In this issue, we invited past AFA Presidents to share reflections on moments that shaped the Association and the fraternity/sorority profession more broadly. What emerged are two distinct yet complementary perspectives: one capturing early structural shifts that set the stage for the Association’s future, and another reflecting on more recent years marked by transformation and resilience. Together, they tell a story of evolution: of AFA, the profession, and the people who have helped guide it.
Laying the Foundation
Dr. Dan Bureau reflects on the early 2000s, when AFA was expanding its reach, broadening leadership eligibility, and laying the groundwork for a more inclusive and research-driven Association.
Perspectives: Looking back, what moment or decision stands out as a “leap forward” for AFA during your time in leadership? How did that change shape the Association or the broader profession?
Dan Bureau (DB): My board brought forth the proposal to have headquarters staff serve. As a result, Beth Conder (Cline) was the first to serve on the AFA Board when she worked for AXO. This was huge and shaped the future of the Association significantly, allowing us to open up the process for those with the best skills to serve as well as acknowledging the important contributions headquarters staff make.
Perspectives: How did your experience as president shape your perspective on where the profession was heading and where it still needs to go?
DB: Being in discussions with people from across higher education, including vice-presidents, presidents, association leaders, and headquarters staff, makes you think beyond the role of the campus professional. Collaborations have always been important to me in my work, even before I became AFA President, but collecting perspectives amongst diverse stakeholders to make the decisions that serve the greater population as best as we can has informed my time in AFA and as a leader in other higher education organizations.
Perspectives: In your view, what is a step AFA/our industry has made that best reflects its commitment to evolution within the profession?
DB: AFA is an incredibly diverse organization, and the perspectives we have today in the organization reflect that diversity much more than 20 years ago. Not only are we more diverse demographically, but the ways stakeholders are engaged in the Association allow for a bigger tent for member contribution. We have long sought to engage senior professionals, both in direct FSL work as well as within higher education, in meaningful ways, and I think we do a good job of that overall.
The year after my presidency, I led efforts to launch our research journal. That has been huge for us.
Perspectives: Is there something you wish you could have done during your term that you didn’t?
DB: I wish I had communicated with a few key past leaders differently. I was a strong communicator, engaging people, but the mistakes I made fell within a lack of perspective, gleaning from past leaders, specifically some presidents. All that said, I don’t have many regrets and feel I was the right person doing the best work at that point in time. I like to think the foundation we laid then has resulted in some of the significant improvements over the last two decades.
Perspectives: How have you seen the role of fraternity/sorority professionals evolve over the years, and what part did AFA play in driving or responding to that evolution?
DB: Professionals see the bigger picture more now than 20 years ago. Bringing in diverse perspectives across stakeholders is a core part of the work now, which allows professionals to think bigger picture than their campus. FSL staff must now think differently to administer services and programs that align with higher education priorities, beyond just creating good chapters and councils. I am seeing the attention given more externally to the groups on our campus or within our organization, which is a good thing.
Continuing the Work
Ed: Nearly two decades later, AFA’s evolution continued amid a time of crisis and transformation in the fraternity/sorority world. Kara McCarty Miller reflects on leading through that period, navigating both organizational change and sector-wide challenges that reshaped how we define and support the profession.
My tenure as President of the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors (AFA) coincided with a period of profound change and reckoning within the fraternity/sorority community. National tragedies such as the hazing-related deaths of Timothy Piazza and Max Gruver catalyzed a shift in how institutions and stakeholders responded to misconduct. While hazing was not a new issue, the consequences became more severe and systemic—campus-wide shutdowns, permanent bans on organizations. At the same time, the landscape also included the elimination of fraternity/sorority offices, as seen at institutions like Kansas State and Harvard’s ban on single-sex organizations.
This era also saw the rise of parent advocacy, with families speaking on campuses and lobbying legislators to end hazing. These efforts brought visibility and urgency to the critical issues, leading to collaborative gatherings such as the NASPA Summit and subsequent meetings hosted by institutions, first at Texas Christian University, and then at Miami University of Ohio and the University of Houston.
Amid this backdrop, AFA faced its own internal evolution. A significant debate re-emerged around whether non-campus-based professionals should be eligible to serve as AFA President—a reflection of the broader conversation about inclusivity and representation in leadership. At the same time, AFA was focused on securing its infrastructure: hiring a new Executive Director (shared with the AFA Foundation), selling Synergos Association Management Company, and relocating headquarters back to Indianapolis. This transition included the hiring of a staff member to serve as our Director of Education. The AFA Foundation also launched its first Day of Giving in 2018, raising $26,850—a milestone in member engagement and philanthropic growth.
A major initiative during this time was the re-development of the Core Competencies, a framework designed to articulate the complex, nuanced, and often overwhelming responsibilities of fraternity/sorority professionals. This roadmap not only names the work but also provides a foundation for professionals to map their own development and education. Simultaneously, NASPA was drafting a framework to define best practices for the functional area of fraternity/sorority advising, further legitimizing and supporting the profession.
A point of pride from my presidency was AFA’s increased emphasis on research. Dr. Pietro Sasso’s Fraternities and Sororities in the Contemporary Era and Dr. Jim Barber’s leadership as editor of Oracle elevated the role of scholarship in our strategic positioning. Research became a cornerstone of our efforts to equip professionals with the tools and insights necessary to enhance their practice. This led to the advent of the Research Writer’s Retreat, first held in 2019.
Throughout its history, AFA has grappled with how best to support professionals in the field. The development of Core Competencies, the prioritization of research, and strategic partnerships all reflect a commitment to meeting professionals where they are—just as we strive to meet students developmentally. AFA remains committed to understanding the evolving landscape and equipping those on the ground with the resources, tools, and structural support they need to succeed. The early investments in legislation, infrastructure, professional development mapping, and fundraising have not only endured—they’ve expanded and matured. This continued growth reflects exactly what every leader hopes to see: sustained progress, strategic evolution, and deepening impact.
Personal Reflection
If I could do one thing differently, I would invest more time in mastering Robert’s Rules of Order to enhance governance fluency. More importantly, as someone who spent 20 years working on campuses before transitioning to a national organization, I would lean more deeply into relationships and seek to understand all perspectives. The challenges we faced were not new, but the stakes felt higher—and the need for unity, empathy, and collaboration was more urgent than ever.
About the Authors
Dan Bureau, PhD., is the associate vice president for student well-being at the University of Kentucky. A higher education professional of 28 years, Dan served as the 2004 AFA president and has served the Association in a range of roles, including as our representative to the Council for the Advancement of Standards since 2008 and as the inaugural associate editor of Oracle: The Research Journal of the Association of Fraternity and Sorority Advisors.
Dr. Kara Miller McCarty has over twenty years of experience as a campus-based professional and working at a national fraternity. She is a proud member of Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority and is an AFA past president.
