AFA’s Director’s Institute aims to prepare new and aspiring campus-based Directors to lead their departments and communities in a modern higher education and fraternity/sorority landscape.

Moving into a director role means shifting from doing the work to leading it — from managing programs to shaping strategy, navigating campus politics, developing staff, and advocating for your community at the highest levels of your institution. The AFA Director’s Institute is built to guide you through that transition alongside a cohort of peers making the very same leap.

AFA’s Director’s Institute is a sustained developmental experience that will blend in-person learning experiences with synchronous virtual sessions. The program kicks off at the Annual Meeting (December) and culminates with a multi-day in-person capstone experience on the campus of NC State University in Raleigh, North Carolina (June).

While AFA’s Director’s Institute is grounded in the Core Competencies, this program is not intended to re-teach them. Instead, the program aims to prepare participants with the knowledge and skills to lead their programs with strategy, confidence, and vision.

Participant Experience

Developed in partnership with Plaid, a Champion-level Educational Partner, and funded through the generous support of the AFA Foundation, the Director’s Institute is a blended, cohort-based program that unfolds across a six months:

• An in-person kickoff at the AFA Annual Meeting to build relationships with your cohort and ground yourself in the work ahead
• A virtual core of interactive sessions that fit around your work life, each building on the last, with reflection and opportunities for real application in between
• An immersive, multi-day in-person capstone on the campus of NC State University (Raleigh, NC) where you bring it all together, synthesizing your learning into a concrete plan for leading change

Who should participate in the Director’s Institute program?

The Director’s Institute is designed for new and aspiring campus-based fraternity/sorority directors. Professionals who lead (or are preparing to lead) most or all operations of a college/university fraternity/sorority program, and who are likely responsible for supervising other professional staff, will benefit from participating in this program.

You’ll get the most out of the Institute if you are:

• • • Newly in a Director role seeking a strong, well-rounded foundation in your role, or
    • An aspiring director* who is preparing to make the leap in their next job search (1-2 years) and ready to build the skills and confidence to get there.

* AFA roughly defines aspiring Directors as professionals with 3-5 years of professional experience in the field who believe their next job transition will be to a campus-based Director role. This program is not intended for graduate students or new professionals aspiring to serve as a Director in the longer-term future.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the Institute, you will understand the strategic responsibilities of the Director role and will be equipped to elevate the work you do on your own campus.

You’ll be able to:

• • • Position your fraternity/sorority program within your institution’s culture, priorities, and political landscape
    • Communicate and influence up, down, and across your organization — tailoring your message to what each stakeholder actually values
    • Supervise, coach, and mentor with intention, and build cohesive teams that span generations, roles, and reporting lines
    • Use data to tell your program’s story, demonstrate its impact, and advocate for what your program and your community needs
    • Identify gaps and opportunities for your program, plan data-driven change, and see it through to results
    • Navigate the operational and legal realities of the role — staffing and funding models, compliance, and institutional risk

Program Dates & Registration

Friday, December 4, 2026 from 9:00am – 12:00pm CT: AFA’s inaugural Director’s Institute program will kick off at the 2026 Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL.

First Thursdays from 3:00 – 4:00pm ET: Informal community-building sessions will provide participants an opportunity to foster connections with each other and reflect on the program content. These sessions will take place on the first Thursday of each month from January through May (January 7, February 4, March 4, April 1, and May 6).

Third Thursdays from 3:00 – 4:30pm ET: Synchronous live sessions will take place on the third Thursday of each month from January through May (January 21, February 18, March 18, April 15, May 20).

Tuesday, June 1, 2027 – Thursday, June 3, 2027: The Director’s Institute will culminate with an in-person capstone experience at NC State University. Content will begin the afternoon of Tuesday, June 1, 2027 and will wrap up on the morning of Thursday, June 3, 2027.

Because so much of the Institute’s value comes from being together, full attendance at both in-person experiences — the AFA Annual Meeting kickoff and the multi-day capstone — is expected of all participants. These gatherings anchor the cohort experience and cannot be replicated virtually. If the dates don’t work for you this cycle, we’d love to welcome you to participate in a future cohort.

Cohort Expectations

• Show Up Authentically: Acknowledge that campus environments are imperfect. If we pretend our campuses don’t have systemic operational or cultural issues, we limit our own learning.
• Maintain Cohort Confidentiality: To ensure a safe learning space, insights stay in the cohort. Do not share campus-specific vulnerabilities outside this program without explicit permission.
• Engage with Active Presence: Avoid distracted multi-tasking or slipping into observer-mode. This is an active, peer-driven development space.

Program Faculty

Shelly Brown Dobek

Shelly received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Liberal Arts, and a Master of Science in Education from Southern Illinois University. After working at Bowling Green State University for 3 years as the advisor to NPHC and coordinator of leadership programming, alcohol education and sorority housing, Shelly moved to North Carolina State University as the Associate Director for Greek Life for 13 years. Currently the Director Fraternity and Sorority Life, she provides strategic oversight to the Department operations, leadership to a team of 17 full time staff and 4 graduate assistants, and support for a Fraternity/Sorority community of 4,000 students in 53 chapters and four governing councils. Shelly is also leading the redevelopment of the Greek Village Master Plan ($128M to date) home to 26+ chapters across all councils.

In 2024, she received the Association of Fraternity|Sorority Advisors Dr. Robert H. Shaffer Award, recognizing her long-time commitment to the industry. In addition to her work on campus, Shelly served as the 2012 Association President during her 7 years on the AFA Board of Directors, was a part of the CAMPUSPEAK team for 18 years, served on the Fraternity & Sorority Coalition Assessment Team, and as a Trustee for the Circle of Sisterhood Foundation. Shelly regularly works with campuses and organizations to conduct assessments and reviews utilizing CAS standards and custom metrics to provide feedback and guide change.

John W. Keith

John currently works as the Director of Sorority & Fraternity Life at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. In this role, he oversees the programmatic and community-wide initiatives of the office, provides direction and support for all programs and course offerings related to the social/service Greek-lettered experience, engages campus and community partners on topics ranging from joining processes to leadership development and harm and risk reduction, and provides strategic visioning to a Sorority/Fraternity community of 10,000 students in 50 chapters and 4 governing councils.

Prior to working at UT, John worked at a number of institutions including the University of Cincinnati, Louisiana State University, Valdosta State University and Augusta University, where he had the opportunity to see fraternity & sorority life through different lenses. He believes that those varied experiences make his take on Greek engagement unique and he is excited to share his approach to providing support to fraternal organizations. In addition to his work on campus, John served as the 2025 AFA Treasurer during his term as a member of the AFA Board of Directors and works with campuses to conduct program reviews regularly. John is a two-time graduate of Georgia Southern University, a graduate of Louisiana State University and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Gratitude for Our Donors

Last Updated: August 2026

AFA’s Director’s Institute is made possible through gifts to the following funds:

• AFA Foundation Board Designated Talent Development Fund, which serves as a quasi-endowment that allows the AFA Foundation Board to direct resources towards the greatest professional development needs for fraternity/sorority professionals.
• Past Presidents Talent Development Endowment, which was established in cooperation with AFA’s Past Presidents to provide the opportunity to build stronger professional development that directly addresses the skills needed to engage in the front-line work of sorority and fraternity advising, fund new programs and initiatives designed to directly contribute to the long-term success of campus-based sorority and fraternity advisors, and preserve the integrity and growth of the sorority and fraternity advising profession.

AFA is grateful to our leadership level donors for their generosity.