User:Mkoepsell/Association of Fraternal Leadership & Values

The Association of Fraternal Leadership & Values (AFLV) exists to stimulate the growth and development of fraternity/sorority council and chapter leaders by promoting leadership, educational, and values based experiences and resources for student leaders, their advisors, and the larger fraternal market.

AFLV is the consolidated outcome of what was previously the [Mid-American Greek Council Association] and the Western Region Greek Association.

The association is a membership based, non-profit organization with a 501(c)3 IRS Tax status. In addition to other programs and support services, the foundational programs include the AFLV Central Fraternal Leadership Conference, the National Black Greek Leadership Conference (NBGLC), the AFLV West Fraternal Leadership Conference, the National Cultural Greek Leadership Conference (NCGLC), and the National House Director Conference. The Association also publishes a quarterly magazine, Connections.

History
In the fall of 2008, the boards of the Mid-American Greek Council Association and the Western Region Greek Association both voted (followed by the appropriate membership vote) to consolidate the two organizations into one organization entitled the Association of Fraternal Leadership & Values. This historic action provides for synergistic opportunities to further serve the Fraternal Movement through an expanded office staff, services, resources, and publications. The Association of Fraternal Leadership & Values began operation on July 1, 2009.

Western Region Greek Association History

The Western Regional Interfraternity Conference began meeting in 1948. In April 1977, at the WRIFC, the Western Regional Panhellenic Conference was founded. For two years prior, the WRIFC had invited Panhellenic Councils to attend as associate members. The need was seen for a separate governing structure in order to facilitate communication and programming; therefore WRPC was born. Plans were to continue to meet jointly with WRIFC to benefit both organizations.

In 1984, WRPC and WRIFC decided to merge and form the Western Regional Greek Conference. The purpose of the merger was to develop stronger working relations between the male and female Greek community members. This mutual cooperative structure has allowed the conference to address important issues of common concerns. In the years since this cooperative structure was introduced, WRGC has flourished. In 1989, WRGC began to reach out to Black Greek/NPHC Councils to meet their needs and welcomed its first Black Greek Council to its membership.

With the development of Multicultural organizations throughout the region, the WRGC moved to address issues for these groups in its programs. At the 2002 WRGC, Interfraternity, Panhellenic, National Pan-Hellenic, NALFO, and Multicultural councils and organizations voted to officially change the name of the Western Regional Greek Conference to the Western Region Greek Association (WRGA), which would host the Western Region Greek Leadership Conference (WRGLC). In 2009 WRGA Welcomed the National Cultural Greek Leadership Conference as part of the annual event.

Prior to 1973, the WRIFC met at college campuses that bid to host the conference. From 1973-83, the conference met in Reno, Nevada. In 1984, the conference began moving the location; which has varied from Portland, Oregon to Anaheim, California. In 1989 WRGC settled in the San Francisco Bay Area and remained there until 1998. With the 51st conference, came relocation to San Jose, California. The 2001 - 2009 conferences took us back to the San Francisco Bay Area at the Hyatt Regency, San Francisco Airport. In 2010 the AFLV West Conference and National Cultural Greek Leadership Conference will be held for the first time in Costa Mesa, CA.

National Cultural Greek Leadership Conference History

In 2009 the National Cultural Greek Leadership Conference (NCGLC) was born. This event ran in conjunction with the WRGA Annual Leadership Conference and provided expanded educational opportunities for members of culturally based fraternties, sororities, and their governing councils. The conference received full board endorsements from the following: National Asian Pacific Islander American Panhellenic Association (NAPA), the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organization, Inc. (NALFO), the National Multicultural Greek Council, Inc. (NMGC), and support from the National Pan-Hellenic Council, Inc. (NPHC). The intention of the event is to provided expand educational opportunities for members of culturally based fraternties, sororities, and their governing councils.

Mid-American Greek Council Association History

The Mid-American Interfraternity Council Association (MIFCA) was born in 1967 and worked to serve the educational needs of fraternity men in the central (mid-American) states of the U.S. Due to the large number of women who had been attending MIFCA it was determined in 1981 that the population was available to support a serarate women's organization and the Mid-American Panhellenic Council Association (MAPCA) was born.

The Mid-American Greek Council Association (MGCA) was born in 1996 as a consolidation of MIFCA and MAPCA. The two conferences had existed side by side for many years and the consolidation provided a greater opportunity for synergy in leadership, governance, financial operations, and educational opportunties.

In 2008 MGCA welcomed the National Black Greek Leadership Conference as part of the annual conference. This expansion provided a greater opportunity for the leadership of all councils on campuses to come to one central location to further explore the values of fraternal organizations, become educated on trends and procedures, and to share a unified celebration of the fraternal spirit in America.

The first MIFCA Conference was held in Kansas City, MO in 1967. Over the years the conference alternated between St. Louis and Kansas City until the conference outgrew the Kansas City property and the conference settled for a long run at the Sheraton in St. Louis. In the early 90's The land under the Sheraton was designated to become the St. Louis Americas Center and home of the St. Louis Rams Football team. The conference moved around a few years from Dallas, to Cincinnati, Columbus, and Indianapolis until it finally found a new home at the Hyatt O'Hare in Chicago, IL where it resided until 2008. In 2009 the conference moved back to its resting spot in St. Louis right at the Americas Center in the exact GPS location it lived in so many years with the Sheraton.

National Black Greek Leadership Conference History

The National Black Greek Leadership Conference (NBGLC) was created in 1986 as a means to give undergraduate members of Black Greek Lettered Organizations (BGLOs) the opportunity to network and dialogue on issues that face them on predominately white campuses. Robert N. Page Jr. founded the conference on the campus of Central Missouri State University after attending Mid-American Inter-fraternity Council Association/Mid-American Panhellenic Council Association (MIFCA/MAPCA), which became the MGCA Conference and is now the AFLV Central Fraternal Leadership Conference, in 1986.

The NBGLC has been the home to many of the leading consultants and speakers on NPHC issues such as Dr. Walter Kimbrough, Mr. Lawrence Ross, Ms. Jennifer Jones, Mr. Steve Birdine, Mr. Bryant Smith, Attorney Rasheed Ali Cromwell and many, many more.