Trailblazers in Arts, Politics, Business, and Advocacy Inducted as Honorary Members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
'This year's class of Honorary Members represents a powerhouse group of barrier-breaking women across politics, entertainment, business, sports, and social impact,' said Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. International President Elsie Cooke-Holmes.
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The 2025 Honorary Members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. include Donna Brazile, Danielle Brooks, Dana Owens (Queen Latifah), Fawn Weaver, Janice Bryant Howroyd, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Swintayla 'Swin' Cash, and Toni Townes-Whitley.
Honorary Membership is one of the Sorority's highest recognitions, reserved for women who are trailblazers in their fields and who have made extraordinary contributions to society. These inductees exemplify the Sorority's Cardinal Principles of Sisterhood, Scholarship, Service, and Social Action. Their impactful work aligns with the mission and values of Delta's Five-Point Programmatic Thrust: economic development, educational development, international awareness and involvement, physical and mental health, and political awareness and involvement.
'This year's class of Honorary Members represents a powerhouse group of barrier-breaking women across politics, entertainment, business, sports, and social impact,' said Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. International President Elsie Cooke-Holmes. 'From a trailblazing political strategist to an acclaimed actress and vocalist, a legendary Olympic athlete to a pioneering tech executive, these women embody excellence, service, and the unwavering pursuit of justice and equity. Their collective influence spans boardrooms, stages, and grassroots movements — each one a force in her field and a reflection of Delta's enduring mission.'
Learn more about this distinguished 2025 Honorary Member Class below:
Donna Brazile
Donna Brazile is a veteran political strategist, New York Times bestselling author, and an Emmy- and Peabody-winning media contributor. She currently serves as a Senior Advisor at Purple Strategies. Brazile made history as the first African American woman to manage a major party presidential campaign, leading Al Gore's 2000 bid. She has served twice as interim Chair of the Democratic National Committee, and remains active on its Rules and Bylaws Committee.
Brazile is the author of Cooking with Grease and Hacks, co-author of the NAACP Image Award-winning For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics, and a contributor to 400 Souls. She is a dedicated educator, having taught at Georgetown and Howard Universities and held fellowships at Harvard's Institute of Politics. She holds over 10 honorary doctorates and is a recipient of Harvard's W.E.B. Du Bois Medal.
Danielle Brooks
Danielle Brooks is an Academy Award-nominated actress, celebrated for her powerful portrayal of 'Sofia' in The Color Purple, which earned nominations from the Oscars, Golden Globes, SAG, Critics Choice, BAFTA, and NAACP Image Awards. She rose to prominence as 'Taystee' in Netflix's Orange Is the New Black, receiving two NAACP Image Award nominations.
She won the Critics Choice Award and earned an Emmy nomination as Co-Executive Producer for her portrayal of gospel icon Mahalia Jackson in Mahalia. On stage, Brooks earned a Tony nomination for The Color Purple and starred in The Piano Lesson alongside Samuel L. Jackson. Her performance in Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare in the Park earned her a Drama League nomination. She also hosted Netflix's Instant Dream Home, and received a Daytime Emmy nomination.
A Juilliard graduate from South Carolina, Brooks is also a passionate advocate. She co-founded Black Women on Broadway, launched the Annie Edge Scholarship in honor of her godmother, and volunteers with the Atlanta Community Food Bank.
Swintayla 'Swin' Cash
Swintayla 'Swin' Cash is a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, and Founder & CEO of She's Got Time, a lifestyle and media company creating the first holistic ecosystem for women in sports. A trailblazer in sports leadership, she most recently served as Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations & Team Development for the New Orleans Pelicans.
One of the most decorated athletes in women's basketball, Cash is a three-time WNBA champion, four-time All-Star, two-time All-Star MVP, and two-time Olympic gold medalist. She was also named one of the WNBA's Top 20 Most Influential Players.
Beyond the court, Cash has made her mark in sports media and philanthropy. She founded Cash for Kids, a nonprofit supporting youth through fitness, education, and culture, and has served as an NBA Global Ambassador advocating for social responsibility and civil rights.
Among her many achievements, her most treasured roles are wife to Steve Canal and mother to their two sons, Saint and Syer Cash-Canal.
Janice Bryant Howroyd
Janice Bryant Howroyd, affectionately known as JBH, is the Founder & CEO of the ActOne Group, a multi-billion-dollar global workforce and technology enterprise operating in over 43 countries. As the first African American woman to build and lead a billion-dollar company, she is a trailblazing entrepreneur, educator, and mentor.
Under her leadership, ActOne delivers innovative HR and procurement solutions in more than 52 languages. A North Carolina native and one of 11 children, JBH credits her parents for the values behind her success.
JBH chairs the Women's Leadership Board at Harvard's Kennedy School and supports education through major philanthropic gifts, including to her alma mater, North Carolina A&T. A Presidential appointee and global influencer, she's been honored with the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and named Black Enterprise's Woman of the Year.
JBH is the best-selling author of Acting Up and The Art of Work, and a sought-after speaker known for her guiding principle: 'Never compromise who you are personally to become who you wish to be professionally.'
Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Jackie Joyner-Kersee, hailed as the 'Greatest Female Athlete of the 20th Century,' is a six-time Olympic medalist whose 1988 world record in the heptathlon still stands. Dominating track and field for over two decades, she earned titles such as Sports Illustrated's Female Athlete of the Century and was named one of ESPN's 50 Greatest Athletes.
A native of East St. Louis, Illinois, Joyner-Kersee attended UCLA on a basketball scholarship, achieving national honors in both basketball and track. Her commitment to education, equity, and opportunity has fueled her work beyond sports.
In 1988, she founded the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation to empower youth and families through education, sports, and leadership. The Foundation's 41,000-square-foot center in East St. Louis has served thousands. She also co-founded Athletes for Hope to connect athletes with community service.
Her leadership has been recognized with numerous honors, including the FBI Director's Community Leadership Award and the UCLA Professional Achievement Award. A Goodwill Ambassador for the African Renaissance and Diaspora Network, she remains a powerful voice for equity, education, and empowerment.
Dana 'Queen Latifah' Owens
Queen Latifah, born Dana Elaine Owens, is a groundbreaking American rapper, singer, actress, and producer. A trailblazer in entertainment, she has earned a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy, a Golden Globe, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, and an Academy Award nomination. In 2006, she became the first hip hop artist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
She rose to fame at age 19 with her debut album All Hail the Queen (1989), which featured the iconic track "Ladies First." Her third album, Black Reign (1993), was the first gold-certified solo album by a female rapper and included the Grammy-winning single "U.N.I.T.Y.', which was influential in raising awareness of violence against women and the objectification of Black female sexuality.
Latifah starred in the hit sitcom Living Single and earned an Oscar nomination for her role in Chicago (2002). Her film credits include Set It Off, Bringing Down the House, Beauty Shop, Girls Trip, and voice work in the Ice Age series. She received critical acclaim and an Emmy for co-producing and starring in HBO's Bessie (2015).
She also created The Queen Latifah Show and most recently led the CBS drama The Equalizer (2021–2025). A pioneering force across music, film, and television, Queen Latifah continues to redefine what it means to be a multi-hyphenate artist.
Fawn Weaver
Fawn Weaver is a serial entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience and the founder and CEO of Grant Sidney, Inc., where she manages a multimillion-dollar real estate and investment portfolio. A two-time New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, she is also a popular TED speaker and media personality, featured on platforms such as The TODAY Show, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, CNBC, and in Forbes, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. Her NPR How I Built This episode with Guy Raz gained widespread acclaim, as did her 2024 Forbes Self-Made Women profile.
Weaver is one of only five African American women to found and lead a $1B+ company in U.S. history. She is the founder and CEO of Uncle Nearest, Inc., the fastest-growing American whiskey brand in U.S. history and the best-selling Black American-founded spirit brand of all time. Under her leadership, Uncle Nearest has won over 1,200 awards and was named 'World's Best' Bourbon two years in a row. The 458-acre Nearest Green Distillery is the seventh most visited in the world.
Weaver is a Harvard Business School certified Corporate Director, a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Alabama, and holds an honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Bluefield State University. She also serves on the board of Endeavor Group Holdings (NYSE: EDR).
Toni Townes-Whitley
Toni Townes-Whitley is CEO of SAIC, a $7.4 billion technology and engineering firm with 24,000 employees serving the defense, space, civilian, and intelligence sectors. She became CEO and joined the Board of Directors in October 2023.
A veteran technology executive, Townes-Whitley previously led Microsoft's $16 billion U.S. regulated industries division, served as President of CGI Federal, and held senior roles at Unisys, where she drove 500% revenue growth in the federal sector.
Townes-Whitley serves on the boards of Nasdaq, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, the Partnership for Public Service, Catalyst, and the Princeton Faith & Work Initiative. She also serves as a guest lecturer at Stanford and Princeton on tech ethics and public-sector innovation.
A Princeton graduate in public policy and economics, Townes-Whitley also holds executive certifications from Wharton, New York University, and the Performance Management Institute. Her accolades include 2024 USA Today Woman of the Year, the Women in Technology Lifetime Achievement Award, and Fortune's 'Most Powerful Women: One to Watch.'
A former Peace Corps volunteer in Gabon and past president of Women in Technology, she is a passionate advocate for women's leadership, education, and social impact.
ABOUT DELTA SIGMA THETA
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated was founded on January 13, 1913, on the campus of Howard University to promote academic excellence; to provide scholarships; to provide support to the underserved; educate and stimulate participation in the establishment of positive public policy; and to highlight issues and provide solutions for problems in their communities. Since its founding, more than 350,000 women have joined the organization, making it one of the largest predominantly Black women's organizations in the country. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated has over 1,000 collegiate and alumnae chapters located in the United States, the Arabian Gulf, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, Germany, Jamaica, Japan, the Republic of Korea, West Africa, the United Kingdom, and the Virgin Islands. The Sorority utilizes its Five-Point Programmatic Thrust of economic development, educational development, international awareness and involvement, physical and mental health, and political awareness and involvement to guide national programs, initiatives, and strategic partnerships. To learn more about Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, visit www.deltasigmatheta.org.
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