Baltimore, MD – General President Darryl R. Matthews, Sr., of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. recently convened a Strategic Planning Retreat in Baltimore Maryland.  The Board of Directors, several past General Presidents, various foundation chairmen, selected leadership, committee chairmen and Alpha Brothers, with selected Headquarters Staff of Alpha Phi Alpha, were in attendance. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. is the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity, established for African-Americans. It was founded December 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca New York.  At this session a revised Vision Statement and a new Mission Statement to help guide the organizations operations in the coming years was created.

Fifty college and alumni members participated in the two day retreat to develop the statements.  “These statements will be updated periodically to help set the strategic priorities that the fraternity will follow,” said Willard C. Hall, Jr., Executive Director for Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. “While the fraternity's old objective statement had many positive aspects, it also had its challenges. It was too lengthy as a statement, and due to its length, it was not widely or actively used in its entirety.”

The new Alpha Phi Alpha Mission Statement:

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. develops leaders, promotes brotherhood and academic excellence, while providing service and advocacy for our communities.

“The year 2006 represents the fraternity’s centennial year. There is no better time to redefine our mission and add to our history and legacy than now. This statement is a more concise, usable and inspiring Mission Statement that now defines Alpha's core purpose and vision,” said Darryl R. Matthews, Sr., General President of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. “This revised Mission will guide the fraternity as it works toward achieving the goals set forth in its strategic plan.”

Led by the Organizations’ General President and Executive Director, with an internal team chaired by Dr. Zollie Stevenson they have worked for nine months on an Organizational Effectiveness Review process, with consultants from the Maryland Association of Non-Profits. In the next two months the Board led strategic planning task force will seek input from members across the fraternity. The Organization Effectiveness Committee, Strategic Planning Committee, Corporate Headquarter Directors, and the Board of Directors will create and review a draft strategic plan. The Board of Directors will approve the final plan at their July 25, 2006 meeting held in Washington DC at the Centennial Convention. 

Alpha Phi Alpha through the past 100 years has cultivated and inspired more than 200,000 African American men nationwide to become leaders of their communities and the nation. Interracial since 1945, among the most well-known are: the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall, W.E.B. DuBois, Jesse Owens, Cornel West, Andrew Young, David Dinkins, Kwame Kilpatrick, Charles Rangel, Edward Brooke, Marc Morial, Bobby Scott and Maynard Jackson.