What year did you become a member of Delta Sigma Theta?
What is the name of the chapter where you were initiated and what is your line name?
Spr 1986, Gamma Lambda Chapter @ Johnson C. Smith University
Scrappy- #1
What attracted you to the sorority?
The ideals of sisterhood and service. Public service has always been at my core. Naturally, I would be drawn to a sorority that was begun FOR public service.
What did you learn from becoming a Delta that has been instrumental to your success as an entrepreneur?
I have learned the art of fellowship and compromise. Everyone is different, with different tastes and idiosyncrasies. You have to have patience in any relationship. Business relationships are no different really from personal relationships. Just a different dimension.
How has the Delta network impacted you as a business owner?
When I moved to Charleston, not being a native Charlestonian, I connected with what I knew. My sisterhood. They embraced me and supported me. At the time, I was the only AA Female OBGYN in Charleston. I followed Dr. Katherine McCottry and it was in no time before my practice was growing. I not only was the only AA female GYN, but I owned my practice.
What is the name of your business and what do you do?
Charleston Women's Wellness Center and Charleston Health & Wellness Medi-Spa. I am a Gynecologist specializing in women's wellness and health.
How do you use your business to live out the five point thrust of our sorority?
Obviously, Physical & Mental Health is my focus. I practice it every day....well I try. But I definitely teach it and encourage it in my patients.
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What does it mean for you to give back?
My biggest flaw is that I find it hard to say no. I am getting better as I try to follow my own advice and create balance in my life. It is hard because our community has so many needs. I feel so blessed to be able to give back. With the pandemic, health disparities became obvious to the rest of the world. Health disparities in women's health are an issue as well.
Why should people do business with you?
I pride myself on being the type of doctor that listens to my patients and works with them as a partner in their health needs. Additionally, despite the fact that I am a gynecologist, I make every effort to address the "total woman". Not many people do that. I often see women who are not getting the basic screening tests ordered by their primary care physician and I make an effort to fill in the gaps.
When we become Deltas our goal is to make the sorority proud, to become a notable Delta. What are you doing or have you done that has you on the path to becoming a notable Delta, what accomplishment are you the most proud for people to know about?
I am most proud that in addition to being a physician, I own my own practice. That means I get to decide how I am going to use my resources to impact the community where I live and work. I don't work for a hospital system that sometimes will limit your ability to give back and practice the way you want. It's hard work, but I have managed to stay in practice for 22 years. I am not sure if I am on the path to being a "notable" Delta. I just try to do my best every day!
Which Delta inspires you and why? (this does not have to be “famous” person)
Shirley Chisolm. I often what she must have felt knowing that she was doing something that had never been done before. How at times she must have felt alone because she had no one who could really understand what she was experiencing as the first black woman elected to Congress. She did it and made it look effortless!
Give three words that describe your impact on the globe.
passionate, driven, consistent
