely with suffragist Carrie Chapman Catt, serving as her secretary and traveling companion.

Alda was initiated in 1890.

Elmina Wilson

Iowa Gamma

Civil Engineer

Elmina Wilson

Iowa Gamma

Civil Engineer

Elmina Wilson was an engineer, educator and architect who broke new ground for women in the engineering profession. She and her sister, Iowa Gamma Alda Wilson, were the first American women to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering and later earned the first master’s degree in the field. She also became the first woman professor to teach engineering at Iowa State University. Elmina moved to New York City In 1904, where she worked on a variety of engineering and architectural projects. Her work included contributions to two of the era’s most notable skyscrapers, the Flatiron Building and the Metropolitan Life Insurance Tower. She also collaborated with the U.S. Department of Agriculture on publications, including the widely distributed brochure “Modern Conveniences for the Farmhouse.” Alongside her sister, Elmina co-designed the Teachers Cottage at the Pi Beta Phi Settlement School.

Elmina was initiated in 1888.

Eileen Heckart Yankee

Ohio Beta

Actress

Eileen Heckart Yankee

Ohio Beta

Actress

Eileen Heckart Yankee was an American stage and screen actress whose career spanned nearly 60 years. She began her Broadway career as the assistant stage manager and an understudy for “The Voice of the Turtle” in 1943. Her many stage credits include the show “Picnic,” for which she won the 1953 Theatre World Award. In 2000, at the age of 81, she appeared off-Broadway in Kenneth Lonergan’s “The Waverly Gallery.” She won several awards for this performance, including the Drama Desk Award, the Lucille Lortel Award, the Drama League Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award.

Eileen’s film and television career was equally successful. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in the 1972 movie adaptation of “Butterflies Are Free” and was nominated in 1957 for her performance as Mrs. Daigle in “The Bad Seed,” both of which were roles Heckart originated on Broadway. She has also appeared in numerous starring roles on television, and in 1994, she won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Rose Stein on “Love & War.”

Eileen was initiated in 1938.

Kyle Zimmer

D.C. Alpha

President, CEO and co-founder of First Book

Kyle Zimmer

D.C. Alpha

President, CEO and co-founder of First Book

In 1992, Kyle Zimmer co-founded First Book, one of the largest networks helping provide books and resources to children in low-income communities. Now as president and CEO, Kyle has helped transform lives across North America through the platform she built. Kyle is also the recipient of the Texas AFT’s Child Advocate Award (2019) and EY Entrepreneur of the Year^® 2017 Award-Mid-Atlantic Region amongst other professional achievements. From 2004-2008, Fast Company named Kyle one of 45 Social Entrepreneurs Who Are Changing the World. Pi Phi currently partners with First Book to distribute Beta Phi Literacy Grants in the form of gift certificates to the First Book Marketplace, where recipients can make purchases based on the unique needs of the community they serve.

Kyle was initiated in 2019 as an alumna initiate.

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Our Story

The Pi Phi Experience

Find Your Place

Lifelong Connection

Make an Impact

What's Happening

Notable Pi Phis

Known For...

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