More Than A Speaker!
Also an Educator, Facilitator, and Entertainer!

From Ritual To Reality

Using music and storytelling, Dr. Mari Ann Callais offers a truly unique program about values, ritual, and the responsibilities of being a lifetime fraternity or sorority member. For nearly a decade, she has built a legion of admirers with her fun, upbeat programs on fraternity and sorority values.

What a way to bring AGLC back! It had been at least three years since we had the conference, and we wanted to bring in someone strong as the keynote. I told Mari Ann that I was very surprised how she was able to get these Alabama fraternity men to take off their "cool caps" and participate. Her personality is her greatest strength in these programs. She knows how to ask those hard questions about their values in a firm way while being very comforting at the same time.

Gary Wiser
Coord. of Student Development/AGLC Conf. Coord.
Birmingham-Southern College
March 2007

Fraternity/sorority communities have asked her to campus to discuss the importance of community service and ritual with new members. She is among the most popular retreat facilitators in the country. As the National President for Theta Phi Alpha Fraternity, Mari Ann offers a unique blend of local and national perspective on sorority issues and has helped numerous Panhellenics deal with the issue of sorority hazing.

"Two words: SHE ROCKED.  Awesome to work with, great with students, a true expert on Greek life and university issues.  We were fortunate to have her spend the day on our campus."

Matthew R. Caires
Asst. Dean of Students
University of Wyoming

When you bring Mari Ann to campus, you bring a speaker who approaches fraternity education in a completely unique way. She brings her guitar and uses music to create a relaxing environment. Students rate her programs highly because she talks with students, not to students. She can lead them in goal-setting one minute, then lead them in a sing-along of Jimmy Buffet songs the next. By sharing her experiences and observations, Mari Ann helps fraternity and sorority members explore their values and their reasons for being part of a fraternity or sorority.

Making the Most of Your College Experience

This program is great for New Student Orientations, Parents programs, and first year experiences programs.  Using tips from her chapter Making the Most of Your College Experience in the book Roadmaps to Success in College, Mari Ann shares her experiences from both a professional and personal perspective.
This program is upbeat, entertaining, motivational, and educational.

“Panhellenic Says” – Promoting Panhellenic Unity and Spirit Through Understanding

This program is targeted as an all sorority event.  This program incorporates the concept of being a Panhellenic community and how to interact as a community not a system. 

Can be used as a Potential New Member Orientation Program during Recruitment.

Hazing – How Does It Happen In My Chapter?

This program takes the focus not from a hazing perspective of what not to do, but from the perspective of why are chapters still participating in activities and behavior that contradicts our values as people and as organizations.  This program is interactive and incorporates concepts of behaviors and values congruence within our chapters.

Recruitment Counselors:
Keys to a Successful Recruitment

This program can be a workshop or part of a retreat for recruitment counselors. Mari Ann has worked with recruitment counselors since 1991 at various different levels.  She approaches Recruitment Counselor education from the perspective that they are a key component to trust within the Panhellenic Community as well as helping the potential new members make the right decision for themselves.

Other Services Provided by Mari Ann Callais

As a result of her experience as a former fraternity/sorority advisor, faculty member, and volunteer for her sorority as well as others, Mari Ann can assist with other aspects of campus life:

• Helping to build conscience and developing ideas to assisting Greek Councils with how to work together as a community.

• Assisting Chapters with evaluation of their current chapter health and how to develop a plan to be successful

• Assisting chapters on how to educate and how to teach ritual and the application of our values.

• Leadership Retreat facilitation

Student Affairs Workshops & Retreat Facilitation

Dr. Callais can also work with professionals in student affairs departments. She can development a one or two day workshop or retreat to assist with team development, understanding today’s students, and other developmental aspects of working with students. Having served in various student affairs departments as well as teaching in a student affairs graduate program, Mari Ann has a wide range of experience working with professionals as well as students.

About Dr. Mari Ann Callais

Mari Ann Callais has worked in higher education for 16 years, and most recently served as an Assistant Professor and Student Affairs Program Coordinator at Mississippi State University.  Professionally she is the Fraternity/Sorority Housing Specialist for Capstone Development. She serves in numerous volunteer positions, including National President for her sorority, Theta Phi Alpha, and as a Member of the Tri-Delta National Center Board.  She has presented more than 400 workshops on fraternity and sorority leadership, team building and values.

Mari Ann holds an undergraduate degree in Political Science, a Masters of Education, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Research at Louisiana State University. She has been presented several awards through the years, which include the Sigma Sigma Sigma Greek Advisor of the Year, Theta Chi Outstanding Greek Affairs Professional Award, and received the Southeastern Interfraternity Conference Advisor of the Year Award in 1996 and 2001.  She was recently awarded the Association of Fraternity Advisors Distinguished Service Award. Please join me in welcoming, Dr. Mari Ann Callais.