| Barbara A. McKinzie | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ada, Oklahoma, U.S.[1] |
Barbara A. McKinzie[1] is Alpha Kappa Alpha's twenty-seventh International President, who served from 2006 to 2010. Born in Oklahoma, McKinzie has a B.S. degree from East Central University as well as an M.B.A. from Northwestern University.[2] She is a twenty-five year member of Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA), and is a member of the sorority's board of directors.[3] In addition, she was the sorority's fourth Executive Director from 1985 to 1987.[4] Later, McKinzie was the sorority's International Treasurer from 1998 to 2002, before becoming the sorority's International Vice-President from 2002 to 2006.[3] She is a certified public accountant and former Comptroller at the Chicago Housing Authority.[3] According to the sorority's IRS filing as a 501(c)3 organization, McKinzie's compensation by AKA was $375,000 in 2007.[5]
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During her administration as International President of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, McKinzie implemented "The Heart of ESP: An Extraordinary Service Program." ESP is an acronym for Economics, Sisterhood, and Partnerships.[6] The five platforms included in the International Program and implemented in the Ivy Reading AKAdemy are:
In July 2009, eight members of Alpha Kappa Alpha sued the sorority to have McKinzie removed as president. They alleged that she spent hundreds of thousands of dollars of organization funds on personal items, including jewelry and clothing. Further, the suit alleged that the AKA board approved a "pension stipend" of $4,000 a month for four years after McKinzie leaves office without the necessary approval of members, and that a $1 million dollar life insurance policy was purchased for her. McKinzie was also accused of spending $900,000 on a life-sized wax statue of herself. McKinzie responded that $45 thousand was actually spent on statues of herself and the sorority's first International President, the late Nellie Quander. McKinzie said the expenses were "consistent with furthering AKA's mission," and that the lawsuit was "without merit." The plaintiffs additionally claimed that under McKinzie AKA lost large sums in investments.[7]
In February 2010, Natalia M. Combs Greene, associate judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, dismissed the lawsuit, stating that it contained "hyperbolic allegations riddled with buzz words." She wrote, "This case is largely about several disgruntled AKA members disillusioned with what they see as an increasingly opaque, authoritarian and self-serving leadership in their organization....The question remains, however, whether such behavior warrants judicial intervention.” The judge also maintained the plaintiffs had "overwhelmed the record with seemingly unnecessary and frivolous exhibits, arguments, counts and facts detailing the sorority’s 101-year history," and that many of the plaintiff's arguments "read as political speeches."[8][9]
In October 2009, legal counsel for AKA sent a letter to the plaintiffs' attorneys demanding that a web site supporting the lawsuit be removed from the Internet,[10] but the web site, Friends of the Weeping Ivy,[11] remained online.
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