2025 NGLA Keynote Addresses
NGLA is excited to announce Keynote Addresses for the 2025 NGLA Annual Conference in Baltimore, MD from February 20 – 23, 2025!
Save the Dates: Registration and the hotel room block open on October 7. Applications for Fall Call for Volunteers including Student Staff, NGLA Awards, and NGLA Scholarships also open on October 7.
Friday Keynote | February 21
Leadership Isn’t Always Easy: Success Strategies to Motivate & Generate Energy Among Chapter and Council Leaders presented by Dr. Jason L. Meriwether
Fraternity & Sorority leaders are inundated by numerous theories positing methods to lead within a complex organization, while choices about leadership style are equally broad and varied. This interactive keynote session will challenge participants to prepare for and outlast moments of apathy, doubt, and exhaustion among leaders within their chapter or council. Attendees will be empowered with leadership tools that focus on substance and strategy, yet are still attentive to personal style. Participants will be empowered to look introspectively at strengths and opportunities to grow. FSL leaders will learn that failure is a doorway to success while building an individual leadership brand that will flourish within the context of each chapter, council, and the campus community.
Presenter Biography | Dr. Jason L. Meriwether
Dr. Jason L. Meriwether is an experienced leader in higher education with research interests in hazing prevention, enrollment management, student retention, digital learning tools, adult student success, and social media engagement. In 2016, Jason was named to the Southern Indiana Business Source 20 under 40 Class of 2016. In 2014, Jason was selected to Louisville Business First’s Top Forty under 40 and as one of Business First’s 20 People to Know in Education and Workforce Development. In 2014, Jason received the award of Outstanding Kentuckian and was commissioned to the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels. Jason is editor of Dismantling Hazing in Greek-Letter Organizations: Effective Practices for Prevention, Response, and Campus Engagement.
A native of Guthrie, Ky., Jason earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication from the University of Louisville. He earned the Master of Arts Degree in Psychology from Fisk University and earned the Ph.D. in Educational Administration with a Specialization in Higher Education Leadership from Indiana State University. Jason currently serves Campbellsville University as Vice President of Enrollment Management.
Email: jason@greekuniversity.org
LinkedIn: Dr. Jason L. Meriwether
Saturday Keynote | February 22
The Happiness Advantage: 3 Keys to Preparing for Your Life After College presented by Nicki Joiner
The American Psychological Association found that only 51% of recent college graduates reported feeling optimistic about their future and overall happiness after graduation. But how do you achieve happiness in a time of transition? In this workshop, we will explore the essential topic of happiness as you prepare for your career after college. We’ll discuss three barriers to happiness and talk through how to recognize, challenge, and break free from them so that they can set healthy boundaries and flourish in your career.
This session offers a fresh perspective on the pursuit of happiness after college. By addressing common challenges head-on and providing actionable strategies, you’ll gain a newfound understanding of how to prioritize their well-being while advancing your career.
Presenter Biography | Nicki Joiner
Nicki is a public speaker and consultant who helps college students reach their fullest potential. Nicki has over 10 years of work experience, most recently as a recruiter for the biggest bank in the United States. She takes a practical approach to helping college students find sustainable careers that make them feel happy, healthy, and whole. Nicki is a graduate of both Ball State University and Central Michigan University, where she joined Delta Phi Epsilon. She has worked with organizations like NASA, Girls, Inc., Meeting Professionals International, and over sixty colleges and universities…not to mention this is her third time with us as a presenter at NGLA!
Email: itsnickijoiner@gmail.com
LinkedIn: Nicki Joiner
Instagram: @thatssoniickki
Closing Keynote | February 22
The Wait of Gold: Sacrifice, Failure, and Resilience in the Lifelong Pursuit of Excellence presented by Evan Austin, PLY
Jay Harris anchors ESPN’s legendary news and information show SportsCenter. He is at the very pinnacle of his career. But the path to get here hasn’t always been easy. In his signature program, Reroute, Jay shares with you his personal and professional journey from a student leader and fraternity man at Old Dominion University to an Emmy Award-winning journalist at ESPN. Along the way, he discovered every great dream is achieved through a series of starts, stops, steps, and missteps. The message of this program will resonate with all students but is particularly important for those looking at life after college, who are beginning to explore their educational and career path.
Presenter Biography | Evan Austin, PLY
Evan connects with audiences by discussing the struggles he faced growing up with a physical impairment and the resilience he had to have to become a Paralympic Gold medalist. His keynote is constructed to show audiences that there are many roadblocks and deterrents on one’s path to success. Evan leads listeners on an emotional roller coaster as he illustrates, through his own personal experiences, some of the toughest failures and greatest successes a human can go through in a lifetime.
Whether he is speaking to campus organizations, student-athletes or a ballroom full of people who just want to hear an inspiring story, Evan delivers an experience that leaves audience members filled with hope, a new perspective on not judging a book by its cover, and renewed belief in the ideal that hard work can make up for many things. Through his story-telling, Evan hopes audiences leave his program understanding that failure can be turned into fuel, that goals don’t just change but also evolve, and that in the end the process of pursuing a lifelong goal is in fact the greatest prize.
Evan is a 4-time Paralympic Swimmer, Team USA Captain, attended Indiana State University for his Bachelor’s degree in Recreation and Sport Management, and is a proud member of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity. The now Gold and Bronze medalist is on the coaching staff of the Purdue University Swimming and Diving team as a Volunteer Assistant.
Email: evan.r.austin@gmail.com
Instagram: @E_A_Swim
LinkedIn: Evan Austin, PLY